Armstrong Has the Answers : Pro basketball: Every time the Clippers pose a fourth-quarter question, he hits to give the Bulls a 114-103 victory.

Told before the game they would shoot 50.6%, commit only 11 turnovers and turn Michael Jordan into part of the supporting cast, the Clippers would have had to like their chances against the Chicago Bulls.

But that still wasn’t enough. The Bulls, shot 58.1% and B.J. Armstrong scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to hold off the Clippers, 114-103, Friday night at Chicago Stadium.

The Clippers’ second loss in a row after six consecutive victories came despite a season-high 30 points by Ron Harper, who played 46 minutes on an ankle that was so sore he limped down the hotel hallway in the afternoon to get treatment.

Harper started at forward when Ken Norman missed his third consecutive game because of back spasms. Coach Larry Brown preferred to have Harper--rather than Danny Manning or Loy Vaught--guard Scottie Pippen. Doc Rivers started for the first time since Jan. 31.

The catch: He had to defend Jordan.

Rivers and the Clippers more than survived. Jordan, who came in averaging a league-leading 30.7 points, scored only 15 on five-of-17 shooting in 42 minutes. That led to another rarity--Jordan being outscored by two teammates.

Jordan left the locker room without answering questions after the game.

“I was extremely physical (when guarding him),” Rivers said. “You have to be on him.”

The Clippers didn’t get hurt by their small lineup. Pippen had 24 points, only three more than his average.

They did, however, get hurt by Armstrong, at his best down the stretch. The Bulls, who tied the year-old franchise record by winning their 61st game, had pulled to a 92-80 lead in the fourth quarter. That quickly became 99-83 when Armstrong hit a straight-away jump shot with three seconds left on the shot clock; connected from the left side; then made a three-pointer from the right side with one second left on the shot clock.

The Clippers scored the next four points, but Armstrong struck again with another three-pointer, from along the right baseline for a 102-87 lead with 5:38 remaining.

“They had other people step forward,” Brown said, discounting the notion that stopping Jordan means beating the Bulls. “I don’t think it matters. B.J. had the hot hand, and (John) Paxson had the hot hand (with 12 points). What does it matter who scores?”

Said Rivers: “B.J. was great, unfortunately. B.J. and Paxson--that’s why they won.”

It seemed to be a comfortable margin for the Bulls, but the Clippers didn’t disappear. They closed within eight points, the last time at 106-98 with three minutes to play. Chicago then scored on four consecutive possessions to secure the victory.

“The Clippers are a team with great hope and a good future,” Bull Coach Phil Jackson said. “They would not quit and kept coming back at us in the fourth quarter.”

Harper, who sprained the ankle the night before in the loss at Cleveland, played the entire second half and said he got better as the game went on because the joint loosened. That was evident in the fourth quarter, when, instead of wearing down because of major responsibilities at both ends of the floor, he scored 12 points.

“He’s had some great games for me,” Coach Larry Brown said. “Considering who he was playing against, this was the best.”

Said Harper, while soaking the ankle in ice after the game: “It bothered me. I was just going to go out and try to play tonight. It did get sore some, but I just tried to play through it.

“It’s sore, but the more I played on it, the more I felt really good.”

The Clippers are 1-2 on the trip, with back-to-back losses after an impressive showing at Detroit. Now, they have two good opportunities to finish their last extended journey on a positive note, with games at Milwaukee and Minnesota.

Clipper Notes

Danny Manning had 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers. . . . The Bulls shot 57.6% and 58.1% in the two games against the Clippers this season, a combined 92 of 159 for 57.9%.