Washington ? Juan Dixon was so upset with his performance after Game 3 that he approached his coach in the parking garage and appealed for a vote of confidence.

The rest of the Washington Wizards also were upset — with the perception they couldn’t play defense.

Combine those two, and you get a career-high 35 points from Dixon and a team that took control in the opening minutes by not allowing the Chicago Bulls anywhere near the rim. The Wizards jumped to a 17-3 lead, rattling their opponents early and often in a 106-99 victory Monday that evened their first-round playoff series 2-2.

“It’s like we walked into an ambush,” Chicago forward Tyson Chandler said.

Dixon made 11 of 15 field goals, popping endless jumpers to help build the lead early and stave off the comeback threat until late. He also made all 10 of his free throws.

Dixon scored 25 points in the first three games combined and was an ugly 1-for-10 in Saturday’s Game 3, prompting him to hold up his coach and family for 10 minutes in the MCI Center’s underground lot afterward.

“I said, ‘Coach, don’t lose confidence in me. I’m going to step up and get my act together.’ That’s pretty much what I said, but I said it, like, 10 times,” Dixon said. “I made sure that he heard every word. He had his kids in the car. He said he was ready to go get something to eat. I just wanted to drill that in his head and make sure he heard it.”

On Sunday, Dixon took 750 shots before practice and 300 afterward.

Washington's Larry Hughes, left, holds the ball behind Chicago defender Kirk Hinrich. The Wizards beat the Bulls, 106-99, Monday in Washington.

“Juan is one of the toughest players I have been associated with,” coach Eddie Jordan said. “He is very sensitive to his profession. He cares about his teammates and about winning. He has won at Maryland, and he wanted to be a big part of the playoffs and have an impact — and he certainly had an impact tonight.”

Game 5 is Wednesday night in Chicago. The home team is 4-0 in the series, hardly surprising given both teams’ youth and postseason inexperience.

“We got down, the crowd got into it and for whatever reason, we didn’t have the guts,” said Kirk Hinrich, a Kansas University product who scored 18 points for the Bulls. “We definitely have to regroup and go back home. We just feel fortunate the series is still tied.”

Dixon was the second straight Wizards hero not a member of the Big Three of Gilbert Arenas, Larry Hughes and Antawn Jamison.

“Our bench has realized,” Jamison said, “the Big Three can’t do it by themselves.”

But the game was all but decided before Dixon hit his first shot. The Wizards blocked a shot and forced two turnovers on the Bulls’ first three possessions, giving little hope for a Chicago team has lost 10 straight at the MCI Center. The Wizards have won six straight overall at their arena.