Jordan Fakes It Easy : Clippers: Bulls’ star plays the role of decoy to perfection and Chicago wins, 105-97.

It should have been a coaches’ dream, Michael Jordan on simmer for an entire game, never reaching a boil beyond 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Instead, it was another nightmare for the Clippers, whose 105-97 loss to the Chicago Bulls Friday night at the Sports Arena seemed tolerable enough only because of an inconsequential rally at the end, not unlike the last time these teams met in January in Illinois.

One slight difference: Then, the Clippers were playing the final game of their most successful trip in years and had played the night before. Now, they have failed to score at least 100 points three consecutive games, those having been played over six nights.

“As a whole, we’re struggling,” said Gary Grant, who finished with 15 assists as the Clippers dropped to 5-6. “Everyone is trying to do too much, I guess. If one person gets going, that’s it. Another game, it’s another person. As soon as we hit a stride, that means a lot of guys will be doing it at the same time.”

So far, they aren’t. Charles Smith was the only Clipper starter to make more than 50% of his shots. His game-high 28 points came on 12-of-19 shooting.

The Chicago scoring star?

No, not Jordan. John Paxson made 12 of 16 and scored 26 points, one short of his career high. Before going against the Clipper guards, he had made 35 shots in 11 games.

Jordan went out for good with nine minutes to play, which is far longer than the Clippers hung around. Or most of the 15,350 from the Clippers’ first sellout of the season, too.

It was 93-69 then, not long after the Bulls’ high-water mark of a 27-point lead, 93-66, with 9:23 to play. Jordan took care of that with two free throws, but his scoring impact was minimal. His true impact, however, was in drawing a double team every time he got close to the basket, allowing Paxson and others to get open. They capitalized.

“I just moved the ball,” the world’s greatest decoy said. “I don’t need to go against two or three guys when a guy like Paxson keeps bombing them in.”

Said Schuler: “He didn’t have to put on his cape, open his jersey for us to see the S and say, ‘Come fly with us.’ ”

That was left for Paxson, who had 20 points in the first half, and Scottie Pippen, who recorded his second career triple-double with 13 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. Jordan went along for the ride this time, in the process tying his season-low for shot attempts (12) and points. Both were established against Golden State earlier on this trip.

So who might suffer as a result of Jordan saving so much energy?

The Bulls are at Denver tonight. The Nuggets are giving up 144.1 points per game.

“Everyone has been reminding me of it this whole road trip,” Jordan said, dismissing any notion that Wilt Chamberlain’s record 100-point game could be in jeopardy. “It’s been all about Denver. I hadn’t had time to even get it off my mind.”

He will after tonight, when the Bulls become someone else’s problem. The Clippers have to turn their attention elsewhere, too. Their offense seems like a pretty good place to start.

Clipper Notes

Encouraged by day-after reports on the severly sprained left ankle of Ken Norman, the Clippers will wait before deciding whether to put him on the injured list, which would mean at least five games on the sideline. Norman caught a pass near the basket Wednesday against New Jersey and landed awkwardly on the foot of defender Jack Haley. An examination showed that the swelling had gone down considerably, making it realistic, according to team physician Tony Daly, that the Clippers’ leading scorer could be back in a week. Original estimates were that Norman might miss as much as a month. “There’s been a lot of improvment,” said Norman, who watched the game from the bench in street clothes. “When I initially hurt it, it gave me tremendous pain. But now it’s a lot better. I can even put pressure on it.”

Danny Manning, sidelined because of tendinitis in his right knee, is eligible to come off the injured list for Sunday’s game against Orlando, but that is unlikely. “I would be surprised if he’s activated Sunday,” Coach Mike Schuler said. “He is just not ready to play.”

Indiana is considering a trade package that would send Vern Fleming to the Clippers in exchange for Gary Grant in a swap primarily of point guards, according to Pacer officials.