Elden Campbell had 17 points and 13 rebounds and Baron Davis added 15 points and a career-high 15 assists as the Charlotte Hornets rallied for a 99-93 victory over the Wizards, who had a nine-game winning streak snapped.
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.
 Baron Davis was still in a giving mood following Christmas, dishing out a career-high 15 assists. Garrett W. Ellwood NBAE/Getty Images |
"We had a full house and they had a nine-game winning streak, so what more motivation do you need?" asked Charlotte forward P.J. Brown, who had 11 points and six rebounds. "You could feel the energy from tipoff."
Jordan scored 28 points on 11-of-28 shooting but faltered in the fourth quarter and could not help the Wizards extend their streak to a franchise-record 10 games.
Washington had its largest lead, 67-58, with seven minutes left in the third quarter but made just 10-of-39 shots thereafter.
Charlotte closed the quarter on a 15-5 run, highlighted by a three-point play by Davis that was followed by consecutive shots by David Wesley, who scored 11 points.
The Hornets took the lead for good, 73-72, on a pair of free throws by Jamaal Magloire with six seconds left.
Charlotte was clinging to a 75-74 lead early in the fourth quarter before reeling off a 16-4 run. Magloire scored three points during the stretch and Davis gave the Hornets their largest lead, 89-80, on a free throw with 4:44 left.
Jordan missed four straight shots as Charlotte extended its lead and scored seven points in the final 76 seconds, but it was not enough. The Hornets made 10-of-17 shots in the final 12 minutes while the Wizards made only 5-of-21.
"We lost our rhythm in the fourth quarter," Washington coach Doug Collins said. "They threw a zone at us and knocked us out of our rhythm. We worked on it in practice, but we were lethargic. We've had a great month so far and now we just have to finish out the month strong."
"Our defense let us down more than our offense did," Jordan added. "Our defense didn't execute tonight. Turnovers hurt us down the stretch."
Stacey Augmon scored six of his 10 points in the final period as the Hornets won for the ninth time in the last 11 meetings with the Wizards.
Lee Nailon had 12 points but committed six turnovers for Charlotte, which had six players in double figures and two others with nine points.
"Our bench really came through," Hornets coach Paul Silas said. "We had been searching for the right combination from our subs, and tonight it seemed to work out well."
Tyronn Lue and Popeye Jones scored 15 points apiece for Washington, which played without second-leading scorer Richard Hamilton. He was placed on the injured list before the game with a pulled right groin.