Pacers Slow Jordan, Upset Bulls

Coach Larry Bird saw his Indiana Pacers do the things he loved doing when he was an NBA star--play solid defense, make key contributions off the bench and rebound well.

It paid off in a 94-83 victory Friday night at Indianapolis over the struggling Chicago Bulls, despite a 26-point effort by Michael Jordan, who moved into fourth place on the NBA’s career scoring list. Jordan passed Elvin Hayes and finished the game with 27,332 points.

“We played Michael as well as you can play him. We kept a hand in his face and we helped when we had to,� said Bird, who witnessed many superb efforts by Jordan during his 13-year career with the Boston Celtics.

Reggie Miller scored 24 points, including two layups around Jordan during a decisive third-quarter run.

Cleveland 97, Charlotte 91--Wesley Person matched his career-high with 33 points at Charlotte, N.C., and the Cavaliers harassed the Hornets into a season-high 25 turnovers to halt their five-game winning streak.

Shawn Kemp had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who converted Charlotte’s miscues into 29 points on the way to winning their fourth consecutive game.

Person also had a strong night on defense. He spent much of his time guarding Glen Rice, who came in averaging 23 points, fifth-best in the NBA. Rice wound up with 14 points on three-for-11 shooting.

Phoenix 112, Boston 108--Rex Chapman scored five of his 24 points in overtime at Boston, giving the Suns their finest start in 15 years.

Jason Kidd had 10 assists for the Suns, who improved to 9-2--their best start since 1982-83 and the second-best start in franchise history.

Cliff Robinson, a last-minute addition to the starting lineup, had a season-high 26 points and blocked Antoine Walker’s three-point shot in the final minute.

Utah 111, Golden State 82--Karl Malone scored 21 points and Greg Foster had a season-high 18 as the Jazz routed the Warriors at Salt Lake City.

The Jazz led by 30 points in the first half on the way to their third consecutive victory, while the Warriors lost for the 12th time in their first 13 games.

Detroit 86, New York 78--Joe Dumars hit two key three-point shots in the fourth quarter and the Pistons overcame a 19-point deficit to defeat the Knicks at Auburn Hills, Mich.

Patrick Ewing, who frustrated Detroit through the early going, had 27 points for the Knicks, but none down the stretch after the Pistons put rookie Scot Pollard on him.

Dallas 93, Toronto 91--Dennis Scott scored 21 points at Dallas and Australian rookie Chris Anstey came off the bench to contribute six key fourth-quarter points as the Mavericks ended a 10-game losing streak and handed the Raptors their 12th consecutive loss.

Anstey, acquired in a draft-day trade, hit an 18-foot jumper from the right corner with 6:11 remaining to put the Mavericks ahead for good, 83-82.

Orlando 94, Milwaukee 90--Mark Price scored 22 points and Bo Outlaw led a strong fourth-quarter defensive effort that enabled the Magic to hold off the Bucks at Orlando, Fla.

Price made four free throws in the final 10 seconds and Outlaw blocked four shots in the final period.

Denver 95, Minnesota 84--Johnny Newman scored a season-high 31 points as the Nuggets ended the worst start in franchise history by defeating the Timberwolves at Denver.

Bobby Jackson scored 14 points and Dean Garrett had 10 points and 16 rebounds for the Nuggets, who had lost 12 in a row to open the season. The NBA record is 0-17 by the 1988-89 Miami Heat.

Houston 98, Portland 89--Eddie Johnson scored nine of his 21 points during one stretch in the fourth quarter to break open a close game and lead the Rockets over the Trail Blazers at Portland, Ore.

Houston, which has won four consecutive games, led, 81-80, when Johnson, 38, made four free throws, a 20-foot jumper and a three-point basket to put the Rockets ahead, 90-83, with 4:30 left.

Seattle 113, Sacramento 96--Vin Baker scored 21 points and Gary Payton had 15 points and 14 assists as the SuperSonics won their sixth consecutive game, a romp over the Kings at at Seattle.

Detlef Schrempf had 18 points and Dale Ellis came off the bench and matched his season-high with 16 points.

Mitch Richmond led the Kings with 21 points and rookie Lawrence Funderburke had 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.