Bulls Come From 31 Points Down, Then Streak Ends

Not even Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls could escape this one.

But the NBA’s mightiest team--down by 31 points in the second quarter--came tantalizingly close before losing, 105-99, Sunday night to the Denver Nuggets, ending Chicago’s franchise-record 18-game winning streak.

“We know what losing is. We just don’t want to experience it that much,” said Jordan of the 41-4 Bulls. “You experience it and you go on from there.”

The Bulls surged from a 25-point halftime deficit to pull ahead in the fourth quarter.

And, of course, Jordan was the man, scoring 22 points in the third period and 39 for the game. But the Nuggets didn’t wilt, and the Bulls, who entered the night with the best start in NBA history, lost for the first time in more than a month.

“We made it an entertaining game,” Chicago Coach Phil Jackson said. “We exerted too much energy coming back. It showed from the four-minute mark of the fourth period to the end.”

The loss was the first for Chicago since a 103-97 defeat at Indiana on Dec. 26, and it also snapped the Bulls’ team-record nine-game road winning streak.

Denver is the first sub-.500 team to beat the Bulls this season. Chicago’s other losses, all on the road, were to Indiana, Orlando and Seattle.

“We know this team’s capable,” Jackson said of Denver. “We’ve lost here before and I’m sure we’ll lose here again.”

The Nuggets led, 66-35, with 3:05 left in the second quarter and, 68-43, at halftime, but Jordan made eight of 10 shots in the third period as the Bulls pulled ahead, 87-84, with 10:47 remaining.

“I thought Michael did some unbelievable things in the third quarter,” Denver Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. “But I was most proud of the way our guys didn’t fold after they made that run.”

Scottie Pippen’s three-point play after an open-court spin move with 11:27 left in the game completed a 23-2 run and gave the Bulls their first lead, 85-84, since 2-0.

James Edwards put Chicago up by three before the Nuggets countered with a 15-5 run to lead, 99-92, with 4:33 left.

Jordan made his fourth three-pointer of the game with 2:30 left and his two free throws 41 seconds later drew Chicago to 101-99. But the Nuggets scored the final four points to win their 800th NBA game.

“I’m very excited that we ended their winning streak,” said Dikembe Mutombo. “We came out with no fears and I knew it was going to be hard for us. So what, one of the greatest teams could beat us. We have nothing to lose.”

Mutombo had 10 points and outrebounded Chicago’s Dennis Rodman, 17-12, but Rodman was not about to praise the Nuggets.

“I expected us to lose sometime, but I feel bad because we played bad,” he said. “That team [Denver] is not that good. I’m not going to give that team any credit at all.”

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf finished with 32 points, 23 in the first half, to lead five Denver players in double figures. Only two Bulls other than Jordan--Pippen and Bill Wennington--scored more than 10 points.

Denver’s 68 points in first half was a season-best and the most given up by the Bulls this year. Denver also shot 53% for the game, only the second team in 27 games to shoot better than 50% against the Bulls.