Jordan pleases Washington fans on home debut

Michael Jordan made a successful home debut as a Wizards player on Saturday, leading them to a 90-76 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in his much anticipated first game in the capital.

The contest was played in front of a sell-out crowd of more than 20,000, who repeatedly screamed: "We got Jordan! We got Jordan!"

In only the third game of his comeback, Jordan made seven of 21 shots and in 38 minutes of playing time finished with 20 points and nine assists.

Many of those assists went to Richard Hamilton, who scored a game-high 29 points in the second half when Jordan drew two and even three defenders.

"I didn't shoot the ball particularly well tonight," Jordan, former Wizards president and co-owner, said after the game.

"When you're not shooting the ball well, there are other things you can do with the basketball for the team," he said. "I just couldn't get it going, so I decided to move and rebound the ball."

DECOY PLOY

If not the great jump shooter he was when he played with the Chicago Bulls, Jordan is proving to be a vital decoy by drawing defenders to free his team mates for more open shots.

"I'm learning to feed off him," said Hamilton, who made 11 of this 18 shots. "One thing I'm learning to do is get an open shot."

Philadelphia, who remains winless, played without star guard Allen Iverson, who sat on the bench with an injured right elbow. Guard Craig Claxton led the 76ers in scoring with 22 points and forward Matt Harping put in 13 points.

Washington took the lead first with Jordan's jump shot sending the crowd into a frenzy, but Philadelphia gradually took control, ending the first half with a 43-35 lead.

The Wizards roared back in the second half with tight defense and solid shooting.

The turning point came in the third quarter when Jordan scored a jump shot to tie the game at 52-52 but was fouled by Harping. Jordan then made the free throw to put the Wizards ahead for good.

"When you got a guy that creates double teams all the time and you have people who can make shots, you're in trouble," 76ers coach Larry West said. "They executed extremely well.

Washington led by as many as 21 points at one point and improved its record to 2-1, outscored Philadelphia 55-33 in the second half.

"Everyone wants to see Jordan," Gary Klein, a bus tour operator who drove 45 fans to the game from Hagerstown, Maryland, said.

Joe Englert, co-owner of the Rock Sports Bar located across the street from the arena, said business had increased 10-fold.

"This time last year, business was non-existent," Englert said. "Sometimes we didn't open after a Wizards game."