WASHINGTON - - The crowd at Verizon Center might have been smaller than usual because of some poor weather outside and some inferior play inside in recent weeks, but the few fans who opted to brave the snow and watch the Washington Wizards had plenty to cheer about Saturday night.
With Antawn Jamison more aggressive than ever on the glass and Mike Miller more aggressive than any other time this season with his shot, the Wizards defeated the New York Knicks, 106-96, before a generously announced crowd of 16,233.
If Jamison was on the floor and the ball was in the air, chances are he was near it. Playing with tenacity and determination, Jamison chased down a career-high 23 rebounds and added 21 points as the Wizards ended a four-game home losing streak. Miller added a season-high 25 points, as he connected on seven of 10 three-point attempts - including five in the third quarter.
"I'm going to pick my spots. It's me picking my spots," Miller said. "I decided to become a little more aggressive."
Jamison said of Miller: "This is one guy who wants to move the ball, but we need you to really be aggressive. He did a great job not thinking and going out there and shooting."
The Wizards (16-30) had six players finish in double figures, with Randy Foye scoring 14 points and Caron Butler, Andray Blatche and Nick Young adding 10 points apiece. David Lee had 24 points to lead the Knicks, who lost their fifth straight.
The Wizards have won consecutive games for the fifth time this season, but they are hoping to avoid what happened the past three times, when back-to-back wins were followed by a six-game losing streak, a four-game slide and another four-game skid, respectively. They will host the Boston Celtics on Monday.
The Wizards were coming off an 81-79 win the night before in New Jersey, where reserve guard Earl Boykins made the game-winning basket with 0.4 of a second remaining.
On Friday, Boykins had 15 points and the Wizards' reserves contributed 43 points on a night when no starter reached double figures.
The Wizards responded on Saturday. They couldn't have played much better than they did in the first period, when nearly everything they tried worked splendidly.
- The Associated Press contributed to this article.