NBA ROUNDUP : Less From Jordan Spells More for Bulls

Before the season began, Michael Jordan, who led the NBA in scoring the previous four seasons, gave his blessing to a change in the Chicago Bulls’ offensive system.

The idea was to get more of Jordan’s teammates involved in the point-making.

You could say that Jordan is scoring less but enjoying it more.

Jordan had a mere 27 points Tuesday night at Chicago when the Bulls set a regular-season, no-overtime team scoring record in a 155-127 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

The Bulls’ record is 156 points, but it took four overtimes in Portland to get that many.

It was the sixth consecutive victory for the Bulls, but it was a little different from their recent victories.

In the previous three, Jordan scored often in the first quarter, the Bulls took a big lead and the 6-foot-6 all-pro guard was allowed considerable rest.

The Suns, one of the better teams in the West, came out ready to run and played the Bulls on even terms in the first half.

The Suns led, 75-73, when Bill Cartwright and Horace Grant sparked a 9-0 Bull burst in two minutes shortly after intermission. The Bulls’ lead grew to 19 after three quarters and they went on to score their fourth victory in a row of by at least 24 points.

Grant had 25 points and 12 rebounds and Cartwright had 16 points in 25 minutes.

“I never shot this well,” said Jordan, who was 12 for 22 after going 39 for 52 in the three previous games. “Until this season I was too concerned about what kind of defense I was up against. Now, I come out firing and let the other team worry.”

Jordan had 21 points in the first half before turning the chores over to teammates. The Bulls had seven players in double figures, two with nine points and another with eight.

Orlando 113, New York 102--A coaching change isn’t necessarily the answer, the Knicks discovered.

In their first game under John MacLeod, who replaced young Stu Jackson, the Knicks hit bottom.

They were a 13-point favorite over the Magic, who had lost seven games in a row and all 10 road games this season.

After a tight first half, the Magic opened the second half with three-pointers by Scott Skiles and Dennis Scott to trigger an 11-0 spurt. The Knicks never got even again.

Philadelphia 109, Milwaukee 108--Charles Barkley made two free throws with no time showing in overtime at Philadelphia.

Barkley, who finished with 42 points, rallied the 76ers for a tie in regulation after they fell behind, 88-76, with 10 minutes to play. His driving layup with 10 seconds to play sent it into overtime.

The Bucks took a 108-103 lead with 2:42 left in overtime, but they never scored again. They still led, 108-107, when Jack Sikma was called for a charge with 17 seconds left.

The 76ers missed two shots, but Barkley grabbed the second rebound and was fouled by Sikma before the buzzer.

“It was a courageous call by (referee) Mike Costabile,” Barkley said. “I got fouled. Most officials wouldn’t make that call in that situation.”

Portland 98, Miami 95--With his running mate at guard, Clyde Drexler, in a shooting slump, Terry Porter has taken charge in the stretch for the Trail Blazers.

In the opener of a four-game trip east, the Blazers were tied with the Heat, 93-93, when Porter made a 20-foot jumper. After Grant Long made one out of two free throws, Porter was fouled and made two free throws to win it.

Portland improved the best record in the NBA to 15-1 with its fourth consecutive victory.

Drexler, the Blazers’ leading scorer, was only seven for 29 from the field in two previous games. He was six for 16 in this one.

“Terry just keeps stepping up and making key shots,” Portland Coach Rick Adelman said. “He’s a money player. That’s why I’m glad I get to coach him.”

Sacramento 103, Dallas 83--Antoine Carr came off the bench to score 31 points at Sacramento, and the Kings rolled to their second victory in 15 games, ending a six-game losing streak.

The Kings had lost 12 consecutive games at home, but their bench strength overcame the injury-riddled Mavericks. The Kings led by 11 at halftime.

Atlanta 113, Houston 110--Glenn Rivers scored 26 points, including a clinching 15-foot jumper with 18 seconds left, and the Hawks ended their nine-game losing streak.

The Hawks rallied after trailing by 13 points in the third quarter at Houston, closing the gap with a 21-10 run.

Sidney Moncrief’s three-pointer gave the Hawks the lead for the first time with five minutes left.

New Jersey 106, Seattle 102--With Dale Ellis still ailing, the SuperSonics are losing because their guards are being outplayed.

The Nets’ Reggie Theus scored 29 points at East Rutherford, N.J., and Net guard Mookie Blaylock had 16 points, 10 assists and a key block in the closing seconds to send the Sonics to their sixth consecutive defeat.

The Nets won for the fifth time in their last six games although they went 7:37 in the second quarter without making a field goal.

The Nets led during most of the game but blew all but one point of an 11-point lead before scoring the last three points.

“We are doing a better job of handling adversity than we did a year ago,” Coach Bill Fitch of the Nets said.

Cleveland 121, Denver 117--With the Cavaliers missing injured stars Mark Price and John Williams, they are a team the Nuggets can compete with.

Orlando Woolridge, the NBA scoring leader, had 12 of his 31 points in the first quarter to help the Nuggets take a 13-point halftime lead.

But the Cavaliers pulled within three with 12 minutes to play, and Gerald Paddio scored a point a minute in the last quarter to lead the winning drive.

Minnesota 83, Indiana 81--The Timberwolves’ Sam Mitchell made two free throws with 0.1 seconds to play at Minneapolis after Minnesota blew an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter.