Coming through in the clutch once again, he sends his old nemesis Utah back down to .500, as the Wizards win their third game in a row.

Michael Jordan elevates over Jazz youngster Quincy Lewis.



by Fred Schiebel, Head Writer

WASHINGTON -- Maybe in heaven Karl Malone and John Stockton will win a few important games against Michael Jordan. Then again, why should things be any different there?

The Wizards topped the Utah Jazz 93-90 for their third straight win at the MCI Center, giving another injection of hope that the Third Coming isn't a train headed for disaster. Jordan had a relatively decent outing, scoring 24 points on 11 of 26 shot attempts, as well as hustling after 9 rebounds. His fellow senior citizens, despite not getting the victory, were better, at least as far as stat lines go: Karl Malone providing 34 points and 12 rebounds for the cause, with John Stockton adding 19 points and 11 assists.

"I for one am not happy he's back," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan deadpanned. "If he wasn't on the floor, we probably walk out of here feeling good about ourselves."

Washington fans were treated to a Hall Of Fame showcase from the get-go. Malone hit four of his eight shots in the first quarter, finishing the period with 8 points and 4 assists. John Stockton was more offensively minded than usual, at least on an individual level, as he tried to take advantage of young Wizard point Tyronn Lue, scoring 9 points while still dishing out 5 assists. Jordan was only three of seven from the field, but his replacement, Tyrone Nesby, hit a three pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 23.

The Jazz built up a four point lead at the half, 44-40. Jordan had 14 points and five rebounds by then, but Malone topped him with 18 and six.

At the start of the third it looked like the Wizards were about to be left in the dust, with Utah increasing their lead to eight. Lue then dominated for a stretch on both ends, getting three straight steals off of Stockton and Malone (who had seven turnovers in the game) while also scoring five straight points to cut the margin to only two.

"At times he's [Lue] so fantastic," Wizard coach Doug Collins said. "He's young though, so there's a lot of not-so-fantastic things he does too. But in the end he's worth his mistakes."

The Wizards finally caught up at the 8:43 mark in the fourth to tie the game at 70. Chris Whitney stole the ball from Malone, and Jordan found him for a three pointer on the left wing. Then Hamilton drove the lane to up the lead to five. Utah fought their way back just as fast, with backup Scott Padgett's two baskets in a row returning the lead to Utah, 76-75. A couple possessions later, Jordan faked and sliced into the lane to again tie the game again at 78.

Utah did its best to break free of the standoff, with Donyell Marshall minutes later hitting a three to give the Jazz an 88-85 advantage. Jordan took over from there however, driving the lane again to cut the lead to a point. He then found Richard Hamilton on a fast break to give Washington control. After another defensive stop, Hamilton returned the favor and found Jordan for a layup of his own, bumping the lead to three. Donyell Marshell then missed two three point attempts with Jordan draped all over him. Jordan, securing the rebound with time running low, was then intentionally fouled. He converted both free throws, making the score 93-88 with 16.2 seconds to go.

Ballgame? Almost. Lue, hounding Stockton, fouled him as he was shooting from behind the arc. Last game he fouled Cassell on a jumper on the final play as well.

"There's no other way to say it, those were two stupid errors," Collins said. "They're the kind that are real hard for coaches to live with, but I will, because he was really putting forward a maximum effort trying to guard those guys. He'll learn."

Stockton missed the last free throw, and that was all she wrote.

There appeared to be no residual effect from the fallout against Milwaukee, especially considering the give-and-take between Jordan and Richard Hamilton at the end of the game. Hamilton had one of his best outings yet, scoring 19 points and handing out five assists. Lue also had 19 points, four dimes, and five steals. Backup point guard Chris Whitney had 12 points and three assists in only 13 minutes of playing time.

"This was our best game yet," Jordan said. "They're probably better than their record alludes to, but even if that's not the case, for us to get a win against a .500 team bodes well for the rest of our season. We're making progress, and if we keep doing that, we'll dig out of this hole we dug ourselves."

Malone and Stockton were still in the showers, washing the dirt from their faces. Just like old times.