Two replays in final second, Arenas’ missed FTs give Pacers 114-113 win over Wizards

Two replays in final second as Pacers win 114-113

WASHINGTON — Gilbert Arenas was despondent. His first triple-double in 5½ years meant nothing because he had blown the game at the free throw line for the second time in three nights.

Mike Dunleavy felt much better. He benefited from two replay reviews that gave him his own chance at the line, where he sank both attempts with one-tenth of a second remaining Saturday night to give the Indiana Pacers a 114-113 win over the Washington Wizards.

“Thank God for technology,” Dunleavy said.

The Pacers can also thank Arenas for their second victory in two nights. The Wizards point guard knew he blew it for his team when he missed both attempts at the line with 6.6 seconds to play and Washington leading by one.

Long after the game, Arenas sat at his locker, his head buried in his left hand.

“It’s really frustrating,” he said. “I’m shooting them all day. I mean, I don’t even know why I’m sitting here talking about some free throws. I never fathomed that I’d be missing free throws again. Maybe it’s just mental, because I’m making them in practice.”

Arenas also missed a pair that would have tied the game in the final half-minute in a loss to Boston on Thursday. Was he thinking about the Celtics game during his two vital misses against the Pacers?

“I might have been thinking about it,” Arenas said. “Maybe I was thinking about the last game free throws.”

Indiana was out of timeouts after Arenas missed his second free throw, so T.J. Ford dribbled the length of the court for a layup. He missed, and the ball was tipped out of bounds by Washington’s Brendan Haywood. The clock showed that time had expired, but a replay reset it to five-tenths of a second.

The Pacers then lobbed the ball to Dunleavy, who was fouled as time expired. A second review put one-tenth of a second back on the clock, and Dunleavy sank both shots.

“I didn’t know how it was possible,” Haywood said. “On the catch, the clock has to start. So catch, come down, and then fouled in the act of shooting seems tough. I definitely have a strong opinion on it, really can’t speak on it. You know how David Stern is, real tough on criticizing the referees. I didn’t think it was possible.”

Washington coach Flip Saunders, whose team has lost four straight, was more upset over other things, including a play in which the Pacers grabbed an offensive rebound after Tyler Hansbrough deliberately missed a free throw with 13 seconds left.

“We’re inventing ways to lose,” Saunders said.

Now his team has to play seven of the next eight on the road.

“Maybe this West Coast trip is what we need, you know,” Arenas said. “Get away from this building, get into some territories where we can breathe a little bit.”

Troy Murphy scored a season-high 28 points, and Dunleavy had 24 for the Pacers, who have won two straight after a six-game losing streak. They are also 2-1 since scoring leader Danny Granger was sidelined for at least four weeks with a foot injury.

“That was one for the ages,” Indiana coach Jim O’Brien said. “That was a great win for us to be able to get that, to be able to scratch out everything that we tried to do at the end — from Tyler missing the foul shot and getting our hands on it. It really worked. I’m proud of our guys.”

NOTES: Antawn Jamison scored 31 points, and Caron Butler added 23 for the Wizards. Butler hurt his left ankle when he stepped on Dunleavy’s foot in the fourth quarter but stayed in the game. … The Pacers broke a six-game road losing streak, winning away from home for the first time since Nov. 17. … Saunders shook up his lineup again, starting DeShawn Stevenson in place of Nick Young at shooting guard. It was Stevenson’s second start of the season and the 10th different starting five used by Saunders — and it’s only 21 games into this season. “Right now we’re still in the juggling phase,” the coach said. … Washington G Mike Miller, sidelined since Nov. 21 with a calf injury, is close to returning and will travel on the West Coast trip. … Pacers C Roy Hibbert still gets nervous when he returns to the Verizon Center, where he played for four years with Georgetown. “Whenever you come back and play you get a little jittery because this is your hometown,” he said before the game. “I’m from the area. I played here. Hopefully I don’t make any mistakes and I stay focused. It got the best of me last year. I didn’t really play to my potential.” He didn’t Saturday night, either. Hibbert shot 1 for 9 from the field and scored only four points.