NBA Roundup : Jordan Recovers From an Elbow to the Mouth to Spark Bulls’ Win

Michael Jordan caught an elbow in the mouth in the first quarter Tuesday night at Chicago and caught fire in the fourth quarter to lead the Bulls to a 103-90 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Jordan needed several stitches to close a wound inside his mouth. Through three quarters, he had only 17 points and the crippled Bucks were hanging tough.

But Jordan scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, and Gene Banks came off the bench to score eight more to help the Bulls win easily.

“We are spoiled by Michael,” Coach Doug Collins told United Press International. “He’s the burst that ignites this team. When he doesn’t give us the burst, we usually don’t win.”

The Bucks, missing two of their best players, Paul Pressey and Sidney Moncrief, because of injuries, shot 38.8% from the field.

John Lucas, in his second game with the Bucks, couldn’t find the basket. He was 6 for 15 from the field and had 7 assists in 22 minutes.

“They gave me stitches and novocaine,” said Jordan, who was elbowed by the Bucks’ Paul Mokeski. “They told me it wouldn’t hurt, but I was a little tentative when I first went back into the game.”

Sacramento 123, Golden State 114--The Kings’ backcourt tore up the Warriors and led them to their third win in a row in this game at Sacramento.

Reggie Theus scored 31 points before fouling out with two minutes left, and Derek Smith had 23 points, including a rebound basket late in the game that ruined a Warrior rally.