Coming off the worst game of his career, Michael Jordan felt he needed to make a statement. Boy, did he ever.

Embarrassing every defender who tried to guard him, Jordan scored 51 points and set franchise records with 24 first-quarter points and 34 points in a half Saturday night as the Wizards snapped a two-game losing streak with a 107-90 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

"Fifty-one is something I didn?t imagine," Charlotte forward P.J. Brown said. "He kind of went back in time tonight."

Jordan made 21 of 38 shots from the field, 9 of 10 free throws and had seven rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes. He had a shot at Earl Monroe?s franchise game record of 56 until the Wizards blew the game open in the third quarter, allowing coach Doug Collins to sit his star for good with 3:08 remaining in the game.

"You think the guy?s got a little pride?" Collins said.

"He had a tough night in Indiana, and I think he was going to come back and show who he is. ... I?ve seen this guy do some unbelievable things, but at age 38 to do this tonight is incredible."

Jordan scored a career-low six points in Thursday?s loss to the Pacers, ending his record 866-game streak of 10 points or more. He needed only 4:25 to start another double-digit streak, making five of his first six shots and scoring the Wizards? first 13 points.

"I?m pretty sure you guys were saying how old I was," Jordan said. "And I wanted certainly to make a statement offensively."

Jordan?s 39th regular season 50-point game also set an MCI Center record and was the first 50-point game by a Wizards player since Tracy Murray scored 50 at Golden State on Feb. 10, 1998. It was the first 50-point game by a Wizards player at home since Bernard King?s 50 against Utah on March 6, 1991.

It was Jordan?s first 50-pointer since scoring 55 points for Chicago in a playoff game against Washington in 1997.

Hubert Davis added 21 points and Jahidi White had 12 points and a season-high 12 rebounds for the Wizards.

Jamaal Magloire scored a career-high 22 points to lead the Hornets, who beat the Wizards 99-93 on Wednesday. Baron Davis, who was listed as doubtful with a bruised right knee, started and scored 14 points in 42 minutes.

Realizing he was hot, Jordan wanted the ball and wanted it badly. Two familiar moves were on display early and often: the fadeaway off the screen and the pivot around a defender who left his feet falling for the fake.

Jordan?s best move: On the right wing, he moved to the right around Magloire, hung the air forever and kissed a 14-footer off the glass while drawing the foul. Jordan made the free throw to give the Wizards a 25-19 lead.

Jordan didn?t have his legs in the fourth quarter, shooting just 2-for-7, but he blew past Stacey Augmon for an easy layup with seven minutes left.

"It?s been a long time since someone said that I was hanging in the air," Jordan said. "I felt real good in the first half. My rhythm, my timing was perfect, and I had the defense guessing. It was one of those nights."

Jordan and Davis were Washington?s only offense in the first half, with the pair making 20 of 29 shots and accounting for 48 of the team?s 56 points. The result was a seesaw half that included 23 lead changes before Jordan?s 17-footer with four seconds left gave the Wizards a 56-51 lead at the break.

But Collins switched his defense at halftime and shut down the paint. Charlotte?s guards were unable to pick up the slack: Davis was 6-for-21, and David Wesley was 1-for-11. The front court tandem of Brown and Elden Campbell, which combined for 29 points in the first half, had just four points in the second.

The Wizards put the game away with a 13-0 run with no points from Jordan. Chris Whitney and Davis hit 3-pointers, and White had a 3-point play and made two more free throws in the spurt that put Washington ahead 75-56 with 4:46 left in the third quarter. The biggest lead was 21 at 80-59.

Hornets never got closer than 12 in the final quarter as the Wizards improved to 14-0 when leading after three.

Jordan said he?s felt this kind of rhythm only once before this season, when he scored 44 in a loss to Utah.

"I hate to see wasted energy like that," Jordan said. "And we won the game tonight."

Notes: The previous Wizards record for first-quarter points was 23, set by King exactly 11 years earlier ? Dec. 29, 1990 ? against Denver. The previous record for points in a half was held by Jeff Malone, who had 33 against Phoenix on Feb. 27, 1988. The franchise record for points in a quarter or half have only been kept since the team moved from Baltimore in 1973. ... Monroe scored 56, when the team was called the Baltimore Bullets, against the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 13, 1968. ... The Wizards played without Courtney Alexander, whom Collins said "felt something pull" in his leg in the final minutes Thursday. Collins said Alexander, who has also been bothered by a sprained ankle, was too sore to play. ... The Hornets had won nine of the previous 11 against the Wizards.