Left in the dust in the final period, the Wizards fall back down to four games under .500; Jordan embarrassed in crunch time.

Michael Jordan skies for a putback before Kerry Kittles can catch up.

by Fred Schiebel, Head Writer

WASHINGTON -- It was all a mirage.

For three quarters of a game, it looked like the Wizards had the stuff. THE stuff, as in the ability to compete with the beasts of the East. There they were, standing toe-to-toe with the New Jersey Nets, one of the upper echelon teams in the Eastern conference, threatening to end up being one of the few teams to beat them this year.

All those hopes and dreams crashed right through the floor of the MCI Center by the final buzzer however, as Washington was dismantled in the fourth quarter in front of its home crowd 97-82 Monday night. Michael Jordan had what would appear to be another solid game, scoring 30 points, but he turned the ball over eight times, and suffered through possibly his worst performance in the clutch of his career.

"I'd put this loss on me," he said afterwards. "I have no problem admitting my mistakes. I stunk up the joint tonight."

Washington headed into the final twelve minutes in excellent shape against its formidable opponent. Tied 68-68, the bottom then quickly fell out of the offense, as the Washington reserves went 0 for 7 from the field. Nevertheless, they were only down five at that point. Jordan checked back in early, hoping to turn the tide.

Instead he turned the ball over three times, got blocked on three of his field goal attempts (a possible fourth was called for offensive goaltending), and went 2 for 7 from the floor, socring only four points as New Jersey continued to pummel the team at a time when they needed him most.

"Boy, that was ugly," a Wizards season ticketholder said after the game. "I've been a big fan of his for years too, and I was beyond thrilled when I heard he was going to play for us. But sometimes... I wish he hadn't. He definitely struggles a lot more at times than he used to, back in the day. It can be tough to watch."

Perhaps he's just trying to blend in with his new squad. The Wizards shot a lowly 28 percent from the field in the fourth quarter, as the Nets woke up and blasted past Washington, outscoring them 29-14 in the period.

"They were just trying to conserve their energy, like a lot of teams do," Doug Collins said. "Keep the score as close as you can without exerting yourself too much, then turn it on at the end. They put it in another gear that we couldn't compete with.

Keith Van Horn had a monster game, scoring 25 points while grabbing 17 rebounds. Jason Kidd, the differencemaker this year that transformed the Nets from cellar dweller to contender overnight after being traded for Stephon Marbury, scored 22 points while still distributing eight assists. Rookie Richard Jefferson scored 14 points off the bench.

The Wizards lept out to control the game at the outset, coming out of the first quarter up 25-20, then upping their cushion to nine by halftime, 51-42. They shot 48 percent from the field, and held the Nets to a 42 percent mark. Jordan had 16 points by the break (5-9FGs), while Hubert Davis had 12 (finishing with 18 points and a startling team-high 10 rebounds).

Did any pain or injury figure into His Airness's swan dive in the fourth?

"No, my knees are feeling good," said the 38-year-old Jordan, who has been battling tendinitis all season. "I'm feeling a lot better. Once I get in a rhythm, I can get it going, so I think that'll keep all these old-player conversations down a little bit."



Which might not have been the answer many had been hoping for.

NJN-WASG30Box

Final 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total New Jersey 20 22 26 29 97 Washington 25 26 17 14 82

New Jersey					REBOUNDS
PLAYER	MIN	FG	FT	3PT	OFF	TOT	AST	PF	ST	TO	PTS
Kenyon Martin	41	5-11	1-1	0-0	2	6	1	3	3	2	11
Keith Van Horn	33	9-16	6-6	1-1	7	17	3	4	0	2	25
Todd MacCulloch	27	2-4	2-2	0-0	2	5	2	3	0	0	6
Jason Kidd	40	10-16	2-2	0-1	1	1	8	1	3	6	10
Kerry Kittles	21	3-12	0-0	0-3	2	3	1	0	2	0	6
Aaron Williams	25	0-1	0-0	0-0	1	5	1	1	0	0	0
Richard Jefferson	26	6-13	2-2	0-0	1	7	1	2	3	1	14
Lucious Harris	19	4-10	0-0	1-2	1	1	1	0	0	2	9
Jason Collins	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Derrick Dial	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Brandon Armstrong	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Steve Goodrich	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Totals	240	41-87	13-13	2-7	17	45	18	14	11	13	97
Percentages: FG - .471, FT - 1.000, 3PT - .286. Team rebounds: 9. Blocked shots: 11 (K. Martin 6, J. Collins 1, K. Kittles 1, A. Williams 1, L. Hariis 1). Technicals: 1 (K. Martin 1).

Washington					REBOUNDS
PLAYER	MIN	FG	FT	3PT	OFF	TOT	AST	PF	ST	TO	PTS
Popeye Jones	31	1-4	0-0	0-0	3	6	3	4	0	2	2
Michael Jordan	36	12-26	6-9	0-1	2	5	4	2	2	8	30
Jahidi White	27	1-4	0-1	0-0	1	6	1	1	1	1	2
Hubert Davis	32	6-16	3-4	3-8	4	10	2	0	3	1	18
Chris Whitney	28	6-9	0-0	1-2	0	0	3	0	1	2	13
Brendan Haywood	21	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	4	2	1	0	1	2
Tyronn Lue	20	1-5	0-0	0-1	0	1	3	0	4	1	2
Etan Thomas	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tyrone Nesby	12	1-7	0-0	1-1	1	1	0	1	0	0	2
Kwame Brown	17	1-3	0-0	0-0	2	5	2	1	0	0	2
Courtney Alexander	16	4-10	0-0	0-0	0	1	1	4	1	1	8
Bobby Simmons	DNP - Coach's Decision
Totals	240	34-86	9-14	5-14	14	39	21	14	12	17	82
Percentages: FG - .395, FT - .643, 3PT - .357. Team rebounds: 8. Blocked shots: 3 (P. Jones 1, M. Jordan 1, H. Davis 1).

Officials: Steve Javie, Sean Corbin, Derek Collins. Attendance: 20,674. Time: 1:59.

Three days later Jordan opts not to go for 50+ again in rematch against the Hornets, instead scoring 34 while still dishing out 12 assists to lead Washington to another victory, 98-94.

Michael Jordan still gets a little air as he drives to the hoop.

by Fred Schiebel, Head Writer
 
WASHINGTON -- It's perhaps a legitamite question to ask: Was this performance even better than the last jawdropping display he wowed us with?

Michael Jordan put on another spectacular show Saturday night in the Wizards 98-94 victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets, albeit with a different emphasis than the previous one.  His point total wasn't as gargantuan as the 51 he scored against the Hornets only three nights ago -- this time out he only collected 34 -- but in this outing he also racked up 12 assists. Again, in only 36 minutes.

Which stat line is more impreesive?

"How many assists did he have that game, three?" coach Doug Collins asked. "So he directly had his fingerprints on 57 points for us in Charlotte, 58 points here. So I would say it's a close call. All I know is he's blowing my mind."

How on earth is he doing it, at this advanced age?

"The same way he did all those things back in his prime, actually," coach Doug Collins said. "Sheer iron will."

"We're down two starters," Jordan said. "So all I'm doing is trying to maximize everything I can do on the court as much as possible, and what my teammates can do as well."

The Wizards controlled the game early on, getting out to a 25-21 advantage by the end of the first quarter, then increasing it to six by halftime, 49-43. Hubert Davis led the way with 18 points, 11 of those coming in the opening period, mostly due to his hitting three out of his four shots from behind the arc. Jordan had 15 points at the break as well (7-16FGs), but the real MVP may have been Washington's defense, which held the Hornets to 39 percent from the field.

"We were really moving together well as a unit," Jordan said. "Our cohesiveness is growing better and better, game after game."

It was not a relaxing cruise to victory from there however, as the Hornets broke free of the defensive shackles in the third. Led by Elden Campbell's ten points in the period, the Hornets hit 58 percent of their shots to take a one point lead into the final twelve minutes, 73-72. Jordan's shooting eye faltered, connecting on only three of nine attempts, but Hubert Davis (28 points in 31 minutes) kept Washington close with ten more points of his own.

"Hube has been fantastic for us," Colllins said. "There's been literally no dropoff offensively since Rip [starting shooting guard Richard Hamilton] went down, and I'd be surprised if there was any difference on the other end of the court either."

The Hornets upped their cushion to 85-81 with seven minutes to go. But Jordan took over, finding Courtney Alexander on a pass down low, getting a steal, then on a fastbreak converting the layup and the free throw after getting fouled, capping a Washington 9-0 run that put them back in the driver's seat with 4:28 to play, 90-85.

The Wizards soon extended the lead to 98-89, after which both teams went cold and struggled to score. A swishing Baron Davis three jangled everyone in the MCI Center's nerves, narrowing the gap to four with 49.2 seconds remaining. Alexander missed three shots in a row, but Washington's defense held serve -- until Hornets three point ace David Wesley was left all by himself in the left corner.

Luckily, he missed too. Tyronn Lue came down and clanged a jumper, but Jordan swept in to snag the offensive rebound and the assured victory.

Baron Davis led the Hornets with 24 points and seven assists. Charlotte had three starters who finished with double-doubles -- Elden Campbell (16 points, 15 rebounds), Lee Nailon (13 points, 10 rebounds, and PJ Brown (12 points, 12 rebounds)

"They're a hard-nosed team, I was pleased with how we competed and matched their intensity," Jordan said. "They got a real tough front line."

Not tough enough.

Cha-WasG29Box

Final 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total Charlotte 21 22 30 21 94 Washington 25 24 23 26 98

Charlotte					REBOUNDS
PLAYER	MIN	FG	FT	3PT	OFF	TOT	AST	PF	ST	TO	PTS
P.J. Brown	33	6-11	0-0	0-0	3	12	2	4	0	1	12
Lee Nailon	39	6-14	1-1	0-0	5	10	2	4	0	1	13
Elden Campbell	41	7-16	2-2	0-0	4	15	2	0	2	3	16
Baron Davis	42	10-20	2-2	2-7	0	0	7	1	1	3	24
David Wesley	41	6-23	3-3	1-4	1	5	1	1	0	0	16
Jamaal Magloire	7	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	2	0	0	0	0	2
Bryce Drew	7	2-2	0-0	1-1	0	0	0	1	0	0	5
Stacey Augmon	7	1-2	0-0	0-1	1	2	0	0	1	0	2
Matt Bullard	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Robert Traylor	15	2-2	0-0	0-0	1	7	2	0	0	1	4
Jerome Moiso	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kirk Haston	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Totals	240	41-92	8-8	4-13	16	54	17	11	4	10	94
Percentages: FG - .446, FT - 1.000, 3PT - .308. Team rebounds: 6. Blocked shots: 3 (L. Nailon 2, E. Campbell 1, D. Wesley 2, S. Augmon 1 ).

Washington					REBOUNDS
PLAYER	MIN	FG	FT	3PT	OFF	TOT	AST	PF	ST	TO	PTS
Popeye Jones	34	4-7	0-0	0-0	1	3	1	0	2	1	8
Michael Jordan	36	14-29	5-5	1-3	3	6	12	3	2	3	34
Jahidi White	20	0-2	0-0	0-0	1	7	1	1	1	0	0
Hubert Davis	31	11-22	1-2	5-9	0	1	0	1	0	0	28
Chris Whitney	23	2-4	1-1	1-3	0	0	6	2	0	1	6
Brendan Haywood	28	0-4	0-0	0-0	2	7	1	1	0	0	0
Tyrone Nesby	12	0-2	0-0	0-0	1	7	3	0	1	0	0
Tyronn Lue	25	1-5	0-0	0-1	0	1	1	1	2	1	2
Courtney Alexander	17	7-17	3-3	1-1	2	5	3	1	0	0	18
Kwame Brown	14	0-4	2-2	0-0	2	4	1	0	1	0	2
Etan Thomas	DNP - Coach's Decision
Bobby Simmons	DNP - Coach's Decision
Totals	240	39-96	12-13	8-17	12	41	23	24	6	9	98
Percentages: FG - .406, FT - .923, 3PT - .471. Team rebounds: 5. Blocked shots: 6 (J. White 1, C. Alexander 1, M. Jordan 1, H. Davis 1, K. Brown 1, B. Haywood 1).

Officials: Dan Crawford, Leroy Richardson, Derrick Stafford. Attendance: 20,674. Time: 2:05.

Jordan scores 30, but Reggie's 28 delivers another win for Indiana, sending Washington four games below .500 again.

Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller played to a standoff, but the Pacers dominated the Wizards.

by Fred Schiebel, Head Writer
 
INDIANAPOLIS -- No back-to-back 50 point games were in the cards, much to the chagrin of Pacer fans.

Still, Michael Jordan did not disappoint, scoring 30 points in a 109-102 loss to the Indiana Pacers Thursday night. The defeat dropped the Wizards down to 12-16, as the team's quest to get back to .500 remained ever elusive.

"I believe we'll eventually get there again," Jordan said. "Coming back I knew we would probably have a rough start. If we keep our head down and producing the effort it takes night after night, I'm confident we can accomplish that goal."

His former 20th century playoff adversary Reggie Miller, not much of a factor in their first meeting, contributed much more in this one. He scored 28 points, included four of seven three point attempts.

"There was a lot of talk after the last game about me not showing up, so I made sure I wouldn't hear none of that after tonight," he said with a smile.

The Pacers broke the game open in the third quarter, during which they scored 36 points to finish with a sixteen point lead by period's end, 78-62. Most of the damage was done by a 14-0 run in the first four minutes, as the Wizards had no answers on either offense nor defense. Reggie Miller scored fourteen of his 23 points in the quarter to lead Indiana to the comfortable advanatage.

"He got really hot, and when you let that happen, you pay the price," Jordan said.

Jordan stayed in the game at the start of the fourth to try to whittle away the big lead. Washington got it down to eleven almost midway through the period, on one of his slicing drives to the basket. Indiana responded right away however, but Jordan stayed in until the 2:27 mark despite the Wizards still being down fifteen. Surprisingly it was then that Washington made their biggest run, with Hubert Davis and Chris Whitney hitting two three pointers each, cutting the score to 105-99 with 20.5 seconds remaining.

"There was a little bit of a light at the end," Doug Collins said. "Not so bright, but we could see something."

Tyronn Lue intentionally wrapped up Jamaal Tinsley, fouling out of the game and reducing the potency of their long range attack. Tinsley hit one of two foul shots, then Whitney came right down to hit another three, chopping the lead down to five with 16.1 seconds to go. That was the last time Washington would score, another comeback here all for naught.

Jalen Rose, who dominated with 38 points in the first meeting against Jordan, scored only 21 this time, going 8 of 19 from the field. Jermaine O' Neal had 12 points and seven rebounds.

For the Wizards, Hubert Davis did another good Richard Hamilton impersonation, scoring 19 points in the Wizards' starting shooting guard's absence. Once again Courtney Alexander was remarkably potent as a reserve, scoring 18 points and missing only two of his ten shots. Tyronn Lue contributed another 16 points and five assists off the bench.

Was-IndG28Box

Final 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total Washington 19 21 22 40 102 Indiana 21 21 36 31 109

Washington					REBOUNDS
PLAYER	MIN	FG	FT	3PT	OFF	TOT	AST	PF	ST	TO	PTS
Popeye Jones	24	1-3	1-2	0-0	1	3	1	1	1	0	3
Michael Jordan	34	15-31	0-0	0-2	0	7	5	1	1	4	31
Jahidi White	16	1-3	1-2	0-0	1	3	1	1	1	0	3
Hubert Davis	28	8-16	0-0	3-8	0	3	2	2	0	1	19
Chris Whitney	17	4-6	0-0	1-2	0	0	0	0	1	3	9
Brendan Haywood	32	0-2	0-0	0-0	3	10	0	2	0	4	0
Courtney Alexander	22	8-10	2-2	0-0	0	6	2	0	0	2	18
Tyronn Lue	31	6-12	2-3	2-6	0	1	5	6	3	3	16
Tyrone Nesby	12	2-6	1-1	0-1	1	2	0	1	0	0	5
Kwame Brown	25	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	2	2	2	1	0	0
Bobby Simmons	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Etan Thomas	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Totals	240	44-89	8-10	6-19	7	37	19	16	8	18	102
Percentages: FG - .494, FT - .800, 3PT - .316. Team rebounds: 11. Blocked shots: 4 (M. Jordan 2, P. Jones 1, H. Davis 1).

Indiana					REBOUNDS
PLAYER	MIN	FG	FT	3PT	OFF	TOT	AST	PF	ST	TO	PTS
Jermaine O'Neal	28	5-7	2-3	0-0	2	7	4	2	3	1	12
Jalen Rose	30	8-19	4-4	1-2	0	2	0	1	2	0	21
Jeff Foster	37	4-8	1-2	0-0	4	8	0	2	1	0	9
Reggie Miller	44	12-23	0-0	4-7	1	6	4	3	0	0	28
Jamaal Tinsley	28	3-6	1-2	1-2	1	1	11	0	0	3	8
Al Harrington	5	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0
Austin Croshere	15	1-6	0-0	0-0	0	5	3	2	1	1	2
Jonathan Bender	16	6-9	0-0	0-0	0	3	3	0	0	0	12
Carlos Rogers	1	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0
Travis Best	20	4-6	3-4	0-1	0	0	7	0	0	3	11
Bruno Sundov	11	2-5	0-0	0-0	2	5	1	1	1	0	4
Jamison Brewer	4	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	1	0	0	1	2
Totals	240	46-91	11-15	6-11	10	39	35	11	9	9	109
Percentages: FG - .505, FT - .733, 3PT - .545. Team rebounds: 7. Blocked shots: 6 (J. Bender 1, R. Miller 1, J. O'Neal 2, J. Foster 1, J. Rose 1).

Officials: Jess Kersey, Bill Spooner, Jim Kinsey. Attendance: 18,345. Time: 1:59.

Going back home to where it all began to North Carolina he erupts for 51 points, 43 in the second half; Hamilton to miss four to six weeks.

Michael Jordan drives hard past Charlotte forward Lee Nailon for two of his 51 points.


by Fred Schiebel, Head Writer
 
CHARLOTTE -- Christmas was extended one more day for Michael Jordan.

Apparently receiving a time machine as a gift, he exploded for 51 points in the Wizards 117-98 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday nights. Not only that, he poured in 43 of those in a single half. The second half.

"Michael just doesn't stop," coach Doug Collins said. "Every day I'm here, somehow he ends up topping himself. After all these years, I'm consistently left in total awe."

"Fifty-one is something I didn't imagine," Charlotte forward P.J. Brown said. "I still don't believe it."

Jordan demolished a couple of records during his spree: hm, most points scored, oldest player (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 38 points, also set when he was 38 years old) and Washington's record for most points in a half (33, set by Jeff Malone). He also broke the Washington franchise record for most points in a quarter, 23, set by Bernard King

A North Carolina native, Jordan captured two national championships with the Tar Heels, who play their home games just 140 miles from Charlotte. He was 14-3 on the road against the Hornets in a 13-year career with the Chicago Bulls and averaged 31.7 points per game, his best mark against any team.

Jordan's return had the same effect at Charlotte Coliseum it has had in every NBA arena. The Hornets had a capacity crowd for the first time since last season's Eastern Conference finals against Milwaukee.

"We had a full house, what more motivation do you need?" asked Brown. "You could feel the energy from tipoff."

With star guard Richard Hamilton placed on the injured list due to a groin pull that is expected to sideline him for at least four to six weeks, you could say Washington wasn't in the highest of spirts entering this game.

"Yeah, it's definitely a huge challenge," Jordan said. "But one I obviously think we can overcome. I don't have to score 50 every game, but I hope I've shown we can reach and push and figure out some way every night to keep getting wins. Anything's possible."

There was no indication it would be any kind of magical evening for Washington at the outset. The Hornets began the game by hitting 73 percent from the field in the first quarter, running up a 35-23 advantage, with almost every player getting in on the action. David Wesley led with ten points, Elden Campbell and P.J. Brown had eight each, and Baron Davis had seven while doling out an amazing nine assists. Meanwhile, Jordan started out 1 for 6, as Hamilton's replacement Hubert Davis did most of the scoring, pouring in 13 points in the first twelve minutes.

"I was rusty from the time off," Jordan said, referring to the three days in between games. "It took me awhile to get back into a rythym.."

In the second quarter the Wizards fortunes began to change. Baron Davis got called for his third personal foul while trying to stop rookie Kwame Brown from dunking. Tyronn Lue then took advantage of his replacement, Bryce Drew, scoring 12 points in the period. Courtney Alexander, freshly reactivated from the injured list, exploded back onto the court, hitting on all of his first four shots. A Jordan jumper at the free throw line gave the lead back to Washington for a split second, but the Hornets soon put their starters back in the game and retook control, finding themselves ahead again 58-53 at halftime.

At that point, Jordan had a mere eight points, going 4 of 15 from the field.

"It wasn't my greatest half," he said. "but you never know when those will come, so you just got to keep putting the ball up."

He doubled his point total in less than three minutes into the second half, clearly looking to score. He displayed his entire arsenal, racking up 25 points in the third quarter, shooting the Wizards right past the Hornets and into the catbird seat, 87-77.

"It's been awhile since I felt that good on the court," Jordan said. "Like, years."

It looked as if that was the last the crowd would see of Jordan for the nights, as two Alexander drives increased Washington's lead early in the fourth. A Baron Davis three cut the score to 91-80, and Collins wasted no time in putting his hot hand back into the game. He continued right where he left off, an array of jumpers, layups, and fadeaways keeping the Hornets hopes for a win out of reach.

Everyone began to see the possibilities. But with less than two minutes to go, with his point total at 45 and appearing fatigued, Jordan missed a fingeroll underneath.

"I had started to think about 50, but when I blew that one, I thought the opportunity was probably over. Maybe because it was such an easy shot. If I missed that, I realized I might not make anything else."

With 42.4 seconds left, he connected on another lay-in. The next possession he was fouled, hitting both free throws, 49. In quite the Rocky IV moment, the Hornets fans had completely switched sides, rooting for their favorite son loudly.

"No, I understand," point guard Baron Davis said, when asked about the fans' exuberance toward a visiting player. "Look at what he's done. Look at what he was in the middle of doing. The guy has earned it, every last bit."

Charlotte missed the next time down the floor, and Washington got the ball back one last time. Dribbling on the left wing with the entire crowd standing up and screaming in unison, Jordan called for a screen from center Brendan Haywood, who complied. Jordan used it, letting one last 18 footer fly.

Swish.

Washington then took the foul with 5.3 seconds remaining, allowing Jordan to exit the game to a thunderous ovation.

"It was incredible moment," Charlotte coach Paul Silas said. "He can really do anything."

That is what the evidence appears to indicate, yes.

Was-ChaG27Box

Final 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total Washington 23 30 34 30 117 Charlotte 35 23 19 21 98

Washington					REBOUNDS
PLAYER	MIN	FG	FT	3PT	OFF	TOT	AST	PF	ST	TO	PTS
Popeye Jones	23	0-3	0-0	0-0	1	4	1	1	2	0	0
Michael Jordan	36	20-37	11-14	0-1	0	4	3	0	0	3	51
Jahidi White	19	1-1	2-3	0-0	2	4	2	2	2	1	19
Hubert Davis	25	8-12	2-2	2-3	2	3	1	0	1	2	20
Chris Whitney	19	2-11	0-0	0-4	0	1	6	4	1	1	4
Brendan Haywood	29	0-0	0-0	0-0	2	10	1	3	1	2	0
Tyrone Nesby	12	1-6	2-2	1-1	3	4	1	1	0	2	4
Tyronn Lue	29	5-8	4-5	0-1	0	2	6	3	2	2	8
Courtney Alexander	23	8-9	1-2	1-1	1	2	0	0	0	0	0
Kwame Brown	25	0-0	1-2	0-0	4	14	3	0	0	0	1
Bobby Simmons	DNP - Coach's Decision
Etan Thomas	DNP - Coach's Decision
Totals	240	45-87	23-30	4-11	14	51	26	15	9	17	117
Percentages: FG - .517, FT - .767, 3PT - .367. Team rebounds: 3. Blocked shots: 9 (J. White 2, M. Jordan 2, C. Alexander 2, K. Brown 3). Technicals: 2 (H. Davis 1, Defensive Three).

Charlotte					REBOUNDS
PLAYER	MIN	FG	FT	3PT	OFF	TOT	AST	PF	ST	TO	PTS
P.J. Brown	35	5-9	2-2	0-0	4	9	1	4	2	1	12
Lee Nailon	33	9-16	0-0	0-1	3	5	2	2	2	3	18
Elden Campbell	37	6-11	0-2	0-0	0	7	2	2	1	1	12
Baron Davis	32	9-14	2-6	3-7	1	1	11	3	2	3	23
David Wesley	39	10-32	2-5	0-6	1	9	1	1	1	1	22
Robert Traylor	13	0-5	0-0	0-0	1	3	1	2	0	0	0
Jamaal Magloire	11	1-3	2-2	0-0	1	1	1	0	0	1	4
Stacey Augmon	9	0-2	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Bryce Drew	17	1-3	0-0	1-3	0	0	2	1	0	1	3
Matt Bullard	DNP - Coach's Decision
Kirk Haston	DNP - Coach's Decision
Jerome Moiso	DNP - Coach's Decision
Totals	240	42-96	10-19	4-17	12	37	22	21	11	11	98
Percentages: FG - .438, FT - .526, 3PT - .235. Team rebounds: 8. Blocked shots: 3 (L. Nailon 1, B. Davis 1, R. Traylor 1). Technicals: 1 (R. Traylor 1).

Officials: Joe Forte, Scott Foster, Marc Davis. Attendance: 23,799. Time: 2:24.

Washington puts in another attrocious showing in New York; Hamilton doesn't play, listed as day-to-day.

Michael Jordan powers up a scoop shot through two Knick defenders.

by Fred Schiebel, Head Writer

NEW YORK -- They may have returned the favor and blown out the Knicks in Washington, but the results were very much the same back on their enemy's turf as they were in the season opener.

The Knicks easily trounced the Wizards again last night, 90-79, back in good ol' New York City. It wasn't another Madison Square Garden Massacre, but in some ways Washington upped the horrific play they displayed then, despite not letting the game get as out of hand. Michael Jordan scored more (28 points), but still didn't have what most would consider an exceptional outing, as he struggled to find the basket most of the night, like the rest of his teammates.

"It's nights like these that make you wonder what the heck you're doing," coach Doug Collins said. "At the moment, I'd rather have a career serving french fries."

Did the loss of Richard Hamilton (17.1 points per game), who strained his groin last game, have something to do with the dismal showing?

"Personally I think so, yes," Jordan said. "When it happened [Hamilton's groin injury] against Orlando, we got by mostly on adrenaline. We've had a day to sit back and wonder, which is also not enough time to really prepare any kind of new offensive strategy to get us by. Going out there and not having him with us at all, we could feel the hole."

It sure looked huge. The Knicks left the Wizards in the dust immediately after tipoff, going on a 9-0 run to start the game. Washington found themselves down by fourteen at the end of the first quarter, scoring a meager ten points as a team and converting a scant 21 percent of their field goal attempts. Jordan looked particuarly fatigued, hitting only one of seven of his shots. Hubert Davis -- Hamilton's replacement in the starting lineup -- led the Wizards with six points, but made only 3 of 10 himself. Starting Knicks point guard Mark Jackson took over most of the scoring while still being the main playmaker, finishing the period with nine points and three assists.

"We just couldn't put together anything at all," coach Doug Collins said. "We tried all sorts of approaches, and they all bombed."

Things did not improve, as the Knicks extended their lead to fifteen in the second quarter. Washington upped its field goal percentage mark to an only slightly better 27 percent -- scoring a mere 25 points before halftime. Luckily, the Wizard defense held the Knicks offense to 25 percent accuracy in the period, keeping them from being the victim of a complete blowout. Jordan had ten points on 4 of 15 shooting, while Davis missed all three of his attempts in the second stanza. Jordan held star guard Latrell Sprewell to an even worse 3 of 14 mark.

"It wasn't the playing a back-to-back that tired me so much as trying to focus my defense on stopping him [Sprewell]," Jordan said. "I had to make sure he stayed cold so we could stay in the hunt."

Washington came out refreshed in the third, and their offense began rolling, hitting 67 percent from the field as a team. Unfortunately the Knicks hit 47 percent, good enough to keep them up by thirteen, 62-49. Jordan had ten points, looking as if he was about to take over just like he used to in his Bulls days.

He tried his best, even talking Doug Collins into putting him in at the start of the fourth quarter to try and make a serious run. With about five minutes left he got the Wizards within striking distance once more after scoring a layup and swishing two free throws to cut the deficit to ten, 73-63. With another swishing fadeaway narrowing the lead to eight, suddenly somehow the Wizards attrocious showing looked like it could possibly generate a win. A New York rally began not long after however, and the Knicks easily held on to get only their second win in nine games.

"We've been struggling, so maybe this is a good sign," Jackson said. "We didn't play our A-game tonight either, but we still won."

Jordan ended up playing 40 minutes, but did not not look all that worse for wear in the final period,. hitting three of his six shot attempts in the last twelve minutes. Hubert Davis finished with 19 points, Tyronn Lue came off the bench to chip in 18.

Jackson led the Knicks with 21 points and eight assists. Latrell Sprewell scored 20, but missed 20 of 29 shots.

Was-NykG26Box

Final 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total Washington 10 15 24 30 79 New York 24 16 22 28 90

Washington					REBOUNDS
PLAYER	MIN	FG	FT	3PT	OFF	TOT	AST	PF	ST	TO	PTS
Michael Jordan	40	12-28	3-4	1-1	1	5	4	2	0	3	28
Popeye Jones	37	3-4	2-2	0-0	3	9	0	1	1	1	8
Jahidi White	21	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	3	1	1	0	0	0
Hubert Davis	37	7-21	3-5	2-7	2	5	2	1	0	0	19
Chris Whitney	14	0-1	0-0	0-1	0	0	1	4	2	3	0
Tyrone Nesby	8	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	3	1	2	1	1	0
Kwame Brown	11	1-4	0-0	0-0	2	5	0	1	1	0	2
Bobby Simmons	11	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Brendan Haywood	27	1-3	2-2	0-0	1	10	1	0	0	0	4
Richard Hamilton	DNP - Pulled Groin
Etan Thomas	DNP - Coach's Decision
Tyronn Lue	34	8-21	0-0	2-7	1	0	4	5	3	1	18
Totals	240	32-83	10-13	5-16	8	43	17	17	8	11	79
Percentages: FG - .386, FT - .769, 3PT - .313. Team rebounds: 7. Blocked shots: 5 (H. Davis 2, P. Jones 1, M. Jordan 1, B. Haywood 1).

New York					REBOUNDS
PLAYER	MIN	FG	FT	3PT	OFF	TOT	AST	PF	ST	TO	PTS
Latrell Sprewell	46	9-29	2-2	0-3	3	14	1	3	1	1	20
Kurt Thomas	29	5-10	0-1	0-0	3	9	0	5	0	1	10
Marcus Camby	35	3-7	1-2	0-0	3	12	1	0	2	1	7
Allan Houston	34	6-16	1-2	1-1	0	4	1	2	1	1	14
Mark Jackson	33	6-8	7-9	2-3	0	0	8	0	2	3	21
Othella Harrington	14	4-7	0-0	0-0	2	8	0	1	2	1	8
Felton Spencer	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Shandon Anderson	15	0-8	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0
Charlie Ward	15	1-3	2-2	0-1	1	0	1	0	0	1	4
Travis Knight	16	2-3	2-2	0-0	2	6	1	0	0	0	4
Howard Eisley	DNP - Coach's Decision
Lavor Postell	DNP - Coach's Decision
Larry Robinson	DNP - Coach's Decision
Michael Wright	DNP - Coach's Decision
Totals	240	36-91	15-20	3-8	15	57	13	11	9	9	90
Percentages: FG - .396, FT - .750, 3PT - .375. Team rebounds: 12. Blocked shots: 1 (F. Spencer 1).

Officials: Steve Javie, Mark Wunderlich, Derek Richardson. Attendance: 19,763. Time: 2:27.