CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Gilbert Arenas scored 39 points and outdueled Gerald Wallace down the stretch as the Washington Wizards beat the Charlotte Bobcats 114-107 on Wednesday night for their fourth straight victory.

Arenas had a 3-pointer, a backdoor layup and drew a charge that fouled out Raymond Felton in the final four minutes for the Wizards, who became the first NBA team in 12 seasons to score 106 or more points in 12 consecutive games.

Wallace scored 40 points – one shy of his career-high – and added 14 rebounds and six steals, while Felton scored 22 points for the Bobcats, who lost their third straight game.

Caron Butler added 25 points and Antawn Jamison had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Washington, which improved to 9-1 against Charlotte.

Felton, the Bobcats’ only true point guard with Brevin Knight missing his third straight game with a strained groin, fouled out with 3:23 left.

Arenas, who has scored 30 or more points in five of the past six games, drilled a 3-pointer on the next possession to give Washington a 101-97 lead. He added six rebounds, eight assists and was 14-of-16 from the free throw line.

The Bobcats, who trailed by 16 points in the first quarter and by 10 at halftime, rallied to take a four-point lead in the third.

Wallace scored the first nine points in a 10-0 run that tied it at 71 midway through the third quarter. Wallace’s tip-in moments later gave Charlotte a 79-75 lead.

Coach Bernie Bickerstaff curiously kept a reserve lineup that included Walter Herrmann, Bernard Robinson and Jake Voskuhl in the game early in the fourth quarter, and the Wizards took advantage. Jarvis Hayes’ 3-pointer concluded a 7-0 run gave the Wizards an 89-87 lead with 8:50 left.

Jamison’s basket with 3:55 left gave Washington the lead for good.

The Wizards, who went 20-for-23 from the field to start the game and shot an NBA season-high 72 percent (23-of-32) in the first half, missed 10 of their first 12 shots in the third quarter.

It was a stark contrast to the beginning of the game, when Washington hit 13 of its first 15 shots in building a 30-14 lead.

Adam Morrison hit his first five shots for Charlotte, but then missed 12 of his final 14 and finished with 17 points.

Notes: Bobcats F Sean May is close to returning from a sprained right ankle. He went through an intense shooting workout before the game, stopping only once for a picture with Felton and Jamison, all North Carolina products. … Knight will undergo an MRI this week and could miss significant time. … Jamison and fellow ex-Tar Heel Brendan Haywood combined to hand out 45 tickets to friends and family before the game. … The Wizards are 6-1 on the road after starting 0-5.

AP-ES-12-27-06 2151EST