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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Michael Jordan won't have to quit.
A strong fourth quarter from the backups salvaged a letdown
performance as Jordan's new team, the Washington Wizards, beat his
old one, the Chicago Bulls, 101-88 Saturday night.
The victory came two nights after the Wizards ended the Los
Angeles Lakers' 19-game winning streak and Jordan let it be known
he wouldn't accept a bad-effort night against Chicago. He even
joked "I may send in my resignation" if the Bulls won.
|  | | Chicago's Corey Benjamin drives between Tracy Murray, left, and Aaron Williams to score his only points. |
And his message after Saturday's game?
"I just told them that I could keep my job," Jordan said with
a chuckle. "It's some satisfaction that they bounced back from a
real big win tonight and took care of business when they were
supposed to take care of business. That's the type of team that you
want to have."
Rod Strickland had 13 points and nine assists, and Gerard King
had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Wizards. Elton Brand had 24
points for the Bulls, who have lost seven in a row and 10 straight
on the road.
The Wizards have played down to the level of the competition
throughout the season -- they lost back-to-back, home-and-home games
to the Bulls in January -- and it nearly happened again.
No matter how badly the Bulls played, the Wizards kept finding a
way to respond in kind. Whenever the Wizards went on a run and
appeared ready to put the game away in the first three quarters,
they'd let up and let the Bulls back in it.
Washington finally shut down Brand in a 14-4 run starting with
8:04 to go in the game, putting the lead at 95-78 with 4:49
remaining. Chicago didn't get within double digits again.
King was the only Wizards starter to play in the fourth quarter.
Aaron Williams had nine points in the period as he and Chris
Whitney found the Bulls unable to stop the pick-and-roll.
"The bench has brought in a lot of energy," said Jordan,
facing the Bulls for the first time since joining the Wizards as
part-owner and president of basketball operation on Jan. 19.
"That's one of the things the starting five has to do -- they
have to match the energy of the second team. If they can do that,
then you don't have those low periods. The bench is supposed to be
your second five, and if they can come in and give more energy that
your first five, then you've got problems."
Jordan is estranged from the Bulls because of his frosty
relationship with owner Jerry Reinsdorf and general manager Jerry
Krause. He said it didn't feel odd watching the game because
Chicago's roster has changed so much since he retired more than a
year ago.
"They're in disarray, quite honestly," Jordan said. "But they
have a couple of players they can build around, (Ron) Artest as
well as Brand."
The Bulls' low point came when they botched two plays in the
final five seconds of the first quarter. First, the 24-clock
expired as Chicago was working for the final shot. Then, after the
Bulls got the ball back on a quick charging call, Will Purdue's
inbounds pass was intercepted at midcourt by Mitch Richmond, who
raced downcourt and dunked at the buzzer.
Still, the Wizards shot only 36 percent in the first half and
led only 46-43 at halftime. Juwan Howard opened the second half
with three baskets for a 6-0 run, but the Bulls twice cut the
deficit to five in the third quarter before Washington's reserves
took over in the fourth.
The Bulls have won only 13 games all year, so this was a blown
opportunity to get a rare victory against a team they had beaten
twice already.
"Those reserves didn't play like that two months ago," Brand
said. "I think that's why they got the win. Their reserves really
came out and put it to us tonight."
The most relieved person in the MCI Center might have been
Wizards coach Darrell Walker, who didn't want to lose a game his
boss had emphasized so keenly.
"I was a little nervous about the basketball game," Walker
said. "I kept telling the guys during the timeouts to pick up
their energy level, to pick up their intensity."
Game notes
Jordan, as he does occasionally, stayed away from the owners'
box and watched the game on television in his office. ... The
Wizards won their second game in a row, giving them only their
fourth winning streak all season.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Chicago Clubhouse
Washington Clubhouse
Wizards president Jordan wants Bulls run out of D.C.
RECAPS
New Jersey 92
Milwaukee 90
Indiana 113
Charlotte 99
Washington 101
Chicago 88
Miami 92
Cleveland 90
Boston 104
Dallas 99
San Antonio 102
Denver 82
Portland 97
Seattle 96
Sacramento 104
LA Clippers 83
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