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By DOUG ALDEN AP Sports Writer
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A six-game road trip doesn't look quite as imposing to the Washington Wizards now.
The Wizards opened their longest trip of the season by setting a team record with 16 3-pointers in a 109-97 win over the Utah Jazz on Thursday.
"It's a great feeling to start off a road trip like that," said Gilbert Arenas, who led the Wizards with 31 points.
The Wizards won for just the 11th time in 30 tries on the road this season, thanks mostly to clutch 3-pointers and some very shaky free throw shooting by the Jazz.
Washington was 4-for-5 on 3-pointers in the third quarter and went 5-for-9 from beyond the arc in the final 12 minutes to hold off the Jazz.
Antawn Jamison scored 20 of his 27 points in the first half and Caron Butler also scored 27, getting 15 points in the third quarter. Arenas added 12 points in the fourth.
"I did it in the first half. Caron did it in the third quarter and Gilbert picked it up in the fourth. That's how we roll," Jamison said.
The Jazz, who retired Karl Malone's No. 32 during a halftime ceremony and unveiled a bronze statue of the "Mailman" before the game, never recovered after falling behind by 16 in the fourth quarter.
Carlos Boozer scored 30 points and Matt Harpring had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Jazz.
Utah hasn't made the playoffs since Malone left in 2003 and is running out of time to move up in the standings. After rallying to beat Phoenix on Tuesday, the Jazz couldn't overcome the Wizards' outside shooting two nights later.
"I'm not asking them to be Karl Malone, but I think I have a right to hold players accountable," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "If I do that, then I'm being a little bit too harsh on them at times. But we have a tendency to think that no work is the best policy and that will cause you a great deal of trouble."
Falling behind by 16 was too much for Utah to overcome. Every time the Jazz got close, Washington would answer with another 3. And the Jazz blew several opportunities from the line, where they were 7-for-13 in the fourth quarter.
Boozer started a 7-2 run for Utah that cut the lead to 97-93 on a dunk by Andrei Kirilenko with about 2:20 remaining. Fans who filled the arena for Malone's night were on their feet and cheering until Arenas quieted them with Washington's 15th 3-pointer of the game, breaking the team record.
"I was trying to get to the cup but they kept calling carries on me so I said forget that and started shooting 3s," Arenas said. "We were just on fire."
Arenas was 6-for-8 on 3-pointers and Jamison made seven of 12, including a runner from just inside midcourt to beat the halftime buzzer and give the Wizards a 50-41 lead.
Washington was 16-for-25 (64 percent) from beyond the arc, only slightly behind Utah's percentage from the free throw line. The Jazz were 23-for-35 from the line, 66 percent.
After Harpring tied the game at 29 with two free throws with 7:28 remaining in the second quarter, the Wizards took off on an 18-3 run. Arenas drove the lane and dunked over Boozer and a couple other members of the Jazz, then faked another drive and passed the ball back out to Jamison for a 3-pointer that made it 47-32 Washington.
Notes:@ Jared Jeffries had 12 rebounds for the Wizards. ... Washington's record for 3-pointers was 14, set against New Jersey on Jan. 4, 2005. ... After allowing Washington to pull away with an 18-3 run in the second quarter, the Jazz got the lead down to six before Jamison beat the buzzer. ... Antonio Daniels scored 12 points for Washington. Kirilenko had 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Deron Williams had nine assists for Utah.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-03-23-06 2309MST
