Gilbert Arenas returned to the court for the first time this season but couldn’t deliver his team a victory, and the Detroit Pistons escaped a sold-out Verizon Center with a 98-95 victory Saturday night.
Playing for the first time since April 27, 2008, Arenas scored 15 points and handed out 10 assists in 30 minutes. But for now, the buzzer-beating heroics for which the three-time All-Star was famous before his three knee surgeries will have to wait.
The Wizards (17-57) came back from a 15-point third-quarter deficit and briefly led in the fourth quarter. But former Wizards forward Kwame Brown blocked Arenas’ potential game-winning 3-pointer.
Richard Hamilton led the Pistons, scoring 16 of his 31 points in the third quarter, and Tayshaun Prince added 19 points for Detroit.
Antawn Jamison led the Wizards with 21 points, Andray Blatche finished with 15 points and Caron Butler added 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.