Wizards Fall Again to Bulls

The Chicago Bulls may have the worst record in the NBA, but they have Washington’s number.

The Bulls set several firsts for this season as they defeated the Wizards for the second consecutive game, 110-103, Friday night at Washington.

The victory gave the Bulls their first winning streak of the season. In addition, it was Chicago’s first road victory after 15 consecutive losses and the first time the Bulls reached 100 points this season.

“It was a good night,” Chicago Coach Tim Floyd said. “Everyone was kind of pointing to this after [Wednesday]. I’ve always believed that one game has no bearing on the next, but this certainly gives us confidence.”

The Bulls held Washington to a franchise-low point total in Wednesday’s 77-66 victory. Chicago had a tougher time in this game, rallying from a nine-point halftime deficit to outscore Washington, 61-45, in the second half.

Toni Kukoc, who had a game-high 33 points, made much of the difference as Chicago has won both games since he returned from a 24-game absence because of back spasms. He shot 14 of 16 from the free-throw line and nine of 15 from the field. Kukoc also added 10 assists.

The fans booed the Wizards heavily in the game’s final moments, and the players just shook their heads in the locker room.

“We probably can’t go lower than this,” Washington guard Rod Strickland said. “We can’t help but take the heat for this one. This is not good.”

San Antonio 102, Phoenix 83--David Robinson had 24 points and nine rebounds and Tim Duncan had 19 points and 15 rebounds at Phoenix as the Spurs handed the Suns the worst loss in Scott Skiles’ 11 games as coach.

San Antonio, which had lost two in a row and five of eight, built a 22-point lead in a dominating third quarter before coasting in the fourth.

Cliff Robinson scored 22 points for the Suns, who have lost three of four. Jason Kidd struggled through a two-for-14 shooting night for four points, tying his season-low. Kidd also had 13 assists for Phoenix, which shot 37%.

Tom Gugliotta, in his second game back after a life-threatening seizure sidelined him for seven games, scored 14, but only four in the second half.

New York 94, Orlando 86--Allan Houston scored 23 points and Latrell Sprewell had 19 as the Knicks won at Orlando for their third consecutive victory.

The victory was the 10th in 13 games for the Knicks, who improved to 9-3 since Patrick Ewing returned to the lineup after being on the injured list for the first six weeks of the season.

Ewing had 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, and reserve Kurt Thomas had 10 points and nine rebounds.

Atlanta 105, Toronto 97--Jim Jackson scored 22 of his 31 points in the second half as the Hawks ended a season-high five-game losing streak with a victory at Atlanta.

Isaiah Rider added 27 points, 20 in the first half, and Alan Henderson had 19 for the Hawks, who played their third consecutive game with Stan Albeck handling the coaching duties for Lenny Wilkens, who is suffering from flu.

Vince Carter broke out of a mini-slump and had 34 points for the Raptors.

Vancouver 101, New Jersey 91--Michael Dickerson scored 28 points as the Grizzlies won their second road game in four nights with a victory over the Nets.

The Grizzlies, who won only one of their first 13 road games, improved to 4-6 overall and 2-4 on the road since Lionel Hollins took over as coach on Dec. 16. They defeated the Heat at Miami earlier this week.

The Grizzlies also ended New Jersey’s home winning streak at nine games and registered their first-ever victory over the Nets.

Boston 101, Sacramento 93--Kenny Anderson made his only three-point basket with two minutes left after Nick Anderson’s long-range shots kept bringing the Kings back as the Celtics held on for a victory at Boston.

Sacramento appeared certain to lose again as a 13-2 run put the Celtics on top, 94-79, with 5:36 to go.

Anderson, who had 24 points and made six of 11 three-pointers, then sparked a 12-2 surge.

He hit two three-pointers, putting the Kings back in contention at 96-91 with 2:16 remaining before Kenny Anderson made the last three-pointer of the game.