Jordan turns back the clock

WASHINGTON -- For Michael Jordan, these were the old days in Chicago. The very old days.

Not the championship years, when he was winning rings with Scottie Pippen. But the early years, when the Bulls were a so-so team and every game felt like 1-on-5.

With the team's two other surefire scorers injured, Jordan scored 45 points in 44 minutes, carrying the Washington Wizards to a 109-104 victory over the New Orleans Hornets Saturday night.

"Tonight was a revisit back to those days where I could get myself in nice little situations, where the defense really couldn't help," Jordan said. "By the time the defense helped, I was able to go ahead and get the basket, get a foul, get someone else involved. It was reminiscent. It was a good night."

It was the sixth 40-point game since Jordan came out of retirement a second time, but this one came under unusual circumstances. Jerry Stackhouse and Larry Hughes were both injured, leaving Jordan as the only real offensive threat.

He made four of Washington's first five baskets and he had an assist on the other one. He went 6-for-9 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line for 16 points in the first quarter.

He used creative moves to work himself open. He shot fadeaways over David Wesley. He evaded Courtney Alexander through screens and forced him to foul. He drove on Jamal Mashburn.

Jordan sat for just four minutes in the second quarter, and the Hornets outscored the Wizards 14-4 during that span to take the lead. It became obvious that he wouldn't leave the game again.

"I wasn't about to take him out," coach Doug Collins said. "I was not going to get that wrath."

The Wizards trailed by five at halftime and by as many as 10 in the third quarter. Jordan's big game was going to waste. Collins told the team to stop standing around waiting for Jordan to do everything.

"I don't want you to get that 'floating Michael eye.' We've got to go to other guys on the floor," Collins said in the huddle. "He's helped us to this point, and we have to have other guys help finish."

This time, they listened. Kwame Brown, Etan Thomas, Juan Dixon -- all young players who have been very inconsistent -- played their best stretch of the season as the Wizards opened the fourth quarter with a 19-4 run. They did it mostly with defense, with Dixon making a big steal and Brown blocking Wesley on a baseline drive.

"Once MJ was on fire, we couldn't let him work that hard," Brown said. "You've got to do something."

Jordan, who turns 40 this month, finished 18-for-33 from the field and 9-for-10 from the free-throw line. His 44 minutes were his most in regulation this season; he played 53 in a double-overtime game against Indiana.

"With two key starters out, I had to step my game up early -- just to get some momentum," Jordan said. "My offense ignited everything energywise, and the guys fed off me. I was going to try to pull anybody along with me as much as I could.

"In the second half, things changed. The first half was me; the second half was everybody."