Jordan Drives To Limit Scores 55 Points And Has Winning Assist In 113-111 Victory Over Knicks

Forget that stuff about Michael Jordan needing eight or nine games to be what he once was: The past is now.

In his fifth game back from retirement, Jordan scored 55 points Tuesday night in Chicago’s 113-111 victory, the highest point total in the NBA this season and the most against New York in the current Madison Square Garden, a place where Jordan has tortured the Knicks plenty of times in years past.

“I didn’t feel tense,” he said. “I felt very relaxed. A lot of times I come in here and wanted to do so well and got a little too enthusiastic. I came in and had low expectations and had a pretty good game.”

Pretty good?

By the end of three quarters, Jordan had 49 points, and only the Knicks’ desperation double-teaming in the fourth quarter kept him in check. And when the double-team prevented him from hitting the game-winner, as he did against Atlanta in his previous game, Jordan got the ball to Bill Wennington, who stuffed it in with 3.1 seconds left.

In an atmosphere as hyped as a playoff game, the two teams currently slotted to meet each other in the first round went down to the last seconds. Jordan scored his 54th and 55th points on a 12-footer with 25.8 seconds to play, giving the Bulls a 111-109 lead.

After John Starks tied the game with two free throws, Jordan, facing Starks and Ewing on a double-team, threaded a pass to Wennington under the basket. The dunk gave Chicago the lead with 3.1 seconds left.

“I’m a very aggressive guy,” Jordan said. “My first initiative is to score. I’d be lying if I said I came out to pass the ball - I came out to score. I was going to make them stop me from scoring, and they did.”

After a timeout, Starks fell down at midcourt after taking the inbounds pass with Jordan guarding him. He was called for a backcourt violation that cost the Knicks their last chance.

It was an unfortunate but fitting end of the game for Starks, who could only watch all night as Jordan hoisted perfect jumpers over his outstretched hands.

“I tried. I tried to throw everything I had at him,” Starks said. “It was a matter of time before he played one of those games like you just weren’t there.”

Three days after scoring 32 against the Hawks, Jordan really took off, hitting 21 of 37 field goals and 10 of 11 free throws in 39 minutes for the 34th 50-point game of his career. He started off hot and stayed that way until the fourth quarter, when he scored six points after starting the period 0 for 4.

“I guess it took four games,” said Jordan, averaging 30.8 points in his comeback. “I was a little nervous because I thought it would take a long” time to regain his form.

Despite Jordan’s 35-point, 14-for19 first half, the Bulls didn’t take their first lead of the second half until the 1:47 mark of the third quarter, when Jordan hit two free throws.

In the fourth quarter, Jordan’s supporting cast finally started supporting him, building a 99-90 lead after Steve Kerr, Scottie Pippen and B.J. Armstrong hit 3-pointers.

The Knicks came back to tie it on a fastbreak layup by Starks with 1:14 left.

Bulls 113, Knicks 111

CHICAGO (113)

Kukoc 1-6 0-0 3, Pippen 7-12 4-5 19, Perdue 3-4 0-0 6, Armstrong 4-5 6-7 16, Jordan 21-37 10-11 55, Blount 1-1 0-0 2, Myers 0-1 0-0 0, Krystkowiak 0-0 0-0 0, Longley 2-6 1-2 5, Kerr 2-5 0-0 5, Wennington 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 42-78 21-25 113.

NEW YORK (111)

Bonner 4-6 4-4 12, Oakley 4-5 0-0 8, Ewing 10-21 16-23 36, Harper 7-11 0-0 14, Starks 4-10 5-6 14, Smith 3-6 2-5 8, Mason 3-3 4-6 10, Davis 2-3 0-0 4, Anthony 1-2 0-0 3, H.Williams 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 39-71 31-44 111.

Chicago 31 19 32 31 - 113 New York 34 22 26 29 - 111

3-Point goals-Chicago 8-15 (Jordan 3-4, Armstrong 2-2, Kukoc 1-2, Kerr 1-3, Pippen 1-4), New York 2-11 (Anthony 1-1, Starks 1-7, Smith 0-1, Harper 0-2). Fouled out-Kukoc, Perdue, Longley. Rebounds-Chicago 41 (Kukoc, Pippen 9), New York 44 (Oakley 8). Assists-Chicago 13 (Pippen 8), New York 26 (Harper 7). Total fouls-Chicago 35, New York 25. Technicals-Oakley, Harper, New York illegal defense. A-19,763 (19,763).