Clippers Shut Off Jordan at 26 to Put a Stop to Bulls, 105-97

Air Jordan landed at the Sports Arena Wednesday night, surrounded by the usual commotion, with guns blazing at an average of 39.3 points in the last 3 outings, to be exact.

And then the Clippers grounded him. The same Michael Jordan who came in scoring 36.6 a game overall. The same Clippers who were the third-worst team in the league in points allowed, with an average of 115.9.

In silencing the big gun at 26 points, especially since 11 came at the free-throw line, the Clippers also dodged a bullet and held off the Chicago Bulls, 105-97, before a sellout crowd and a national television audience.

It was an Air defense any administration would be proud of, including Gene Shue’s.

“We did an excellent job on Jordan,” the Clipper coach said after his team improved to 5-6 overall and 4-0 at the Sports Arena, the first time they’ve had that kind of start at home since the 1985-86 season. “We were doubling (double-teaming) at the right time. We contained him all night. We just did a super job on him.”

Jordan, who also had 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 what-the-crowd-came-to-see dunk, agreed.

“I think they did a pretty good job,” he said. “We were surprised with their pressure and did not respond the way we should have because that was the first time in a while we had had that kind of intensity on us.

“It’s the first time a team has tried to take the ball out of my hands. It was a lot like Detroit (in the playoffs last season).”

Center Benoit Benjamin scored 15 of his team-high 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Clippers.

The game was tied, 72-72, after 3 quarters, but the Clippers took control from almost the start of the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run.

The Bulls, whose record fell to 6-5, pulled close at 99-95 with 55 seconds to play, but could get no closer as they were forced to foul.

The Clippers’ pregame plan to stop Jordan was hardly unique: Bend but don’t break. But it worked in the first half.

“You just hope he doesn’t kill you,” Shue said. “You hope he doesn’t get a lot of baskets and steals and fast breaks. You don’t want him in the open court because if he starts driving the lane, he gets fouled.

“He’s unique because he is a great 1-on-1 player and is also very good at beating the double team. He does that better than anyone I’ve ever seen. And he reads the double-team so well.”

Every Clipper guard had a chance at Jordan, starting with former Bull teammate Quintin Dailey. From there, the responsibility was handled mostly by a couple rookies, Gary Grant and Tom Garrick.

As was the case in last week’s win over Indiana, the Clippers’ rookie Killer Gs shifted the momentum with defense. Starting with Garrick’s steal of John Paxson’s pass in the opening seconds of the second quarter, the Clippers surged ahead after trailing by 7 early.

In one stretch, they outscored the Bulls, 10-0, and forced Chicago Coach Doug Collins to take 2 timeouts within a span of 1:04. The Clippers’ lead in the second quarter was 9 points before their advantage was cut to 49-48 in the third quarter.

Jordan scored 12 points in the first half, but made only 3 of 7 shots from the field against Clipper pressure. The league’s most valuable player last season finished 7 of 15, including a 3-pointer, but also had 6 turnovers.

“You’ve got to get up for Air Jordan,” said Dailey, who started in place of injured Reggie Williams at guard and finished with 18 points. “That man’s Air. Wooosh. In games like this, you have to rise to the occasion.”

Garrick did just that. He had 3 steals, the biggest coming with the Clippers holding a 38-32 advantage. While double-teaming Jordan with Grant, he stole the ball and got the layup at the other end, pushing the lead to 40-32 to cap the 10-0 run.

Error Jordan. And another feather in the cap of the second-round draft choice from Rhode Island.

“I looked forward to it,” Garrick said. “There aren’t too many people in the world who can say they played against Michael Jordan.”

There are even fewer who can say they played a big role in shutting him down.

Clipper Notes

Guard Reggie Williams, out after having his right eye scratched in the second quarter of Monday’s game at Utah, had the gauze bandage removed Wednesday morning but did not dress for the game. “It’s a little sore, so I’ve been taking drops,” said Williams, who said he expects to play Friday. “It (the soreness) should be gone by Monday.” This is the second time in as many seasons his right eye has been scratched, but Williams dismisses the obvious notion of trying goggles, having used them on a trial basis while at Georgetown. They lasted all of a couple of practices and 1 game before, bothered by slight fogging, he shelved the idea. “I think I shot 0 for 7, and I said, ‘Take these things off.’ ”

Clipper guard Quintin Dailey, who played for the Bulls during Michael Jordan’s first 2 seasons in the league, on their battles during scrimmages: “Those were highly intense practices. It seemed like sometimes it would just develop into a 1-on-1 game. He makes your level of play go up when you’re guarding him.” Dailey, the Clippers’ No. 1 scorer off the bench coming in at 10.1 points a game, was Jordan’s backup at Chicago. “Some of us got better,” Dailey said, laughing. “The only thing I had on him then was experience. Now . . . “

Forward Joe Wolf, eligible to come off the injured list Friday after 5 games out with a groin injury, caught the flu and probably will not return to the lineup until next Tuesday’s game at Sacramento. . . . Clippers Danny Manning and Charles Smith finished second and third, respectively, when National Basketball Assn. general managers were asked who they thought would be rookie of the year for 1988-89. Mitch Richmond of Golden State won the straw poll with 8 votes. Manning had 6 and Smith 3. The executives could not vote for their own players, and 6 chose not to participate. . . . The Clippers shot 49.5% from the field through their first 10 games, an improvement from the 44.3% of last season.

This game marked the second and final time the Clippers were scheduled to be on national television this season. The first was at the Hall of Fame game earlier this month.