Chicago ? Two first-quarter fouls and ineffective play guaranteed Kirk Hinrich an early trip to the Chicago bench.

Not a place to be during the playoffs for a starting guard.

So when he returned to the floor Wednesday night, Hinrich was more than ready to play and determined to make up for a sluggish start.

Hinrich scored 21 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, sending the Bulls to a 113-103 victory over the Washington Wizards and giving them a 2-0 lead in the opening series.

Games 3 and 4 are Saturday and Monday in Washington.

“I took a lot of time to think about it. I didn’t get off to a good start. I couldn’t get in a rhythm early,” said Hinrich. “I wanted to make things happen. I still thought I could have a positive effect on the game, that’s what I tried to do.”

And after a scoreless, six-minute first-quarter, Hinrich’s game blossomed.

Rebounding from a tough 8-for-23 shooting night in Chicago’s 103-94 victory in the opener Sunday night, he hit 12 of 15 shots and sparked key runs at the end of the first half and beginning of the final quarter.

He was 5-for-5 on three-pointers, making all four he attempted in the fourth.

“I felt every time I shot it that it would go in,” Hinrich said. “I took good shots in rhythm, and the ball seemed to find me in a good position.”

Antonio Davis added 18 points and Ben Gordon 14. Gilbert Arenas, held to nine points in the opener, scored 39 — 16 in the final period — and helped the Wizards rally in the fourth quarter.

Arenas, who shot 14-for-25, hit a three-pointer with 1:30 left to cut the deficit to six, but Hinrich stepped up, answering with a three and then two free throws to preserve the victory.

“Hinrich got open with his dribble and made shots off the dribble, which is hard to do,” Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. “He just found a groove. He was really going.”

Larry Hughes scored 19 and Antawn Jamison 18 for the Wizards.

“Hinrich shot the ball well. We weren’t really on the same page of what we wanted to do,” Hughes said. “He had the hot hand, and the smart thing to do was to get the ball out of his hands and make him make a play by passing the ball.”

Former Kansas University standout Hinrich stunned the Wizards by scoring 10 points in the first 2:40 of the final quarter, hitting two three-pointers, a jumper and a layup in a 12-3 surge that gave the Bulls a 93-73 lead. Then he warded off any Wizards comeback with his uncanny shooting, making seven of eight shots in the final quarter.

“They hit unbelievable shots,” Arenas said. “Kirk Hinrich, I don’t even know if he missed a shot in the second half. We went on a run and he broke our backs with a three-pointer every time.”

Arenas, who shot just 3-for-19 in Game 1, had 13 points at the end of the first quarter Wednesday night as the Wizards led by as many as 13.

But Jannero Pargo, who came off the bench with Chicago’s top three guards struggling or in foul trouble, hit a jumper and then a three-pointer, cutting the lead to six and waking up the crowd at the United Center.

“They’re always ready,” Chicago coach Scott Skiles said of his bench’s play.

Spurs 104, Nuggets 76

San Antonio — The Spurs made nine of their first 10 shots and then outscored Denver by 20 points in the second quarter en route to a victory that evened their first-round playoff series at 1 each.

“Any loss like that is embarrassing,” said Denver’s Carmelo Anthony, whose team shot just 36 percent. “After the first game we expected someone to get better. They were the team that got better.”

San Antonio, which lost the opener Sunday after missing 17 straight shots down the stretch, went back to basics on offense — that is, they moved the ball to Tim Duncan.

On his first touch, Duncan drove on Kenyon Martin and hit a short bank shot. Next trip down, he backed down Marcus Camby in the post and flipped in a jump hook.

“We had great energy in that first half, great focus coming out of the gate,” Duncan said. “Everyone came out focused and knew the game plan.

“When we do that, we are tough to beat.”

Establishing Duncan early created shots on the perimeter, and the Spurs made them. They hit their first four three-pointers, two by Brent Barry, and they owned an 11-point lead less than eight minutes into the game.

Camby said the Nuggets couldn’t stop the Spurs or get anything going themselves.

“The whole game was terrible,” he said. “They got everything they wanted. It made for a long, tough night.”

Tony Parker scored 12 points in the first period, matching his total for all of Game 1. He finished with 19 points.

“I knew my offense would come,” said Parker, who was more concerned about stepping up his defense on Andre Miller (31 points in Game 1).

Duncan had 24 points, while Manu Ginobili added 17 points in 18 minutes. Barry, who started in Ginobili’s place, made all four of his three-pointers for 16 points.

DerMarr Johnson led Denver with 12 points. Miller added 11 and Anthony 10, while Camby had 12 rebounds.

Suns 108, Grizzlies 103

Phoenix — The Suns erased a five-point deficit with a 14-4 run over the final 4:04 to beat the Grizzlies and take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round series.

Amare Stoudemire, who scored just nine points in the series opener, had 34 points and 10 rebounds, including 18-of-22 shooting at the foul line. The physical Grizzlies sent Phoenix to the line 40 times, and the Suns made 32 of them.

Shawn Marion, playing with a sprained right wrist, added 22 points for Phoenix, including a pair of 15-footers that tied the game, then put Phoenix ahead for good. He also grabbed 13 rebounds.

Quentin Richardson had 15 points, and had a big blocked shot in the final minute.

Joe Johnson scored 20, while Steve Nash had 12 points and 15 assists. His two free throws with 9.1 seconds to play put Phoenix ahead 106-103, then after a timeout, Mike Miller missed what would have been the game-tying three from the corner, and Richardson finished it off with two free throws.

Pau Gasol overpowered the smaller Suns most of the night for 28 points and 16 rebounds, both career playoff bests. Jason Williams scored 21, also a career playoff high.