Worthy Gets 24 Points; Lakers Hold Off Bulls, 109-99

James Worthy scored a game-high 24 points Friday night to lift the Lakers to a 109-99 exhibition victory over the Chicago Bulls.

The Lakers, 3-0 in exhibition play, capitalized on nine Bull turnovers in the third quarter to take an 83-77 lead going into the final period.

With Los Angeles ahead, 94-83, with 6:52 remaining, the Bulls rallied, outscoring the Lakers, 10-2. Rookie Brad Sellers and Earl Cureton each got a pair of baskets during the outburst that trimmed the Chicago deficit to three points at 96-93.

But the Lakers scored the next 10 points to put the game out of reach with 2:37 left.

The Bulls, 1-3 in exhibition play, were led by Michael Jordan, who had 20 points, and Dave Corzine, who had 16.

The Lakers raced to a 28-21 first-quarter lead, but the Bulls--paced by Jordan’s 10 points and Corzine’s 8 in the second quarter--went ahead, 53-50, at halftime.

The Lakers will play the Bulls again tonight in an exhibition game at Chapel Hill, N.C.