It was like old times in a lot of ways Wednesday night at the Charlotte Coliseum.

The hometown Charlotte Hornets had a sellout crowd and the state?s most famous basketball player, Michael Jordan, was firing up jumpshot after jumpshot to the delight of an adoring crowd.

But, unlike many of Jordan?s previous visits to Charlotte, there would be no late-game heroics ? although he tried mightily ? as the Hornets held on for a 99-93 victory over the Washington Wizards in front of 23,799.

And unlike much of Hornets history, this was the first sellout of the season ? and the first crowd exceeding 12,000 this year.

"To come in and see all those people, it just moves you," Charlotte coach Paul Silas said of the team?s first regular-season sellout since March 2000. "There?s nothing like it. And to win has to help us."

Charlotte probably helped itself in three ways: The Hornets improved to 13-15 overall and 4-7 at home and may have regained some loyalty.

At least that?s what Silas hopes.

"It really helps to see that kind of a crowd," Silas said. "And they really got behind us. Hopefully, we won some fans back and they?ll keep supporting us."

Clearly, much of the intrigue for the team that had previously averaged just over 10,000 home fans per game this season was Jordan.

And Jordan, the former University of North Carolina star who grew up in Wilmington, didn?t disappoint. He finished with a game-high 28 points and drained a pair of long jumpers in the closing seconds to keep the Wizards (14-13) alive.

But, in the end, a combination of offensive scoring balance and Baron Davis? gritty determination ended Washington?s longest winning streak since 1978 at nine games.

"He really showed a lot of courage out there," Silas said of Davis, who banged knees with Jordan late in the first quarter.

In spite of his subpar health ? Davis figures to be mighty sore today ? Davis scored 15 points, doled out a game-high 15 assists and spearheaded a Hornets comeback.

After pulling himself early in the second half to go into the locker room to put on a knee brace, Davis returned with Charlotte trailing by game-high nine points. But the 67-59 deficit with 5:48 left in the third quarter was a 73-72 Charlotte lead by the start of the final period.

Jordan?s late-game antics aside, the Hornets added to their cushion and held on down the stretch.

"Our defense let us down more than our offense did tonight," said Jordan, who was followed by the crowd?s roars and clicking cameras throughout the game. "And then turnovers hurt us down the stretch."

In essence, the game was won when Charlotte was able to exploit the inside and outside of the Wizards? defense while Washington was turned almost exclusively into a jumpshooting team by the Hornets? feisty play.

Davis said the defense was a team effort based on assuming Jordan would excel but others might struggle.

"Nobody on this planet is going to stop Michael Jordan ? Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter," Davis said. "They?re the elite players of this league. So it?s got to be a team effort when you play those guys. You?ve got to do your best on the star and try to hold the other guys in check."