Clippers zero in on a win

In the depths of Staples Center before Saturday’s game against the Washington Wizards, Clippers guard Quinton Ross repeated a mantra.

“Winning means playing the best defense and shutting the opponent down,” he said over and over.

It wasn’t a motivational tactic -- the phrase was for a television ad -- but it was the mind-set of Ross and teammate Jason Hart for much of the Clippers’ 111-105 win over the Wizards in front of an announced 18,331.

The pair did what few can, containing Agent Zero, a.k.a. Gilbert Arenas, the Wizards’ capable and charismatic star.

Harassed by Ross and Hart much of the night, Arenas mustered 30 points, but they came on nine-for-25 shooting.

“You just try and make it tough against those types of players,” Ross said after the game. “You have to get up and contest their shots.”

The victory was the second in two nights over a playoff-bound team and the fourth in a row for the Clippers (34-36), who routed the Utah Jazz on Friday.

It also pushed the Clippers a full game ahead of the idle Golden State Warriors for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Corey Maggette led the Clippers with 29 points, Elton Brand scored 18 and Chris Kaman had 17.

“The team hasn’t been playing well before this and now we are trying to keep it up,” Maggette said

Arenas’ 30 points led the Wizards, and Antawn Jamison had 23.

With each team playing its fourth game in five days, it was a back-and-forth battle for much of the evening.

The Clippers took momentum in the third quarter, outscoring the Wizards by 10 points after trailing by one at the half.

The last time Arenas played in Staples Center, on Dec. 17, he torched the Lakers for 60 points.

Arenas, a Grant High product who calls himself Agent Zero -- because that was how many minutes skeptics expected him to play at the University of Arizona -- has made a habit of scoring 40-plus points on teams the last couple of years, but he has yet to reach that plateau against the Clippers.

Ross continually face-guarded Arenas, leading to two quick turnovers and two layups in the second quarter.

“When you talk about great offensive players, you try and make them work for their points,” Dunleavy said. “You know you aren’t going to stop somebody who is that good from scoring, but you aren’t going to make it easy for them.”

The Clippers have three days off before playing the Houston Rockets, another playoff-bound team.

Even though the team is surging, Dunleavy was hesitant to say the Clippers have turned a corner.

“We’re in circles, there’s no corner to be turned,” he said. “Basically, we have to just play it out and each game is a new adventure. We are playing well and we need to keep the momentum going.”

jonathan.abrams@latimes.com

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KEYS TO THE GAME

* The Clippers turned it into a half-court game, limiting Washington to 11 fastbreak points.

* Despite playing their fourth game in five days, the Clippers showed no signs of sluggishness.

* Corey Maggette and Cuttino Mobley continued their strong offensive outputs.

-- JONATHAN ABRAMS