A Quiet, Winning Night for Jordan and Rodman

Michael Jordan scored 29 points Saturday night and quietly slipped past Jerry West into ninth place on the NBA’s scoring list.

Nothing unusual about that. Jordan is going to pass some more people before he retires.

Dennis Rodman quietly grabbed 23 rebounds to lead the Bulls in an 87-82 victory over Charlotte in Chicago.

Now, that was something of an upset.

Rodman walked into the locker room at 6:20 p.m.--late, as usual, for Coach Phil Jackson’s mandated 6 p.m. time to report--strolled onto the court to a standing ovation after sitting out two games because of a suspension, did his job and left the building, without comment.

“Dennis played extremely well,” Jordan said. “And there were some times he could have gone off the deep end but he held his composure.”

The Bulls won both games Rodman missed, but they had shot about 50% in each.

Tony Kukoc made a three-point basket with 1:52 to play on Saturday to break a 78-78 tie and give Chicago the victory, even though the Bulls shot only 36%.

Asked if Chicago would have won without Rodman, Jackson said, “I don’t see how. He got nine offensive rebounds and we needed every chance we could get out there.”

He had 11 rebounds in the third quarter, when the Bulls shot 26% but kept a 59-58 lead.

Rodman, the NBA’s top rebounder for five successive seasons, was suspended by the Bulls for his profanity-laced diatribe against the league and its officials after last Sunday’s loss at Toronto.

Matt Geiger kept Charlotte in the game, scoring 18 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. Glen Rice had 25 points and Anthony Mason added 15 rebounds for the Hornets, whose four-game winning streak was snapped.

Utah 101, Orlando 68--Greg Ostertag scored 16 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked five shots for the Jazz, which handed Orlando--playing without Penny Hardaway--its worst loss of the season.

John Stockton scored 16 points in only 25 minutes and Antoine Carr and Howard Eisley each scored 14 in Salt Lake City as the Jazz coasted to its 16th victory in its last 17 games.

San Antonio 106, Dallas 105--David Robinson had his best game since coming off the injured list a few days ago, scoring 27 points, the last two when he drove to the basket and laid in the ball with 8.5 seconds to play to win the game.

The Mavericks had a chance to win, but Jason Kidd tripped bringing the ball upcourt. He recovered the ball and got it to George McCloud, whose three-point shot bounced off the rim as time expired.

Houston 109, Seattle 100--Charles Barkley led a balanced attack with 26 points and 15 rebounds for the Rockets, who won in Seattle and ended a 13-game losing streak against the SuperSonics.

Houston last beat Seattle on March 10, 1994 and had lost nine times in a row during the regular season and four times in the playoffs.

Cleveland 101, Minnesota 93--The Cavaliers held Minnesota to 18% shooting in the final quarter and rallied to win in Minneapolis.

Tyrone Hill had 15 rebounds and Terrell Brandon scored 18 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, for Cleveland, which used a 17-4 run in the fourth to close out the Timberwolves.

Milwaukee 101, New Jersey 91--Glenn Robinson and Vin Baker scored 27 points apiece for the Bucks, who won at home and have four victories in their last five games.

New Jersey’s Jayson Williams, the NBA’s leading rebounder with a 16.1 average, sat out his second game in a row because of sprained ligaments in his right thumb.

New York 89, Denver 82--Chris Childs’ 20 points led the Knicks, who won in New York and have six consecutive victories.

Denver, which hasn’t won since Nov. 26, a span of 10 games, is in its longest losing streak since 1992-93 when the Nuggets lost a franchise-record 14 in a row. Denver (5-19) is off to the worst start in franchise history.

Atlanta 106, Philadelphia 81--Dikembe Mutombo had 13 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks, and Mookie Blaylock had 17 points and 10 assists for the Hawks, who won in Atlanta for the eighth time in a row.

The 76ers, who have lost seven in a row, shot only 37% and went one for 19 on three-point shots. Allen Iverson missed his second successive game because of a sore shoulder.

Miami 89, Toronto 88--Alonzo Mourning’s 26 points led the Heat, which won at home only after Toronto’s Walt Williams stole a pass and missed an off-balance 20-foot shot as time expired.

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The Top 10

Michael Jordan scored 29 points Saturday to move past Jerry West into ninth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. The list:

Player: Points

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 38,387

2. Wilt Chamberlain: 31,419

3. Moses Malone: 27,409

4. Elvin Hayes: 27,313

5. Oscar Robertson: 26,710

6. John Havlicek: 26,395

7. *Dominique Wilkins: 25,799

8. Alex English: 25,613

9. *Michael Jordan: 25,198

10. Jerry West: 25,192