Revenge best served cold?

WASHINGTON – Gilbert Arenas vowed to score 50 points against Portland.

He wasn’t even close as the Washington Wizards fell to the Trail Blazers 94-73 on Sunday.

Arenas had made the promise in retaliation for Portland coach Nate McMillan’s involvement with Arenas being left off the U.S. national team last summer. The guard, who is averaging 29.4 points, shot 3 for 15 from the field, including 0 for 8 on 3-pointers. He finished with nine points.

“Thats like a dude saying he’s going to punch you in your face,” said Jarrett Jack, who guarded Arenas for most of the game. “With a guy like him, Kobe or LeBron, the easy way to guard him is don’t let him get the ball back when he passes it. We did a good job of trying to deny him when he was one pass away, and my big guys did a great job of helping me whenever he got by me.”

Jack and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 18 points each to lead Portland.

The Trail Blazers are the only team that Arenas has not scored 30 points against during his six-year NBA career.

“We have a new philosphy now and that is focusing on defense,” said Arenas, who spent most of the game guarding Jack, who shot 5 for 8 from the field with five assists. “Right now we are still adjusting to that. At the end of the day, they scored a lot of easy baskets on us.”

“That’s just plain stupid,” Wizards’ coach Eddie Jordan said of Arenas’ comments about playing defense. “The whole idea of us having to have to play defense better, is that a problem or is that a question? That’s ludicrous.”

Reserve guard Juan Dixon had 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting with four steals and three assists in 27 minutes for Portland.

With their 22nd victory, the Blazers eclipsed their win total of last season.

DeShawn Stevenson had 12 points and Caron Butler added 10 for the Wizards.

Washington lost its second straight and fourth in five games since forward Antawn Jamison went down with a sprained left knee on Jan. 30.