Chicago ? Gilbert Arenas bailed out the Washington Wizards after they had blown a 22-point lead and were ready to collapse.

Now Arenas and his team are one victory away from the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time in 23 years.

Arenas hit a 14-foot jumper at the buzzer Wednesday night, foiling a remarkable comeback by the Chicago Bulls and giving Washington a 112-110 victory and a 3-2 series lead.

“I knew I was going to make it. I shoot those shots every day,” Arenas said.

“You dream about it when you are growing up, and when you get that chance, you don’t want to blow it.”

Chicago’s Jannero Pargo hit a three-pointer, his third in a 34-second span of the fourth quarter, to tie the game with 5.2 seconds remaining.

But after a timeout, Arenas took the ball out front, moved left with Kirk Hinrich guarding him and hit one of the biggest shots of his career.

“I think he (Hinrich) was counting the time in his head, too, so with three seconds left he probably thought I was going to pull up for the three,” Arenas said.

“But I was going to take one more dribble and try to use my athleticism and just jump over him.”

His soft jumper sent his teammates to the floor in celebration and silenced a United Center crowd that had been roaring throughout the Bulls’ comeback.

“The crowd wasn’t in it until the last two minutes of the game, so going to overtime wouldn’t have been good for us because they had all the momentum. It would have seemed crazy,” Arenas said.

Game 6 is Friday at the MCI Center, and the Wizards have beaten the Bulls 10 straight times on their home floor. The last time Washington won a playoff series was in 1982, when it defeated New Jersey, 2-0.

Chicago’s chances seem slim, especially after such a devastating defeat on the heels of such a spirited comeback.

“I was just trying to play him the best I could. I knew he would shoot the ball,” Hinrich said of his defense on Arenas.

“I tried to challenge it without fouling, hoping he’d miss and we’d go to overtime. It was a tough shot. If I had to do it over again, I would not let him go left. It’s just heartbreak. … It’s a dagger.”

Spurs 99, Nuggets 89

San Antonio — San Antonio looked tired, and the victory was more than just a little ugly. But the Spurs are moving on in the Western Conference playoffs and the Denver Nuggets are done.

Tony Parker scored 21 points, Tim Duncan had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and the Spurs eliminated the Nuggets. After dropping the first game in the series, the Spurs won four in a row.