Jordan, Rodman Send a Message to East Challengers

Dennis Rodman’s relentless rebounding and Michael Jordan’s best shooting this season put the Chicago Bulls in a place they haven’t been all season--in first place in the Eastern Conference.

Jordan scored 47 points and Rodman had 29 rebounds, the most in his 2 1/2 seasons with the Bulls, as Chicago defeated the visiting Atlanta Hawks, 97-90, Saturday night to take the conference lead that the Hawks had held since Halloween.

“They’re becoming one of the teams trying to take our crown and we defended ourselves to the utmost,” said Jordan, who was 18 for 26. “Until someone else is the world champion, we are the team to beat. A lot of responsibility comes with it, but we’re living up to it.”

The Bulls have won seven consecutive games and the Hawks have lost five in a row, season-long streaks for both teams. Chicago, which has a half-game lead, trailed Atlanta by four games only last week.

The Bulls have defeated three division leaders, Atlanta, Miami and the Lakers, in a 10-day span, even without injured star Scottie Pippen.

“For all those people who say we’ve got a chink in our armor, it gives us the edge back,” Jordan said. “A lot of people took for granted that we might have lost the edge after our slow start.”

Steve Smith scored 18 points for the Hawks, who played most of the game short-handed in falling to 8-10 since their 11-0 start.

Point guard Mookie Blaylock aggravated a strained groin muscle in the first quarter and didn’t return. Starting forward Tyrone Corbin was ejected with 3:35 left in the third quarter for taking a swing at Jud Buechler.

“Ty has been playing very well for us. You’re making a run and all of a sudden he gets thrown out,” Atlanta Coach Lenny Wilkens said. “They said he threw a punch. He didn’t. What are they looking at? It was just not a good call.”

And the way Jordan and Rodman were playing, it was a killer for the Hawks.

Jordan’s point total was his second highest this season behind 49 against the Clippers on Nov. 21. It was only the fourth time he made more shots than he missed.

After Atlanta pulled within 77-72, Jordan scored all of Chicago’s points during a 9-2 run that put the game away.

Rodman, who said he was ready to retire after getting only three rebounds in a Nov. 7 loss at Atlanta, has failed to get double-digit rebounds only twice in the last 23 games. He has averaged 19.4 in the last nine games to take the league lead.

And Pippen, who asked the Bulls to trade him, made his strongest statement yet that he will return to the team when he is fully recovered from foot surgery in two to three weeks: “I’ve got a good relationship with my teammates. They know I’m not going to leave them hanging.”

Portland 102, Utah 91--The Jazz went 21 of 35 from the free-throw line against the Trail Blazers, who made 31 of their 35 free throws and posted their first victory in the Delta Center in nearly four years.

“Free throws just killed us,” Utah Coach Jerry Sloan said. “We looked like we’ve never shot a free throw in our lives. It’s extremely disappointing.”

The loss ended Utah’s eight-game home winning streak and the Trail Blazers’ three-game road losing streak.

Portland used defense and rebounding to stave off a late Jazz comeback. Arvydas Sabonis had 25 points and 11 rebounds and made all nine free throws.

Toronto 97, New York 94--Doug Christie’s three-point field goal with eight-tenths of a second remaining at New York gave the Raptors their first win over the Knicks.

Damon Stoudamire had a game-high 30 points for the Raptors, who won for only the second time in 14 road games and the fourth time in 28 games all season. Former Knicks John Wallace and Christie had 18 points.

Butch Carter coached the Raptors in place of Darrell Walker, who did not make the trip because of a bad back.

Orlando 96, Charlotte 87--Derek Harper scored a season-high 26 points at Orlando, Fla., and the Magic ended a five-game losing streak.

Rony Seikaly added 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic. Mark Price contributed 17 points and nine assists.

Glen Rice led the Hornets with 27 points, but backup center Matt Geiger was the only other Charlotte player in double figures with a season-high 22 points. He also had nine rebounds before fouling out.

Houston 111, Washington 101--Brent Price and Mario Elie made three-pointers in the final minute at Houston as the Rockets held off a fourth-quarter rally and ended the Wizards’ six-game winning streak.

The Rockets, winning for the first time in four games, got 26 points each from Kevin Willis and Clyde Drexler. Willis and Charles Barkley had 14 rebounds apiece.

It was Washington’s first loss to a Western Conference opponent in 10 games this season. The Wizards have not won in Houston in five seasons.

New Jersey 112, Milwaukee 104--Kendall Gill scored seven of his 25 points in the second overtime and Keith Van Horn had 26 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Nets at East Rutherford, N.J.

With the Nets trailing, 99-98, in the second overtime, Gill made a jumper to put New Jersey ahead for good. Kerry Kittles followed with a pull-up jumper from the key as the shot clock expired.

In the first overtime, the Bucks opened a 95-91 lead on Ray Allen’s jumper before Van Horn hit from the key and Sam Cassell made two free throws with 28.5 to play.

The Bucks’ Glenn Robinson led all scorers with 29 points.

Philadelphia 85, Golden State 78--Derrick Coleman scored nine of his 22 points in the fourth quarter at Oakland as the 76ers ended their six-game losing streak.