NBA Roundup : 15,008 Fans Show Up in Miami to See Heat Lose to Jordan, Bulls, 112-108

With police checkpoints at all the corners outside, a SWAT team standing by in the parking lot, the Miami Heat re-opened for business, losing, 112-108, to the Chicago Bulls Thursday night.

The expansion National Basketball Assn. franchise was forced to cancel its game last Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns because of the riot in nearby Overtown.

Thursday night’s game--marking Michael Jordan’s only appearance of the season--was sold out just 18 minutes after seats were put on sale Oct. 20, but officials were concerned that the recent turmoil might affect the turnout.

“We just want to win and go on about our business,” Jordan said before the game. “I’m not too worried about who’s going to show up and who’s not going to show up.”

The fans apparently weren’t worried, either. The Heat said all 15,008 showed up to watch Jordan score 34 points as the Bulls held off a Miami rally to win their sixth straight game and ninth in the last 11.

Miami trailed, 94-72, but Rory Sparrow scored 11 points and Kelvin Upshaw 10 in the fourth quarter, and Rony Seikaly sank a 3-point goal with 35 seconds left to cut the margin to 110-108.

Chicago’s Craig Hodges made 2 free throws with 10 seconds left to assure the win.

“We got relaxed defensively in the fourth period,” Jordan said after the game. “Offensively, we didn’t execute, and they got back in the game. But we kept our poise and pulled it out.”

Said Sparrow, who scored 27 points: “It’s evident in all our games that we never give up. You’ve got to keep fighting and fighting to beat us.”

Miami, with the worst record in the NBA at 4-32, had rallied from a 29-point deficit to beat the Indiana Pacers in its previous game.

Seattle 124, Houston 108--Seattle outscored Houston, 70-49, in the middle two periods, and Xavier McDaniel scored 29 points to help the SuperSonics win their 14th consecutive game at home.

Houston led, 30-25, after one period, but Seattle made 28 of 40 shots (70%) in the second and third quarters and opened a 95-79 lead.

There were 5 lead changes in the second period before Dale Ellis’ jump shot put the Sonics ahead for good, 39-38, with 6:48 left. Ellis’ basket triggered a 22-12 run that gave Seattle a 59-50 halftime lead.

Seattle broke the game open with a 16-7 run in a 3-minute span of the third period that gave the Sonics a 77-60 lead.

Cleveland 113, Indiana 106--Mark Price scored 29 points, and Brad Daugherty added 25 at Indianapolis as the Cavaliers handed the Pacers their fourth straight loss.

Price made 12 of 16 shots, including 2 3-pointers, as the Cavaliers beat the Pacers for the fourth time in as many meetings this season.

Cleveland won its third straight game. Indiana (9-27) is 3-4 under new Coach Dick Versace.

Sacramento 112, New York 106--Kenny Smith, Rodney McCray and LaSalle Thompson combined for 66 points, and Harold Pressley and Thompson made key blocks to lead the Kings past the Knicks at Sacramento.

Smith scored 23 points, McCray 22 and Thompson 21. New York’s Patrick Ewing scored 12 of his season-high 38 points in the fourth period, and Gerald Wilkins had 23.

With the Kings leading, 110-104, Pressley blocked Rod Strickland’s layup with 30 seconds remaining, and Thompson rejected Kenny Walker’s layup 11 seconds later to help close out the win.

Phoenix 126, Charlotte 112--Jeff Hornacek scored a career-high 28 points, and Eddie Johnson had 8 during a 10-1 third-quarter run that helped lift the Suns to victory at Charlotte, N.C.

Trailing, 73-62, Charlotte’s Kelly Tripucka, who led the Hornets with 27 points, sparked a 12-2 spurt with a 3-point basket and a 3-point play.

But Phoenix took the lead, 82-81, later in the third quarter when Johnson scored 8 points in less than 3 minutes, helping the Suns build a 92-82 lead.

Washington 115, San Antonio 112--Jeff Malone scored 15 of his 29 points in the second halfm and Bernard King added 22 and had a key steal in the closing seconds at Landover, Md., as the Bullets handed the Spurs their seventh straight loss.

Trailing, 113-112, King made 2 free throws with 12 seconds remaining, then stole Darwin Cook’s pass to seal the victory.

Times staff writer Mark Heisler in Miami contributed to this story.