Bulls Lead by 27 After One and Cruise From There

Scottie Pippen scored 23 of his 32 points in the first half, powering a dominating start that carried the Chicago Bulls past Golden State, 115-92, at San Jose on Friday.

Michael Jordan and Toni Kukoc each had 18 points for Chicago, which won its 10th consecutive against Golden State by blowing open the game with a 19-2 run en route to a 35-8 first-quarter lead. The Warriors’ first-quarter point total matched a franchise low, tying the eight points Golden State scored against San Diego in 1967.

The Warriors trailed by as many as 37 points late in the second quarter.

The Bulls are 7-1 since losing Dennis Rodman to suspension for at least 11 games for kicking a courtside cameraman. Rodman met earlier Friday with Commissioner David Stern, who will decide next week whether the league’s leading rebounder can return to the Bulls after the All-Star break.

Seattle 97, Washington 95--Detlef Schrempf made a basket and three free throws in the final 64 seconds as the SuperSonics edged the Bullets at Seattle.

Schrempf made a 10-footer from the key with 1:04 left to give Seattle a 93-90 advantage and sank a free throw with 26 seconds on the clock. After two free throws by Rod Strickland cut the SuperSonics’ edge to 94-92, Schrempf made two free throws with nine seconds to go for a 96-92 lead.

Minnesota 97, San Antonio 95--Chris Carr had just enough time. The first-year guard sank a driving 10-footer with seven-tenths of a second left to give the surging Timberwolves a victory at San Antonio.

The Timberwolves (21-24) completed their first winning January (9-6) in dramatic fashion after inbounding the ball with 3.5 seconds remaining.

Kevin Garnett scored 30 points for the Timberwolves. Dean Garrett, Minnesota’s 28-year-old rookie, had 20 rebounds.

Atlanta 87, Vancouver 76--Steve Smith had 24 points, 10 in the fourth quarter, as the Hawks defeated the struggling Grizzlies at Vancouver. Vancouver’s record fell to 8-40, worst in the NBA. The Grizzlies are winless in the five games since president and general manager Stu Jackson took over as coach.

Indiana 100, Houston 74--Playing without two of their three all-stars again, the Rockets were trounced by the Pacers at Indianapolis.

Reggie Miller scored 33 points to lead the Pacers, who had lost their previous three home games.

Charles Barkley and Clyde Drexler did not make the trip because of injuries. Hakeem Olajuwon, who scored 48 points in a loss to Denver on Thursday, was shut down by Pacer center Rik Smits, finishing with only six points.

Orlando 109, Philadelphia 99--Anfernee Hardaway scored 27 points for the Magic at Philadelphia. Hardaway, who sat out 23 games because of a knee injury, has led the Magic in scoring in eight of the team’s last nine games. Orlando is 11-4 since his return.

Charlotte 102, Milwaukee 95--”If he gets any more confidence, he might fly,” Charlotte Coach Dave Cowens said after Glenn Rice scored 43 points, one short of the Hornets’ franchise record, at Charlotte.

Rice has led the Hornets in scoring in each of the last 17 games, helping them compile an 11-6 record and improve to seven games over .500. Rice has scored more than 25 points in 16 of those 17 games, including 11 performances of more than 30.

Boston 111, Portland 105--Few teams can give up 105 points and claim the defense won the game. The Celtics could this time. Despite falling behind by 23 points in the third quarter, the Celtics rallied to win at Boston. They did it with defense down the stretch.

Boston erased a 94-85 Portland lead with 5:35 left in the game by forcing the Trail Blazers into five turnovers and holding them to 11 points the rest of the way.