WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- This time, Larry Hughes got the calls.
An aggressive Hughes scored 20 of his season-high 38 points in the fourth quarter as the Washington Wizards snapped a four-game losing streak with a 91-87 victory over the Utah Jazz.
In Sunday's 89-87 loss at New York, Hughes was called for a pair of charges in the fourth quarter and complained afterward, saying he draws the contact rather than creates it.
Wizards coach Eddie Jordan also criticized the officials, and things were different for his club back on its home court. Hughes was 14-of-16 from the line, 11-of-12 in the decisive final period.
"Coach told me to come out aggressive and be patient, and I just let things come to me and made them happen," Hughes said.
"It's a part of growing up," said Jordan, who said he spoke with league officials earlier Tuesday. "We have to earn our respect. We know how the league works. We're taking our lumps. It's not all about X's and O's, it's about growing up in the league."
The Jazz closed to 86-85 with 2:43 remaining on a 3-pointer by Andrei Kirilenko, who scored 17 points. Hughes responded with a hard drive and was fouled, sinking both free throws.
Kirilenko scored inside, but Hughes again got to the line, splitting the pair for an 89-87 lead with 1:24 to go.
Just under a minute later, Kirilenko had a drive blocked by Etan Thomas. Hughes ran down the shot clock before drawing a foul with another drive, then drained the clinching free throws with 3.6 seconds left.
"I was definitely going to draw the foul," Hughes said. "There was no doubt I was just going to get up in the air and try to draw contact."
"He did a terrific job," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "He got to the free-throw line 16 times and he did a terrific job making shots. He has improved his game tremendously."
The Wizards had lost nine of their last 10 home meetings with the Jazz, who were the team complaining about the officials afterward.
"In my opinion, (my drive) was a foul," Kirilenko said. "Not a foul on the block, but on the drive, for sure. They just pushed me, two or three times."
Jared Jeffries had 11 points and 11 rebounds for Washington. His three-point play opened an 86-81 lead with 3:28 to play.
Washington led by as many as 16 points in the first half, but Utah rallied to take a 69-63 lead early in the final period before Hughes scored six straight points to tie it.
"We always talked about who's going to make the plays down the stretch, and Larry made plays throughout the game and down the stretch," Jordan said. "That's what we've been seeing from the opposition. Larry had a great game."
