Smith ? who threw up Monday night when told he was going to start the second half against New Jersey ? showed his poise Tuesday. He scored a career-high 21 points while helping hold Jordan to 5-of-21 shooting as the Spurs beat Washington 96-91 to end their two-game losing streak.

"Mike got some points, but all in all I thought Charles won that battle," said Tim Duncan, who scored 16 of his 22 points in the final quarter and hit the clinching basket with 12.3 seconds left. "He got up into him and really harassed and frustrated him."