Gilbert Arenas may not be shooting as efficiently right now as he was earlier this season. But you wouldn’t have known that based on his performance in Seattle last evening, when the three-time NBA all-star hit a game-winning lay-up as time expired. The clutch basket, which dropped into the net as the red-lights on the back-board lit up, propelled the Wizards to their third-win in four-games.

Arenas finished the night with 42-points and also dished out seven-assists in helping to lead Washington to a win in the second-game of a five-game road trip. Every win is big, but this particular victory was monumental for the first-place Wizards, who’s lead in the Atlantic Division has dwindled to just a game over the second-place Miami Heat.

Washington’s west-coast road-trip began on Tuesday night, when the Wizards lost  to a bad Portland Trail Blazers team. In that game Arenas, or ‘Hibachi’ as his teammates call him - and he calls himself - missed a potential game-tying shot in the final seconds from close-range. ’Agent-zero’  - Arenas’ other self-coined nickname - flipped the script last night though, sending thousands of bitter Seattle fans to the exits, and sending his team into euphoria, with one flick of the wrist.

The play the Wizards ran was well designed. It was called, get the ball to Arenas, and let him do whatever he wants to do. It played out like so. Arenas inbounded the ball from under the basket to Antonio Daniels, who quickly bounced the ball back to Arenas, wasting little time in getting the former Arizona star the ball back. It was as if Arenas had called ‘check’ when he had originally tossed it to him. Upon retrieving the ball under his own basket, Arenas sprinted up court, slowing down upon reaching the time-line.

Arenas was a few feet from the three-point line when he stopped advancing the ball, opting instead to dribble in place in an effort to dwindle some time off of the clock. Earl Watson - who was the unlucky Sonic asked to guard Arenas on the final possession - decided to step up into Arenas’ comfort zone, and reached-in on Washington’s best player trying to force a turnover. After leaving Watson in his wake with an explosive first-step, Arenas threw up a one-handed, off-balance runner, which smacked off of the back-board and through the net without touch rim. The buzzer sounded as the ball fell to the floor. And just like that, the Wizards were back in the win column.

Detractors can say what they will about the Wizards and bout their recent struggles. The team certainly couldn’t care less. And regardless of what you think about what the team is - or isn’t going to do - down the strech, for at least another night, the hibachi was on!