NBA Roundup : Rested Jordan, Bulls Beat Bucks

Don Nelson of the Milwaukee Bucks, considered one of the the National Basketball Assn.’s best coaches, planned to slow down Michael Jordan Saturday at Chicago.

Nelson wanted the Chicago Bulls’ star to handle the ball on offense and work hard on defense. Nelson hoped to wear out Jordan, the league’s top scorer, and end the Bulls’ winning streak.

Nelson’s plan went awry as Jordan scored 17 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, and the Bulls came from behind to beat the Bucks, 107-104, for their fourth win in a row.

Three things upset Nelson’s strategy. First, when the 6-foot 6-inch guard went out for a rest in the second quarter, his teammates, especially Charles Oakley and Sedale Threatt, played so well that Coach Doug Collins was able to keep Jordan out for almost seven minutes.

Then, when Jordan did re-enter the game, he picked up two fouls in two minutes and sat out the rest of the first half.

And, finally, Collins took advantage of the Bucks’ strategy by having Jordan play a give-and-go game with center Dave Corzine. Jordan wound up with the points and Corzine with seven assists.

“I was well-rested and conserved some energy going into the fourth quarter, so I had nothing to hold back,” Jordan told United Press International. “That helped my motivation. I was really pumped up.”

The Bucks, who have won 8 of their last 10 games, built a 90-84 lead early in the last quarter. But Jordan scored seven points in an 11-2 surge, then shortly thereafter scored five more in a 7-0 run and the Bulls improved their record to 29-25.

A year ago, with Jordan still sidelined because of a broken foot, the Bulls were 17-37.

Despite his totals, Jordan wasn’t impressed with his performance. “I was not sharp from the field,” he said after going 11 for 28. “It didn’t hurt us too much because we were getting offensive rebounds.”

San Antonio 123, Dallas 98--David Greenwood, who had scored two points in each of the Spurs’ two previous games, emerged from his slump to lead the team to a surprisingly easy win at San Antonio.

Greenwood, making 11 of his 15 shots, scored 25 points, had a game-high 12 assists and also had 8 assists.

Atlanta 123, Portland 102--When center Steve Johnson left early in the second quarter at Atlanta, the weary Trail Blazers, already trailing, lost all hope.

Playing their fourth game in five nights on the road, the Trail Blazers couldn’t cope with Kevin Willis or Dominique Wilkins.

Willis had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Wilkins had 25 points.

Washington 137, New York 117--Terry Catledge scored 14 of his 24 points in the third quarter at Landover, Md., to help the Bullets break open a tight game.

The Bullets, in winning their sixth game in a row at home, shot 63% from the field, with Catledge making 9 of his 11 attempts. The Knicks have lost 4 in a row and 9 of their last 10 games.

Moses Malone rejoined the Bullets after missing a game with a sprained ankle. Manute Bol, who had replaced him, played 20 minutes and blocked 9 shots, giving him 24 blocks in his last 67 minutes of action.

Cleveland 119, Denver 117--Ron Harper scored 36 points before fouling out and led a fourth-quarter rally at Denver that led the Cavaliers to victory.

Craig Ehlo, who replaced Harper, made two steals in the last 30 seconds to help the Cavaliers end their 11-game road losing streak.

The Nuggets, who led by 15 in the third quarter, held a 96-90 lead going into the fourth quarter. They still had a chance to tie, but Bill Hanzlik’s short jumper bounced off the rim at the final buzzer.

Seattle 112, Phoenix 105--Dale Ellis scored 40 points at Phoenix to tie his career record and spoil the debut of Sun Coach Dick Van Arsdale.

Walter Davis led the Suns with 35 points, but Larry Nance had only 11.