Gilbert Arenas suffers real injury as Washington Wizards fall to Milwaukee Bucks
Two days after faking an injury, Gilbert Arenas suffered a real one.
Arenas, who has been making headlines during the pre-season with his odd quotes and strange antics, managed only three minutes as his Washington Wizards (3-2) were defeated 96-88 by the
Milwaukee Bucks (3-1) last night in Washington.
Coming off the bench, Arenas posted three steals, a rebound, an assist, and a blocked shot before heading to the locker room with a strained right groin. It marked his first appearance
in front of his home fans since being suspended 50 games last season for bringing guns into the locker room. Even though it was only three minutes, Arenas and John Wall, number-one pick in this summer's NBA Draft, displayed some good chemistry on the court,
teaming up with some nifty passes to each other.
"He was good while he was in there," Washington coach Flip Saunders said.
Saunders was not interested in commenting again on Wednesday’s bizarre incident which involved Arenas faking a knee injury to give teammate Nick Young his starting spot. Arenas was fined
an undisclosed amount for his behaviour.
"That's over with. I'm not going to get into it," Saunders said. "I've done enough."
But the Washington coach continued to express support for Arenas, in spite his early exit from the game.
"He's been with us. Whatever we've asked him to do, he's basically done," he said.
The Wizards were led by Andray Blatche, who had a near double-double with 17 points and nine assists while Kirk Hinrich chipped in with 12 points. Wall continued his strong pre-season
play with 15 points and 11 assists. And like Saunders, he also backed Arenas.
“He’s going to be a key to helping us win this year,” Wall said of Arenas. "We have a great time playing every time we're on the court. I hope he gets back as quick as possible [but] I
hope he takes his time."
In addition to the fake injury, Arenas has made numerous headlines just a couple of weeks into the pre-season, including instating a “no-smile policy” for himself and saying he would “move
on” from the franchise once he teaches Wall the ropes.
While the Wizards enjoyed a two-point advantage heading into half-time, they were outscored by 14 points in the final two quarters.
Drew Gooden led the Bucks with 25 points while Carlos Delfino added 19 of his own. Point guard Brandon Jennings finished with 13 points and seven assists.
Bucks coach Scott Skiles didn’t play his starting centre Andrew Bogut, who has yet to play in the pre-season after recovering from a fall last season that dislocated his elbow, sprained
his wrist, and broke his hand. Skiles expects Bogut to play against Memphis on Saturday.
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