WASHINGTON, April 18 (Ticker) -- Gilbert Arenas moved the Washington Wizards closer to clinching the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

Arenas scored 31 of his 43 points in the second half, and the Wizards overcame a big game by Michael Redd en route to a 116-103 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Antawn Jamison added 28 points and Caron Butler 22 for Washington (41-40), which moved one game ahead of Chicago and Indiana for the fifth spot. The Wizards close the season Wednesday at league-leading Detroit.

"We've been playing hard and eventually the basketball gods will rule in your favor," Arenas said. "They did when we clinched (a playoff spot) and they did again tonight. Now we just have one more game to worry about and it's in our hands."

Jamison knows how important Wednesday's game is.

"It is a must win for us," Jamison said. "We feel like we have to win this game. It's been this way for the last week and a half. We didn't want it to come down to the last game but this is fun. We need some type of momentum. We've been up and down all year so I definitely think it's a must win and we've got to come out that way and play tomorrow."

Arenas was the driving force Tuesday as he made 12-of-24 shots and 17-of-19 free throws.

"We lost five games in a row," Arenas said. "We know what type of team we are and we're not scared of the playoffs. It is going to be hard to beat us in the playoffs."

After the Bucks erased an 87-82 deficit with an 8-2 run to start the fourth quarter, the Wizards responded with a 13-3 surge to take the lead for good. Arenas capped the burst with a 3-pointer at the 7:15 mark for a 102-93 lead.

"Both teams wanted to get the fifth seed," Bucks coach Terry Stotts said. "They may have had a little more in the tank but I was proud of the way our team competed. We were down and to come back in the fourth quarter we just couldn't keep them off the free-throw line. Washington played well and deserved to win."

Redd scored 43 points - 23 in the third quarter for Milwaukee (40-42), which fell into eighth place in its regular-season finale.

The Bucks, who would have clinched the fifth seed with a win, still could finish higher in the standings depending on the outcome of Wednesday's games.

"I'm sick to my stomach," Redd said. "I don't know how to explain it, man. It's the biggest game of our lives. We had to win this game. ... I know we're in the playoffs but I want more than that, man. I shouldn't be thinking like this, but I'm totally frustrated.

"I want to be positive about us being in the playoffs and everything, but anybody in the locker room who says they're just happy about being in the playoffs, they're lying. They've got to be lying or something's wrong with them. Thankfully we've got another season."