Bulls Set Record With 50th Win

NBA

They reached 50 victories faster than any team in NBA history, but the Chicago Bulls are far from where they want to be.

“We’re just motoring along,” Michael Jordan said Tuesday night after he bailed out the lackluster Bulls in the fourth quarter as they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-99 at Chicago.

“We’re playing ugly basketball and we’re winning. I think we have to put some touches on our game a little.”

The Bulls (50-6) reached 50 victories in 56 games, one better than the 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers, who started 50-7 en route to a 65-17 season and an NBA title.

Jordan had 35 points, including 11 each in the third and fourth quarters, as the Bulls finally put the Timberwolves away with a late spurt.

“I was waiting and trying to feel the flow of the game. I was just trying to see who would be in a certain rhythm tonight and then try to assert myself whenever I thought I needed,” Jordan said.

“I really got going toward the end of third and in the fourth, and we really needed it at that time.”

The Bulls led 82-76 after three before former Chicago prep star Kevin Garnett, who scored a career-high 20 points, hit two baskets in the final period to bring Minnesota within a basket.

“It happens like that,” said Garnett, who was 10 of 16 from the field. “We knew they were going to make a run. We just didn’t know when.”

Dennis Rodman finished with a season-high 24 rebounds for the Bulls.

Bulls 120, Timberwolves 99

Minnesota (99) - Garnett 10-16 0-2 20, Gugliotta 2-14 3-4 7, Lang 5-10 4-4 14, Rider 9-17 2-2 20, Martin 1-2 0-0 2, Porter 5-10 2-2 16, Mitchell 3-5 4-6 10, West 1-3 0-0 2, Webb 2-4 0-0 4, Bragg 1-1 0-0 2, Davis 1-1 0-0 2, Riley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 40-83 15-20 99.

Chicago (120) - Pippen 5-17 5-6 16, Rodman 4-10 0-1 8, Longley 8-12 0-0 16, Harper 0-5 0-0 0, Jordan 11-24 11-12 35, Kukoc 8-11 5-5 23, Kerr 3-3 6-6 13, Buechler 1-1 0-0 3, Wennington 0-1 0-0 0, Brown 2-5 0-0 4, Caffey 1-3 0-0 2, Simpkins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 43-92 27-30 120.

Minnesota 25 30 21 23 - 99

Chicago 29 29 24 38 - 120

3-Point goals-Min 4-12 (Porter 4-8, Rider 0-2, Webb 0-2), Chi 7-20 (Jordan 2-3, Kukoc 2-4, Pippen 1-10, Kerr 1-1, Buechler 1-1, Harper 0-1). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Min 47 (Gugliotta 10), Chi 53 (Rodman 24). Assists-Min 24 (Porter 9), Chi 28 (Jordan 7). Total fouls-Min 24, Chi 14. Technical- Rider. A-23,716 (21,771).

Hornets 88, Bucks 84

Milwaukee

Charlotte overcame a six-point second period and beat Milwaukee with the help of a shot tipped into the wrong basket by Glenn Robinson of the Bucks.

The Hornets scored just six points in the second period, a record low for the franchise and one above the NBA record for the lowest-scoring second quarter.

Charlotte (88) - Johnson 7-10 2-5 16, Rice 9-20 2-2 23, Geiger 2-7 1-2 5, Anderson 9-17 1-2 22, Curry 5-14 1-2 11, Hancock 0-1 0-0 0, Goldwire 0-2 0-0 0, Myers 3-7 0-0 6, Zidek 0-0 0-0 0, Parish 2-5 1-2 5. Totals 37-83 8-15 88.

Milwaukee (84) - Baker 7-15 0-0 15, Robinson 4-13 0-0 9, Benjamin 3-9 1-2 7, Douglas 5-12 0-0 11, Newman 11-18 3-3 27, Keys 0-1 0-0 0, Mayberry 0-3 0-0 0, Cummings 2-6 0-0 4, Conlon 0-1 0-0 0, Respert 4-6 0-0 11. Totals 36-85 4-5 84.

Charlotte 24 6 32 26 - 88

Milwaukee 26 20 10 28 - 84

3-Point goals-Cha 6-19 (Rice 3-6, Anderson 3-7, Goldwire 0-1, Myers 0-1, Curry 0-4), Mil 8-18 (Respert 3-5, Newman 2-4, Baker 1-1, Douglas 1-2, Robinson 1-3, Keys 0-1, Mayberry 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Cha 60 (Johnson 12), Mil 43 (Benjamin 11). Assists-Cha 18 (Anderson 6), Mil 26 (Douglas 10). Total fouls-Cha 11, Mil 16. A-13,298 (18,633).

Rockets 105, Raptors 100

Houston

Hakeem Olajuwon scored 35 points, including 15 in the final 6-1/2 minutes, to lead Houston over Toronto.

Toronto (100) - Murray 10-17 1-1 22, Miller 5-14 2-5 12, Tabak 4-14 2-3 10, Stoudamire 7-19 0-0 17, Robertson 3-5 0-0 6, Wright 6-10 3-4 15, Christie 5-7 0-0 11, Whitfield 0-0 0-0 0, Rogers 2-3 0-0 4, King 1-2 1-1 3. Totals 43-91 9-14 100.

Houston (105) - Horry 4-9 1-1 10, Brown 4-5 0-0 8, Olajuwon 12-21 11-16 35, Mack 4-7 3-5 11, Recasner 1-6 1-2 4, Bryant 6-8 4-6 16, Cassell 0-5 0-0 0, Smith 8-13 1-4 21. Totals 39-74 21-34 105.

Toronto 28 25 21 26 - 100

Houston 25 31 22 27 - 105

3-Point goals-Tor 5-15 (Stoudamire 3-7, Christie 1-1, Murray 1-4, Miller 0-1, Wright 0-1, Robertson 0-1), Hou 6-26 (Smith 4-9, Recasner 1-5, Horry 1-6, Mack 0-3, Cassell 0-3). Fouled out-Wright. Rebounds-Tor 44 (Tabak 10), Hou 57 (Olajuwon 15). Assists-Tor 29 (Stoudamire 19), Hou 27 (Horry, Smith 8). Total fouls-Tor 28, Hou 14. Technical- Wright. A-16,285 (16,285).

76ers 121, Mavericks 115

Dallas

Clarence Weatherspoon scored a season-high 27 points, Vernon Maxwell had 25 and Trevor Ruffin 21 as Philadelphia snapped a seven-game losing streak.

Philadelphia (121) - Massenburg 5-8 8-8 18, Weatherspoon 12-23 3-6 27, Pinckney 2-3 3-4 7, Maxwell 8-12 5-6 25, Stackhouse 2-13 1-2 6, Higgins 5-8 0-0 14, Ruffin 8-14 1-3 21, Alston 1-5 1-2 3. Totals 43-86 22-31 121.

Dallas (115) - McCloud 10-22 2-4 30, Meyer 3-6 0-0 6, Williams 0-2 0-0 0, Kidd 6-23 3-4 18, Jackson 6-16 6-6 19, Davis 2-4 0-0 4, Brooks 4-7 4-4 13, Dumas 5-13 7-8 18, Wood 3-5 0-0 7. Totals 39-98 22-26 115.

Philadelphia 31 27 31 32 - 121

Dallas 19 28 31 37 - 115

3-Point goals-Phi 13-22 (Maxwell 4-4, Higgins 4-7, Ruffin 4-7, Stackhouse 1-4), Dal 15-40 (McCloud 8-16, Kidd 3-11, Brooks 1-2, Wood 1-2, Jackson 1-4, Dumas 1-5). Fouled out-Williams. Rebounds-Phi 62 (Weatherspoon 12), Dal 53 (McCloud 12). Assists-Phi 21 (Ruffin 7), Dal 20 (Kidd 6). Total fouls-Phi 23, Dal 22. Technicals-Higgins, Dal Coach Motta, McCloud. A-14,811 (17,502).

Heat 93, Nets 90

East Rutherford, N.J.

Miami won its fourth straight game in beating New Jersey in a game that ended with Shawn Bradley shoving Alonzo Mourning to the floor.

Bradley got the best of Mourning on the court, outscoring him 23-11. The Bradley-Mourning battle was prominent throughout the game. Bradley left in the third quarter to get five stitches after Mourning dunked over him, and the two centers were called for a double foul for shoving each other with 1:15 to go.

Miami (93) - Thomas 2-4 2-2 6, W.Williams 9-14 0-0 21, Mourning 4-7 3-6 11, Chapman 5-10 1-2 13, Hardaway 5-13 5-6 16, Gatling 4-7 0-0 8, Corbin 1-3 0-0 2, Askins 3-3 2-2 9, Smith 2-4 1-2 5, Schayes 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 36-68 14-20 93.

New Jersey (90) - Brown 9-15 3-3 21, Gilliam 6-21 4-6 16, Bradley 9-18 5-7 23, O’Bannon 0-3 0-0 0, Childs 2-10 8-9 13, J.Williams 2-6 0-0 4, Fleming 5-10 2-2 12, Dare 0-2 0-0 0, Reeves 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 33-86 23-29 90.

Miami 22 21 29 21 - 93

New Jersey 26 24 23 17 - 90

3-Point goals-Mia 7-17 (W.Williams 3-6, Chapman 2-6, Askins 1-1, Hardaway 1-4), NJ 1-6 (Childs 1-4, O’Bannon 0-1, Reeves 0-1). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Mia 40 (Gatling 8), NJ 57 (Brown 11). Assists-Mia 26 (Hardaway, Mourning 6), NJ 26 (Childs 11). Total fouls-Mia 27, NJ 25. Technical-Mia illegal defense. A-15,241 (20,029).

Pacers 101, Trail Blazers 87

Indianapolis

Rik Smits scored 16 points in an opening quarter in which Indiana opened a 22-point lead and Mark Jackson had a season-high 15 assists in defeating slumping Portland.

Portland (87) - Grant 2-5 0-4 4, C.Robinson 5-13 2-4 13, Dudley 3-7 0-2 6, McKie 7-14 6-6 22, R.Robinson 3-11 1-3 7, J.Robinson 1-8 4-4 6, Sabonis 5-9 2-3 13, Trent 2-4 1-2 5, Williams 1-4 3-5 5. Totals 32-80 19-33 87.

Indiana (101) - McKey 4-6 2-2 10, D.Davis 2-7 0-0 4, Smits 12-19 3-6 27, Miller 5-7 1-3 12, Jackson 2-5 2-2 6, Johnson 1-5 2-2 4, Pierce 3-8 1-1 7, A.Davis 3-3 3-4 9, Best 1-4 2-2 4, Schintzius 5-6 0-0 10, Workman 1-2 2-2 4, Caldwell 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 41-74 18-24 101.

Portland 16 22 19 30 - 87

Indiana 36 26 17 22 - 101

3-Point goals-Por 4-22 (McKie 2-5, Sabonis 1-1, C.Robinson 1-5, Grant 0-1, Dudley 0-1, R.Robinson 0-3, J.Robinson 0-6), Ind 1-7 (Miller 1-2, Jackson 0-1, Johnson 0-1, Workman 0-1, Pierce 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Por 46 (Dudley 9), Ind 55 (D.Davis 8). Assists- Por 16 (R.Robinson 8), Ind 31 (Jackson 15). Total fouls-Por 23, Ind 28. Technicals-Dudley, Ind illegal defense. A-15,602 (16,530).

Cavaliers 92, Warriors 80

Cleveland

Danny Ferry scored 24 points as Cleveland beat Golden State for its 10th win in the last 12 games.

Cleveland’s top-ranked defense limited the Warriors to their lowest output of the season. Offensively, the Cavs made eight 3-pointers, tying their team record for 3s in a season with 398 - with 28 games still to play.

Golden State (80) - Kersey 4-6 0-0 8, Smith 4-8 1-2 9, Seikaly 2-4 4-6 8, Sprewell 7-12 5-5 20, Armstrong 2-6 4-6 8, Mullin 7-9 3-4 18, Coles 0-4 0-0 0, Rozier 1-1 1-4 3, Barry 0-2 0-0 0, Willis 3-6 0-0 6, Donyell Marshall 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-59 18-27 80.

Cleveland (92) - Mills 3-8 2-3 9, Ferry 10-15 1-1 24, Cage 4-9 1-2 9, Phills 4-11 0-0 8, Brandon 6-14 0-0 15, Majerle 4-9 6-6 15, Hill 2-5 0-0 4, Crotty 0-1 2-2 2, Sura 3-5 0-0 6. Totals 36-77 12-14 92.

Golden State 18 20 21 21 - 80

Cleveland 23 29 18 22 - 92

3-Point goals-GS 2-9 (Mullin 1-1, Sprewell 1-3, Armstrong 0-1, Coles 0-2, Barry 0-2), Cle 8-19 (Brandon 3-5, Ferry 3-6, Mills 1-2, Majerle 1-4, Phills 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-GS 42 (Armstrong 7), Cle 39 (Cage 14). Assists-GS 22 (Sprewell 7), Cle 22 (Phills 6). Total fouls- GS 18, Cle 23. Technicals-GS illegal defense 2. Flagrant foul-Cage. A-15,546 (20,562).

Nuggets 96, Bullets 92

Denver

Antonio McDyess had 19 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots and Doug Overton and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf made critical free throws in the waning seconds as Denver beat Washington.

Denver built a 16-point lead midway through the third period, but watched it shrink to two in the game’s final minute.

Washington (92) - Howard 11-23 5-9 27, Wallace 4-16 2-4 10, Muresan 5-8 0-0 10, B.Price 3-8 2-2 9, Cheaney 4-12 1-1 9, McIlvaine 0-0 1-2 1, McCann 0-2 0-0 0, Legler 4-9 1-1 12, Butler 0-2 0-0 0, Eackles 4-10 5-5 14, Pritchard 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-90 17-24 92.

Denver (96) - D.Ellis 1-6 0-0 2, McDyess 6-10 7-8 19, Mutombo 4-7 3-4 11, Abdul-Rauf 6-15 5-5 17, Stith 2-7 6-6 10, L.Ellis 4-11 2-4 10, Rose 5-7 3-7 13, MacLean 1-3 0-0 2, Hammonds 2-3 2-3 6, Williams 1-3 0-0 2, Overton 1-3 2-2 4. Totals 33-75 30-39 96.

Washington 18 18 24 32 - 92

Denver 19 28 23 26 - 96

3-Point goals-Was 5-10 (Legler 3-5, Eackles 1-1, B.Price 1-3, Wallace 0-1), Den 0-6 (D.Ellis 0-1, Rauf 0-1, L.Ellis 0-1, MacLean 0-1, Stith 0-2). Fouled out-B.Price. Rebounds- Was 58 (Howard 13), Den 55 (McDyess 9). Assists-Was 23 (Howard 7), Den 18 (Abdul-Rauf, Stith 4). Total fouls-Was 30, Den 24. Technicals-Den illegal defense. A-15,286 (17,171).

Clippers 95, Spurs 90

Anaheim, Calif.

Brian Williams scored 22 points, hitting six free throws in the final 25.2 seconds, as Los Angeles won for only the second time in 15 games.

Los Angeles snapped a four-game losing skid and a 10-game loss streak against the Spurs. The Clippers also improved to 3-3 this season at the Anaheim Arena.

San Antonio (90) - Elliott 2-12 3-6 9, Smith 7-11 1-2 15, Robinson 8-17 12-14 28, Johnson 6-8 0-2 13, Del Negro 6-9 1-2 14, Person 2-8 1-2 6, Rivers 2-6 1-2 5, Perdue 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 33-73 19-30 90.

L.A. Clippers (95) - Vaught 5-15 1-2 11, Rogers 6-10 2-4 16, Williams 7-13 8-8 22, Richardson 4-15 0-0 9, Barry 4-12 2-2 12, Outlaw 2-4 2-2 6, Dehere 4-6 4-7 13, Roberts 2-5 2-5 6, Murray 0-3 0-0 0, Piatkowski 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 34-83 21-30 95.

San Antonio 26 18 27 19 - 90

L.A. Clippers 25 24 21 25 - 95

3-Point goals-SA 5-13 (Elliott 2-5, Johnson 1-1, Del Negro 1-2, Person 1-4, Rivers 0-1), LA 6-16 (Rogers 2-2, Barry 2-7, Dehere 1-2, Richardson 1-5). Fouled out-Vaught. Rebounds-SA 48 (Smith 12), LA 51 (Vaught 14). Assists- SA 17 (Johnson 9), LA 15 (Richardson 6). Total fouls-SA 22, LA 27. Technicals-SA coach Hill 2, LA coach Fitch, SA illegal defense. Ejection-SA coach Hill. A14,555 (16,021).

Around the league Shawn Kemp, who led the SuperSonics to a 4-0 record last week with a 22.5 scoring average, was selected NBA player of the week.