Thursday night was different. A sellout crowd of 16,285 was announced, even though there were a few patches of empty seats in the upper deck. Mayor Lee Brown was in a front-row seat near midcourt, as was Rockets owner Leslie Alexander, taking in one of a handful of home games so far this season.

The focus of attention, of course, was the return of Michael Jordan. After a spotty performance for three quarters, Jordan took over the game in the final 9 1/2 minutes, scoring 10 of his 18 points as the Wizards beat the Rockets 85-82.