Rodman Rallies Bulls Past Knicks

NBA

A month off didn’t bother Dennis Rodman. Neither did the New York Knicks.

Despite missing the previous 12 games with a calf injury, Rodman grabbed 20 rebounds in 38 minutes as the Chicago Bulls rallied for a 101-94 victory Wednesday night in Chicago.

“Teams have to pay him respect,” said Michael Jordan, who scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half. “He gets you so many offensive rebounds that, sooner or later, you’re going to make some shots. And he understands this offense better than we think.”

Rodman scored only six points, but his basket on a give-and-go pass from Jordan cut the Knicks’ lead to 73-72 after three quarters and brought the 23,828 fans to their feet.

Jordan, meanwhile, was having his worst game this season - missing 13 of 15 shots - before finding the range just in time to give the Bulls their fourth consecutive victory.

Bulls 101, Knicks 94

NEW YORK (94)

Mason 4-7 2-8 10, Oakley 5-12 3-4 13, Ewing 8-18 6-7 22, Starks 9-12 4-5 25, D.Harper 3-10 1-1 9, Smith 1-6 1-2 3, Grant 6-8 0-0 12, M.Williams 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 36-73 17-27 94.

CHICAGO (101)

Pippen 10-19 0-0 22, Rodman 2-5 2-5 6, Longley 3-5 7-8 13, R.Harper 3-8 3-4 10, Jordan 8-27 6-6 22, Kukoc 6-10 4-4 18, Wennington 3-5 0-0 6, Kerr 1-3 0-0 2, Simpkins 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 37-84 22-27 101.

New York 30 26 17 21 - 94

Chicago 23 20 29 29 - 101

3-Point goals-New York 5-15 (Starks 3-6, D.Harper 2-6, Grant 0-1, Smith 0-2), Chicago 5-12 (Pippen 2-5, Kukoc 2-3, R.Harper 1-3, Kerr 0-1). Fouled out-Oakley. Rebounds-New York 48 (Mason 15), Chicago 51 (Rodman 20). Assists-New York 17 (Starks, Harper 4), Chicago 28 (Pippen, Jordan 8). Total fouls- New York 25, Chicago 22. Technicals-D.Harper, Ewing, Rodman, Bulls Illegal defense 2. A-23,820 (23,820).

Hornets 94, Cavaliers 82

Charlotte, N.C.

Scott Burrell scored 19 points and fueled a third-quarter run as Charlotte rediscovered a lost commodity - defense - in a win over Cleveland.

The Hornets, who had been allowing opponents to shoot 49.9 percent, the most generous figure in the NBA, had not held anyone below 42 percent this season. But they limited the Cavaliers to 28-of-72 shooting, 39 percent.

CLEVELAND (82)

Mills 4-17 3-3 11, Ferry 5-14 2-3 13, Cage 0-2 0-0 0, Phills 6-10 7-8 20, Brandon 8-12 5-7 22, Majerle 3-12 3-4 10, Amaechi 0-0 0-0 0, Sura 0-2 0-0 0, Miner 1-2 0-0 2, Crotty 1-1 2-2 4, Marshall 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-72 22-27 82.

CHARLOTTE (94)

Johnson 6-10 5-6 19, Burrell 6-9 4-4 19, Zidek 0-1 2-2 2, Rice 9-14 3-4 25, Gill 4-11 8-12 17, Geiger 1-4 2-2 4, Curry 2-11 0-0 4, Reeves 1-4 1-2 4, Parish 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-64 25-32 94.

Cleveland 27 17 19 19 - 82

Charlotte 27 23 26 18 - 94

3-Point goals-Cleveland 4-20 (Phills 1-3, Brandon 1-3, Ferry 1-6, Majerle 1-7, Sura 0-1), Charlotte 11-25 (Rice 4-8, Burrell 3-5, Johnson 2-3, Gill 1-2, Reeves 1-3, Curry 0-4). Fouled out- Phills. Rebounds-Cleveland 42 (Mills, Cage 7), Charlotte 49 (Johnson 11). Assists-Cleveland 10 (Brandon 4), Charlotte 20 (Johnson, Gill 6). Total fouls-Cleveland 25, Charlotte 24. Technicals-Charlotte coach Bristo, Cleveland illegal defense, Charlotte illegal defense 3. A-24,042 (23,698).

Bullets 96, Hawks 79

Landover, Md.

Chris Webber scored 12 of his 27 points in the decisive second quarter as Washington snapped a 10-game losing streak against Atlanta.

Washington outscored Atlanta 31-12 in the second period to take a 51-36 halftime lead.

ATLANTA (79)

Long 2-5 4-8 8, Norman 4-8 3-12, Lang 3-10 4-4 10, Blaylock 3-9 1-1 8, Smith 4-15 4-4 14, Bullard 0-2 0-0 0, Augmon 4-9 4-4 12, Ehlo 2-4 0-0 5, Webb 2-8 0-0 4, Mundt 2-5 2-2 6. Totals 26-75 22-27 79.

WASHINGTON (96)

Howard 6-14 2-2 14, Webber 11-18 5-8 27, Muresan 3-4 0-0 6, Cheaney 5-8 2-2 13, Pack 4-10 4-4 12, Wallace 2-6 0-0 4, Legler 3-7 1-1 9, Butler 1-3 0-0 2, B.Price 1-2 4-4 7, McIlvaine 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 37-73 18-21 96.

Atlanta 24 12 23 20 - 79

Washington 20 31 20 25 - 96

3-Point goals-Atlanta 5-18 (Smith 2-8, Ehlo 1-1, Norman 1-1, Blaylock 1-6, Webb 0-2), Washington 4-12 (Legler 2-4, Cheaney 1-1, B.Price 1-2, Butler 0-1, Webber 0-1, Howard 0-1, Pack 0-2). Fouled out-Lang. Rebounds-Atlanta 46 (Long 10), Washington 47 (Webber 10). Assists-Atlanta 13 (Blaylock 5), Washington 21 (B.Price 6). Total fouls-Atlanta 26, Washington 23. Technical-Smith. A-10,403 (18,756).

Celtics 105, Heat 101

Miami

Todd Day’s tie-breaking 3-pointer from the left corner with 17 seconds left helped Boston beat Miami for the second time in three nights

Day’s basket gave Boston a 102-99 lead. After Miami’s Sasha Danilovic missed a 3-point try with 8 seconds to go, Day hit one of two free throws to clinch the win.

BOSTON (105)

Fox 5-16 3-4 16, Radja 9-15 4-4 22, Montross 3-8 0-0 6, Brown 5-13 3-4 16, Barros 6-12 6-7 20, Ellison 1-1 2-2 4, Burrough 0-3 0-0 0, Minor 2-4 0-0 4, Day 5-8 4-5 15, Wesley 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 36-80 24-28 105.

MIAMI (101)

Grandison 1-3 4-4 6, Willis 8-14 3-6 19, Mourning 9-14 8-14 26, Danilovic 5-11 0-0 14, Coles 6-17 1-1 15, Askins 4-12 1-2 11, Myers 1-1 5-6 8, Gamble 1-4 0-0 2, Ellis 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-76 22-33 101.

Boston 25 25 28 27 - 105

Miami 25 27 38 11 - 101

3-Point goals-Boston 9-19 (Brown 3-7, Fox 3-8, Barros 2-3, Day 1-1), Miami 9-24 (Danilovic 4-6, Coles 2-6, Askins 2-10, Myers 1-1, Mourning 0-1). Fouled out-None. Rebounds- Boston 46 (Radja 9), Miami 54 (Mourning 13). Assists-Boston 14 (Barros, Wesley 4), Miami 27 (Coles 9). Total fouls-Boston 27, Miami 26. Technicals-Boston assistant coach Johnson, Mourning. A-15,200 (15,200).

76ers 108, Mavericks 87

Philadelphia

Vernon Maxwell scored 25 points and Jerry Stackhouse added 21 points and 10 rebounds as Philadelphia ended its 11-game losing streak with a win.

The game marked the 76ers debut of Derrick Coleman, acquired from New Jersey on Nov. 30. Coleman, who had 17 points and 11 rebounds in 31 minutes, was seeing his first action of the season after being sidelined because of an irregular heartbeat.

DALLAS (87)

Mashburn 9-22 3-6 22, Jones 6-12 3-4 15, Williams 2-3, 0-3 4, Jackson 2-12 5-6 10, Kidd 3-12 2-2 9, McCloud 3-10 4-4 10, T.Dumas 2-5 3-4 9, Harris 0-2 0-0 0, Meyer 1-2 0-0 2, Brooks 2-3 0-0 4, Parks 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 30-84 22-31 87.

PHILADELPHIA (108)

R.Dumas 1-4 1-1 3, Coleman 6-15 5-8 17, Wright 6-9 2-5 14, Stackhouse 9-20 1-2 21, Maxwell 9-14 1-2 25, Weatherspoon 2-7 3-4 7, Higgins 1-2 0-0 2, Malone 5-10 2-2 12, Grant 1-3 2-2 4, Walters 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 41-86 17-26 108.

Dallas 29 10 18 30 - 87

Philadelphia 27 25 24 32 - 108

3-Point goals-Dallas 5-19 (T.Dumas 2-2, Kidd 1-3, Mashburn 1-5, Jackson 1-6, Harris 0-1, McCloud 0-2). Philadelphia 9-22 (Maxwell 6-9, Stackhouse 2-4, Walters 1-2, Grant 0-1, Malone 0-2, Coleman 0-4). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Dallas 64 (Jones 15), Philadelphia 53 (Weatherspoon 13). Assists-Dallas 20 (Mashburn 6), Philadelphia 33 (Grant 11). Total fouls-Dallas 22, Philadelphia 19. A-10,693 (18,168).

Timberwolves 108, Nets 97

Minneapolis

Isaiah Rider led a torrid shooting attack with 20 points as Minnesota snapped New Jersey’s three-game winning streak.

Rider made 9 of 12 shots as Minnesota shot 70 percent in the first three quarters en route to its third win in the last five games.

NEW JERSEY (97)

O’Bannon 2-8 1-1 5, Brown 7-11 0-0 14, Dare 0-2 0-0 0, Edwards 3-10 2-2 8, Anderson 8-16 3-6 22, J.Williams 7-10 4-6 18, Childs 2-5 1-1 6, Fleming 2-5 2-3 6, Perry 3-6 1-1 7, Bradley 3-6 1-2 7, Graham 1-2 1-2 4. Totals 38-81 16-24 97.

MINNESOTA (108)

Mitchell 2-3 8-8 12, Gugliotta 4-8 5-6 14, Laettner 6-10 6-8 18, Rider 9-12 2-3 20, Porter 4-4 0-1 9, Garnett 3-7 3-5 9, West 6-7 0-0 12, Rooks 0-2 6-6 6, Allen 2-4 4-6 8, Davis 0-4 0-0 0, Bragg 0-2 0-0 0, Smith 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 36-64 34-43 108.

New Jersey 25 23 25 24 - 97

Minnesota 28 22 38 20 - 108

3-Point goals-New Jersey 5-14 (Anderson 3-4, Childs 1-2, Graham 1-2, J.Williams 0-1, Fleming 0-1, Edwards 0-4), Minnesota 2-5 (Gugliotta 1-1, Porter 1-1, Rider 0-1, Rooks 0-1, Smith 0-1). Fouled out-Brown. Rebounds-New Jersey 42 (Williams, Bradley 5), Minnesota 46 (Gugliotta, Garnett 7). Assists-New Jersey 27 (Anderson 8), Minnesota 27 (Laettner 6). Total fouls-New Jersey 28, Minnesota 25. Technicals- Bradley, Minnesota illegal defense 2. A-10,471 (19,006).

Rockets 112, Lakers 99

Houston

Clyde Drexler scored 19 of his 34 points in the third quarter and Hakeem Olajuwon took command in the fourth quarter to lead Houston past Los Angeles.

Olajuwon, who had 30 points and 13 rebounds, scored 14 points over the final 7:46.

L.A. LAKERS (99)

Ceballos 9-26 8-10 27, Campbell 6-8 1-2 13, Divac 4-7 1-3 9, Jones 4-9 0-1 11, Van Exel 5-14 0-0 13, Blount 5-6 0-0 10, Threatt 3-9 3-3 9, Lynch 2-5 0-2 4, Roberts 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 39-86 13-21 99.

HOUSTON (112)

Horry 2-5 1-1 5, Brown 2-8 0-2 4, Olajuwon 13-22 4-6 30, Drexler 10-17 12-12 34, K.Smith 3-8 0-0 7, Bryant 2-7 2-3 6, Chilcutt 3-4 0-2 6, Cassell 1-6 2-2 5, Breaux 0-1 0-0 0, Elie 4-12 3-3 12, Recasner 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 41-91 24-31 112.

L.A. Lakers 24 29 14 32 - 99

Houston 29 28 28 27 - 112

3-Point goals-Los Angeles 8-21 (Jones 3-6, Van Exel 3-7, Roberts 1-1, Ceballos 1-5, Threatt 0-2), Houston 6-14 (Drexler 2-3, Recasner 1-1, Cassell 1-2, K.Smith 1-3, Elie 1-4, Horry 0-1). Fouled out-Campbell. Rebounds-Los Angeles 48 (Ceballos 17), Houston 64 (Olajuwon 13). Assists-Los Angeles 28 (Threatt 9), Houston 29 (K.Smith, Cassell 6). Total fouls-Los Angeles 24, Houston 22. Technicals-Los Angeles illegal defense, Houston illegal defense. A-16,285 (16,611).

Magic 109, Warriors 107

Oakland, Calif.

Anfernee Hardaway had 23 points, including a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left, as Orlando defeated Golden State.

Dennis Scott also had 23 points for Orlando in a game that included 52 fouls, six technicals and a flagrant foul.

ORLANDO (109)

Grant 2-7 5-6 9, Scott 8-12 5-6 23, Koncak 2-2 4-5 8, Anderson 4-15 4-8 13, A.Hardaway 6-10 10-14 23, Shaw 5-10 0-0 11, Wolf 1-1 0-0 2, Bowie 6-10 2-2 15, Royal 2-2 1-1 5. Totals 36-69 31-42 109.

GOLDEN STATE (107)

Mullin 7-14 4-5 18, Smith 7-12 2-2 16, Seikaly 5-10 6-8 16, T.Hardaway 11-20 4-6 31, Sprewell 4-16 6-8 15, Rozier 1-1 0-0 2, Gatling 2-7 1-2 5, B.Armstrong 0-1 1-2 1, Barry 1-3 0-0 3, Kersey 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 38-86 24-33 107.

Orlando 26 33 28 22 - 109

Golden State 27 29 25 26 - 107

3-Point goals-Orlando 6-18 (Scott 2-3, Shaw 1-2, Bowie 1-2, A.Hardaway 1-3, Anderson 1-8), Golden State 7-18 (T.Hardaway 5-8, Barry 1-3, Sprewell 1-4, Kersey 0-1, Mullin 0-2). Fouled out-Seikaly. Rebounds-Orlando 39 (Grant, Anderson, A.Hardaway 6), Golden State 62 (Seikaly (14). Assists-Orlando 23 (A.Hardaway 9), Golden 22 State (Sprewell 7). Total fouls-Orlando 23, Golden State 29. Technicals-Orlando illegal defense, Koncak, Orlando coach Rollins, Mullin, Golden State coach Adelman, Golden State illegal defenses 2, Smith, Barry. Flagrant fouls-Wolf. A-15,025 (15,025).