WASHINGTON (AP) – Gilbert Arenas scored 20 points, and Antawn Jamison had 19 points and 18 rebounds Tuesday night to lead the Washington Wizards to an 84-79 victory over the Indiana Pacers, who lost their sixth straight game in a mostly ineffective debut for Peja Stojakovic.

Caron Butler added 13 for the Wizards, who have won eight of 11 to move within one game of .500. They can reach the break-even mark for the first time since early December with a win Wednesday at Toronto.

Stojakovic, acquired last week from the Sacramento Kings for Ron Artest, scored 17 points on 4-for-10 shooting, including 1-for-6 from 3-point range, and was limited to 26 minutes because of foul trouble. Ten of his points came in the fourth quarter, mostly when the Pacers were trying to overcome a double-digit deficit.

Stojakovic’s only 3-pointer came when the Pacers were trailing by 12 with 31/2 minutes remaining, but it started a run that cut Washington’s lead to four with 10 seconds left. Arenas made one of two free throws with 9.5 seconds to play to help secure the victory.

Fred Jones added 16 points for the Pacers, and Scot Pollard grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds.

Like the Wizards, the Pacers ended the evening one game below .500, but Indiana has a losing record for the first time this season. Stojakovic’s debut gave the team its 20th different starting lineup of the season.

The Pacers remained without Jermaine O’Neal (groin), Jamaal Tinsley (elbow) and Jeff Foster (back spasms) and had to play most of the second half without Austin Croshere, who sustained a mild concussion in the third quarter.

The Wizards jumped to a 22-9 lead and never trailed, but the Pacers cut the deficit to two twice in the third quarter. Washington began to pull away when Arenas made a bank shot and a 14-foot runner to start a 10-2 run midway through the period. Anthony Johnson (seven), Jones (four) and Stojakovic (two) were the only Pacers to score in a third quarter in which the team shot 26 percent.

A 3-pointer by Antonio Daniels pushed the lead to 13 in the fourth, and Jamison’s basket put the Wizards ahead 80-65 with 4:23 remaining. The Pacers made four 3-pointers in the final 31/2 minutes to make the final score more respectable.

Stojakovic didn’t make his first shot until early in the second quarter, but he was soon headed to the bench with three fouls. He played only 11 minutes in the first half, scoring five points. Meanwhile, the Wizards rode a balanced attack from Butler, Jamison and Arenas to a 48-41 halftime lead.

Notes: Stojakovic arrived in Indianapolis on Friday after the trade, but he sat out the loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers that night. … The Wizards had turnovers on six consecutive possessions late in the third quarter, but the Pacers could only cut the lead from 10 to six during that stretch. … Wizards coach Eddie Jordan’s mother, Marguerite Jordan, was honored at halftime with a “Good Neighbor Award.” She worked for more than 30 years in the District of Columbia school system. … The Washington reassigned second-year center Peter John Ramos to the Roanoke Dazzle of the D-League.

AP-ES-01-31-06 2138EST