WASHINGTON, April 16 (Ticker) -- The Washington Wizards ended on a winning note in a successful season -- by their standards.

Courtney Alexander scored 20 points and Tyrone Nesby added 18 as the Wizards closed their season with a 116-112 victory over the New York Knicks.

Bolstered by the return of Michael Jordan, the Wizards remained in playoff contention for much of the season. Although the aging guard's knee surgery ended his season, Washington (37-45) still finished with an improvement of 18 wins despite the fact that it will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season.

"This is a great way to end the season," Washington coach Doug Collins said. "It would have been a terrible taste to not be able to finish that game off tonight. It's great for the guys to finish the season on a good note."

NBA TV highlights from Knicks-Wizards: 56k | 300k Courtney Alexander led seven Wizards in double figures. Mitchell Layton NBAE/Getty Images

Washington faced a 29-28 deficit after one quarter before opening the second by outscoring New York, 22-6. Tyronn Lue's 3-pointer with 4:43 left in the first half provided a 50-35 advantage.

A 3-pointer by Latrell Sprewell with 2:16 remaining pulled New York within 107-103. The Wizards then perhaps got a glimpse of the future when Bobby Simmons scored off an assist from fellow rookie Kwame Brown and that kept the Knicks at bay.

"I'm pretty much a player that can do anything the team needs," Simmons said. "I just want to play hard every time I am on the court."

The game had none of the hype that surrounded the season opener between the teams on October 30 at Madison Square Garden. That game marked Jordan's return to the NBA and also took place the same night as Game Three of the World Series in which the New York Yankees were hosting Arizona.

Washington's youthful players showed plenty of energy as Simmons scored a season-high 15 points and Brown had a double-double with 10 and 11 rebounds. The Wizards' reserves finished with 53 points in comparison to 23 for New York.

Led By Brown, Washington dominated New York on the boards, 48-32. Popeye Jones had 11 points and nine rebounds while Etan Thomas made all five shots for 11 points.

The Wizards went 22-19 at home, a 10-win improvement from last season. The expectations will be high next season, especially if Jordan returns.

"I am looking forward to him coming back next season," Alexander said. "Michael's going to do what is best for Michael and we are all for that."

Sprewell returned from a one-game suspension for missing a team shootaround and led New York with 26 points. Allan Houston scored 24 points for the Knicks, who still have one game left against New Jersey on Wednesday.

"We got back into the game late, but if we had played the way we did late in the game earlier in the game, it could've been a different outcome," Sprewell said. "We lost the game early in the first half when we were trading baskets and early in the first quarter when we weren't getting stops. Their guys were knocking down shots."

Clarence Weatherspoon had a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds while Howard Eisley scored 12 points and handed out seven assists off the bench. Sprewell made five 3-pointers as New York made 10-of-17.

Washington captured the season series with New York by winning three of four games. It is just the second time in 15 seasons that the Wizards have won the season series.