NBA Roundup : Jordan Puts on a Show (59 Points)

Michael Jordan, before a national television audience and 23,712 fans at the Silverdome, made a strong pitch Sunday for recognition as the best basketball player in the world.

The two free throws the all-purpose 6-6 guard made with four seconds remaining to give the Chicago Bulls a 112-110 victory over the slumping Detroit Pistons put the finishing touches to a fabulous performance.

Largely on the strength of 21 for 27 from the field, Jordan scored 59 points, most in the National Basketball Assn. this season, and contributed 6 assists. By missing easy shots, his teammates kept his assist total down.

And then, there was his defense. Jordan has maintained that his defensive skills have been largely overlooked. In the last minute, as the Pistons kept trying to get a winning basket, Jordan made two good defensive plays.

First, he came flying out of nowhere to swat away a short jumper by Isiah Thomas. Then, with four seconds left, he teamed with Brad Sellers to get a steal. As he took off for what would have been his second dunk of the game, Bill Laimbeer fouled him, so Jordan had to win it at the line.

The Pistons’ fourth loss in a row cut their lead to a single game over Atlanta in the Central Division race. The Bulls, who completed a tough trip with three wins in four games, aren’t out of it. They are 3 1/2 behind with 10 to play.

Jordan’s performance strengthened his bid for most-valuable-player honors. Long ago, he clinched his second consecutive scoring title. His averages have been the two highest since 1975.

The big difference between Jordan and his MVP rivals, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, is that Jordan excels on defense. Johnson and Bird are not assigned to guard the opponent’s best scoring threat. Jordan often is.

For instance, Sunday when Adrian Dantley was hot at the start, the Bulls put Jordan on him and Dantley turned cold. At the finish, they put Jordan on Thomas, knowing the Pistons wanted Thomas to handle the ball in the clutch. It may be a mistake for the Pistons to rely too much on their brilliant guard. He was not too sharp in the do-or-die situations in the playoffs last spring, and he didn’t come through in this one, either.

Jordan, who leads the NBA in steals with a 3.15 average, would rather talk about his defense than his sensational shooting.

“It shows the versatility of a player to play both ends of the court,” he said. “I’ve been taught defense. I like to play defense.”

Often, he has to carry the offensive load. He helped the Bulls build a 107-100 lead with 5:37 left after trailing most of the game. At this point, Jordan’s teammates deserted him on offense.

With the Pistons double-teaming him, Jordan was finding Sam Vincent and Charles Oakley for open shots. They kept missing and the Pistons not only caught up, they forged ahead.

The Bulls scored only five points in the last 5:37, all on free throws by Jordan. His one miss down the stretch with the score tied enabled the Pistons to run the clock down looking for that last shot they never found.

Atlanta 102, Indiana 100--With the Pistons faltering, the Hawks are coming on strong. In this game at Indianapolis, Cliff Levingston stripped the ball from Chuck Person and fired it to Dominique Wilkins for a game-winning layup with 49 seconds remaining.

It was the fifth win in a row, three of them on the road, for the surging Hawks. Wilkins, although he made only 13 of 30 field-goal attempts, had 35 points.

The Pacers have lost 4 in a row and 16 of their last 21. Suddenly, they are in danger of not making the playoffs.

Person, who made 11 points in the fourth quarter, tied the game, 100-100, on a three-point shot with 1:50 left.

Boston 110, Dallas 101--Coach John MacLeod didn’t plan it that way, but his slumping Mavericks left Larry Bird alone from long range in Boston.

Bird sent the Mavericks to their fourth consecutive defeat and just missed tying Rick Barry’s NBA record for three-pointers. Bird made 7 of 11 from long range. Barry had eight.

The loss gave the Mavericks a lifetime 0-8 record at Boston and cut their lead over Denver in the Midwest Division to just half a game.

Washington 105, New Jersey 103--Moses Malone is ready for the stretch drive. The big veteran center scored 15 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter at East Rutherford, N.J. to bring the Bullets from behind.

It was the fourth win in the last five games for the Bullets and Malone has been a factor in each victory.

The Bullets (32-39) moved into a tie with Philadelphia for the final playoff spot in the East.

The Nets led by six points going into the last quarter.

Portland 110, San Antonio 107--Kevin Duckworth scored 24 points, including two key baskets in the closing minutes that carried the Trail Blazers to victory at Portland.