Bryant lets conscience be his guide

The day began with an unexpected tour of the monuments in the nation’s capital, a last-minute excursion designed by Coach Phil Jackson to free minds and ease tired bodies instead of going through another morning shoot-around.

Saturday ended in similarly surprising fashion, the Lakers blowing the Washington Wizards off the court, 118-102, at Verizon Center.

There were signs of life where there hadn’t been 24 hours earlier, a languid loss to the Indiana Pacers all but wiped off the board with a proactive victory over the Wizards that included more than a fair share of subplots.

Kobe Bryant handily won his head-to-head battle with Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas, newly minted All-Star Caron Butler was way off the mark against his former team, and the Lakers improved to 2-2 on their eight-game trip.

The main event, the “top this” competition fans came to see in droves -- so much so that tickets to the upper deck were being re-sold for $250 -- began two months ago, when Arenas scored 60 points and became the highest-scoring Lakers opponent since Wilt Chamberlain had 65 in 1966.

Bryant, unimpressed after that game, said Arenas didn’t “have much of a conscience,” only to have Arenas respond by saying his stats in six NBA seasons were “blowing [Bryant’s] out of the water.”

Thus, Bryant was booed lustily during pregame introductions for the first time in recent memory. The crowd kept it up the first few times he touched the ball, but it ended early in the first quarter, right about the time it appeared things weren’t going to go Arenas’ way.

Bryant finished with 39 points on 14-for-26 shooting, along with six rebounds and six assists. Arenas wasn’t nearly as spotless: 37 points on nine-for-29 shooting, including three for 15 on three-pointers, with five rebounds and four assists. He made 16 of 17 free throws.

Even though Jackson warned Bryant at halftime about keeping it from becoming personal, Bryant insisted it wasn’t.

“I said, ‘Phil, if I was making it an individual thing ... I probably would have had 30 in the half.’ The baskets just felt really, really huge,” Bryant said.

Bryant had 20 points on nine-for-16 shooting in the first half. Arenas had 20 on six-for-17 shooting and was already wearing an unusually long expression.

“I was here all night shooting, getting ready for the game,” he said. “I have to stop doing that serious thing before the game. I have to be my goofy self.”

Arenas wasn’t the only Wizard who struggled. Butler, a Laker for a season back in 2004-05, had 15 points on five-for-18 shooting, belying an otherwise breakthrough season for him.

With it, the Lakers took a victory from a team that was tied with Detroit for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

The day started with a detour, Jackson opting to take the players on an impromptu sightseeing tour instead of to the arena for the shoot-around. They were still dressed in practice gear as they drove by the Lincoln Memorial, the Pentagon, and all the other monuments they saw from the bus.

It was enlightening ... for the most part.

“I was starting to get drowsy at the beginning,” said 19-year-old Andrew Bynum. “I didn’t know what was going on.”

And then?

“I got kind of sick on the bus. I’m too big for the bus.”

Bynum recovered enough by game time to get 12 points and 13 rebounds. The other players, after a fourth game in five days, apparently were singing Jackson’s praises afterward.

“They’re all saying we don’t need shoot-arounds, we can go out there and play without a shoot-around,” Jackson said. “I told them this works one night, but let’s stick to what we know how to do.”

The highlight for Arenas was converting a four-point play after being fouled by Bryant with 5:50 to play, an event that led Bryant to shrug his shoulders, laugh, and simply say, “Wow.”

But the last word had to go to Bryant.

“At this point in my career, it’s not something that really excites me,” he said of individual battles. “The challenge I look forward to the most is continuing to move in the right direction toward winning a championship. That’s the ultimate test, not whether or not I can outduel somebody on an individual basis.”

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mike.bresnahan@latimes.com

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KEYS TO THE GAME

* Gilbert Arenas didn’t come close to the 60-point effort he unveiled Dec. 17 at Staples Center. He made only nine of 29 shots and scored 37 points.

* Kobe Bryant played an efficient game, making 14 of 26 shots and scoring 39 points. He also had six rebounds and six assists.

* Lamar Odom had a well-rounded game, finishing with 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. He also made four of five attempts from three-point range, including three for three in the fourth quarter.

-- MIKE BRESNAHAN