Jordan Scores Only 13, but Bulls Win, 84-62

Michael Jordan scored a season-low 13 points on four-for-16 shooting but the Chicago Bulls didn’t need his offense in an 84-62 victory over the misfiring Milwaukee Bucks Friday night at Chicago.

Despite the Bulls’ victory, Jordan summed up the night in three words: “It was ugly.”

Toni Kukoc had 19 points and the Bulls held Milwaukee to its lowest scoring output in its 30 years in the NBA. The Bucks’ previous low came Nov. 21, 1996 against Atlanta when they managed just 65 points.

“This league is crazy,” said Milwaukee’s Armon Gilliam, who scored 18. “We’ve been scoring a lot of points this year. Tonight nothing was going in for us.”

Scottie Pippen, at the United Center for the first time since saying he wanted to be traded during a seven-game road trip, joined the Bulls on the bench as the starting lineups were announced. With about two minutes left in the game and Jordan sitting beside him, fans began chanting “Scottie.”

Pippen, who is out with a foot injury and whose future career with the Bulls is still clouded, just smiled as teammate Ron Harper gave him a bear hug.

Jordan picked up two early fouls, missed seven of his first nine shots and had only four points in the first half.

He made only one free throw in the third quarter, putting his consecutive double-figure scoring streak of 775 games in jeopardy, but then scored eight in a row in the final quarter, four on free throws, leaving him seven points short of surpassing Moses Malone for third place on the NBA career scoring list.

Jordan’s career low was eight points at Cleveland on March 2, 1986.

The Bucks, averaging 96.6 points, were 22 for 67 (33%). They managed only 26 second-half points and had 18 turnovers.

Gilliam led Milwaukee with 18 points.

The Bulls started the third quarter with a 12-2 run, opening up a 51-38 lead.

Kukoc outscored the Bucks, 12-9, in the period as Chicago surged ahead 60-45 with a quarter to play.

Jordan, in his 13th season, entered the game with 27,390 points. Malone had 27,409 in 19 seasons. Wilt Chamberlain is No. 2 with 31,419 points in 20 years and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is first with 38,387.