NBA Roundup : Bulls Get 31 From Other Guard, Beat Pistons, 105-95

It is expected that Michael Jordan will score more than 30 points in a game, but when the Chicago Bulls’ other guard, Sam Vincent, does it, the Bulls are in business.

Vincent, almost a forgotten man, made 11 of 13 shots and scored 27 points in the first half Thursday night at Pontiac, Mich., to lead the Bulls to a 105-95 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

The best-of-seven series, which is tied, 1-1, shifts to Chicago for games Saturday and Sunday.

Vincent had a career-high 31 points, while Jordan finished with 36. Vincent missed all four shots he took in the second half, but by that time Jordan had shaken his aches and pains and had become airborne.

Behind Vincent, the Bulls built a 67-53 halftime lead. They extended that to 20 points before a rally engineered by James Edwards brought the Pistons within six points with four minutes remaining. Jordan scored 6 of the last 12 points as the Bulls pulled away.

The Bulls obtained Vincent in a deal with Seattle at midseason. He soon won the guard spot opposite Jordan. In no time, he became a prominent member of the Bulls. But he injured a hamstring just before the playoffs began and struggled throughout postseason play, until Thursday night.

In Game 5 of the first-round series with Cleveland, Vincent played only 16 minutes and was 1 for 6. He was on the bench when the Bulls pulled it out.

Vincent lasted only 19 minutes in the opening loss to the Pistons. He was 2 for 9 and again played poorly.

On a hunch and only partly because Vincent’s hamstring was slightly better, Coach Doug Collins gave Vincent one more chance. Vincent made the most of it.

Vincent gave the credit to Jordan. “I was upset because I had played so poorly in the playoffs,” he said. “But Michael said, ‘You’re our leader on the floor. If you want to run a play, you run it. If you have the shot, you take it.’ When Jordan pushes you along, it means a lot.”

Last season, against the Pistons, Vincent twice scored 18 points to help the Boston Celtics turn back a determined Detroit bid for an upset. The Celtics let him go early this season. His 23 points against Washington this season was his previous career-high.

The Pistons shot poorly all night. Isiah Thomas had 25 points, but he was 7 for 20. Dennis Rodman (4 for 16) provided no lift off the bench.

Dallas 112, Denver 108--Winning consecutive games at home in the second round of the playoffs has proved to be an impossible task. The Nuggets became the third team in three tries to fail, joining the Pistons and the Lakers.

With Rolando Blackman scoring 31 points, the Mavericks took an early lead and withstood a barrage of three-pointers to even their best-of-seven series at a game apiece. They did it even though leading scorer Mark Aguirre scored only nine points.

Blackman, who had played below par in the playoffs, scored 15 of his points in the last quarter to offset the Nugget bombs. The Nuggets hit six three-point baskets, three of them in the last two minutes.