WASHINGTON — Gilbert Arenas has a court date and an apparent plea deal is in place, signaling a possible quick resolution to at least one side of a guns-in-the-locker-room confrontation that stained the NBA and jeopardized the career of the three-time All-Star.

Arenas was charged yesterday with felony gun possession — one count of carrying a pistol without a license — a crime that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The charges were filed in D.C. Superior Court in an "information," a document that indicates a plea bargain has been reached.

The charge came directly from prosecutors and not in the form of an indictment — even though a grand jury has been investigating — and Arenas was listed on the docket for a court appearance this afternoon.

Arenas has acknowledged storing four unloaded guns in his locker at the Verizon Center, saying he wanted to keep them away from his young children and didn't know it was a violation of the city's strict gun laws. He says he took them out of the locker Dec. 21 in a "misguided effort to play a joke" on a teammate.

The criminal charge came on the same day that the teammate, Javaris Crittenton, had his northern Virginia apartment searched by police looking for a silver- or chrome-colored semiautomatic handgun with a black handle. The search warrant indicated police were investigating crimes that include brandishing a weapon. No evidence was seized, according to court documents, and Crittenton has not been charged.

Arenas' lawyer, Crittenton's lawyer and the NBA had no immediate comment on the criminal charge.

NOTES

Trail Blazers: Portland guard Brandon Roy has a strained right hamstring and is questionable for tonight's game against the Orlando Magic. Roy injured his hamstring during the Blazers' 120-108 victory over Milwaukee Wednesday night. An MRI yesterday confirmed the strain.

Obituary: The mother of Hall of Fame basketball star and Florida International coach Isiah Thomas has died at age 87. Mary Thomas died Wednesday morning at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital in suburban Chicago, hospital spokeswoman Lisa Parro said.

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS

BULLS 96, CELTICS 83

Luol Deng scored 25 points helping visiting Chicago win its third straight by beating Boston, which played without Kevin Garnett (hyper-extended right knee) and Rasheed Wallace (sore left foot).

The Celtics, whose only lead was 2-0, trailed 86-80 after Paul Pierce hit a 3-pointer with 3:50 left. But the Bulls scored eight of the next nine points, six by Joakim Noah, to build the lead to 94-81.

JAZZ 97, CAVALIERS 96

Rookie Sundiata Gaines hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end a frenzied series of comebacks and lift host Utah over Cleveland.

LeBron James, who scored 36 points, had led the Cavaliers on a 22-4 run earlier in the fourth quarter and put the Cavs up by six points with 32.5 seconds left, but Cleveland couldn't clinch it from the free throw line.