NBA : Pippen, Bulls Deck the Celtics

Scottie Pippen scored 27 points to go over the 5,000 mark for his career and lead the Chicago Bulls to a 121-99 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

It was Chicago’s third consecutive victory and 20th in its last 22 games. The Bulls extended their unbeaten streak against Eastern Conference opponents to 9-0, while Boston’s road record slipped to 5-7.

“There are going to be be nights when other people are going to step up and take over,” said Pippen, who has 5,024 points in four-plus pro seasons. “Tonight I had a lot of opportunities to take advantage of and score.”

Michael Jordan was held to 14, 15 under his league-leading average. B.J. Armstrong had 18 points for Chicago.

Rick Fox topped Boston with 21 points. Reggie Lewis added 20, but Larry Bird had only eight points, 14 below his season average.

The Bulls were ahead at halftime, 55-46, after leading by as many as 10 points in the first 24 minutes. Stacey King opened the second half with two baskets, a steal and an assist in a span of three minutes to spark a 10-4 run that put Chicago in front, 65-50.

The Bulls gradually increased their lead to 22 points in the third quarter, which ended with Chicago ahead, 92-72.

In the final quarter, Craig Hodges made the Bulls’ first three-point shot of the game, then sank another long shot to put Chicago in front, 102-73. Another three-point basket by Hodges put the Bulls ahead, 114-82, and both teams went with their reserves the rest of the way.

“We were just outplayed in every aspect,” Boston Coach Chris Ford said. “They were the aggressors and we just stood around and watched.”