Washington — In a rare visit to the MCI Center last season, president of basketball operations Michael Jordan threw a tantrum in the owners' box while watching the Wizards blow a 21-point lead and lose their annual home game against the Clippers.
That game was fresh in Jordan's mind when the Clippers returned Tuesday night. Back in uniform, Jordan had 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to lead Washington to a 96-88 victory.
New Jersey center Todd MacCulloch, left, dunks over Miami center Alonzo Mourning during the second quarter of Tuesday's game. The Nets won, 104-95.
"The thing that I didn't like about that game was the attitude that the players had, an attitude not to lose instead of going out and winning the game," Jordan said. "That's the first time I really got angry with the attitude with this team. I felt the attitude was not proper for the franchise to turn itself around."
Washington was 4-15 after that Clippers loss in December 2000. By contrast, Tuesday's victory was the fourth straight for the Wizards (18-14) and moved them within one victory of their total from all last season.
"So far we've proven that we can surprise myself," Jordan said. "I just like the way the confidence on our team is."
Before the game, Jordan addressed for the first time the divorce petition filed Friday by his wife, Juanita, saying that "work is a great avenue" to deal with such personal issues. After the game, he was asked if a reconciliation was possible.
"That's none of your business," he said. "Quite frankly, I don't want to talk about my personal life. ... That's something probably we'll work on. I don't think I want to sit here and go through that. We have kids, obviously, and we want to make sure that's the focus.
"Outside of that, when the time comes, you guys will hear about it."
Jordan recovered from a 1-for-8 first quarter to make nine of 24 shots in 42 minutes. It helped that Lamar Odom, who played well early and did a credible job defensively on Jordan, left the game for good in the second quarter with the stomach flu.
Nets 104, Heat 95
East Rutherford, N.J. Keith Van Horn scored eight of his 19 points down the stretch, leading seven Nets in double figures. Kerry Kittles added 18 points, Jason Kidd had 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and Aaron Williams had 11 points and a key late block as the Nets came back to win after blowing a 17-point first-half lead.
Hawks 101, Blazers 92
Atlanta Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored 30 points, and Jason Terry added 24.
The Hawks shot 50 percent (37-of-74) from the field, the first time in 19 games they made at least half of their shots.
Bonzi Wells scored 26 for the Trail Blazers, who had won two straight games. Wells, though, missed five open layups.
Jazz 98, Suns 84
Salt Lake City Scott Padgett scored a career-high 17 points. Karl Malone scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. Jarron Collins also had a career high with 13 points, Bryon Russell scored 11, and John Crotty added 10 for the Jazz (18-16), who have won six of their last seven are two games above .500.
Lakers 121, Pistons 92
Auburn Hills, Mich. Shaquille O'Neal scored 28 points, and Kobe Bryant had 20 then both sat out the entire fourth quarter. Jerry Stackhouse led the Pistons with 27 points. Detroit (16-17) has lost 11 of 13 games to fall below .500 for the first time since opening night.
Rockets 88, Knicks 86
Houston Moochie Norris made a 3-pointer from the corner at the buzzer to lift the Houston Rockets. Kenny Thomas scored 24 points, and Francis 19 for the Rockets.
Grizzlies 84, Raptors 81
Memphis, Tenn. Stromile Swift scored 20 points, including Memphis' final six. Swift's dunk off a Pau Gasol miss gave Memphis a three-point lead with 10 seconds left. Alvin Williams' 3-point attempt with a second left was short for Toronto. Swift and Gasol both had 20 points and 10 rebounds. Tony Massenburg added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Mavericks 95, Nuggets 94
Dallas Dirk Nowitzki scored 27 points, and his three-point play with 6.9 seconds left gave the Dallas Mavericks a 95-94 victory. Nick Van Exel paced Denver with 31 points. Raef LaFrentz added 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Nugget.
Bucks 113, Warriors 97
Oakland, Calif. Sam Cassell had 23 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as Milwaukee emphatically ended its four-game losing streak. Michael Redd scored 18 points, and Tim Thomas had 17 for the Bucks.
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