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Jordan stops the bleeding for Wizards
December 04, 2002 14:25 IST
Michael Jordan started for the second successive game and performed like his old self to inspire the Washington Wizards to a 103-78 pasting of the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday."We needed to stop the bleeding," said five times MVP Jordan after Washington snapped a six-game losing skid. "Hopefully, we can feed off this."
The victory was never in doubt, the Wizards riding a 32-16 second quarter to a 56-39 halftime lead. Jordan had 15 points and five rebounds in the half, finishing with 25 points and seven boards.
He played just 30 minutes, giving the younger players some floor time. "This league don't allow anybody to grow up fast," said Jordan.
The 39-year-old said he would continue to start as long as he stayed healthy, adding that he was good for 37 to 38 minutes per game.
Tim Thomas led the Bucks with 17 points.
In Houston, Yao Ming had a huge night, bagging 27 points and pulling down a season-high 18 rebounds to lift the Rockets to an 89-75 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
San Antonio had won 14 of the previous 15 meetings between the teams.
Steve Francis added 18 points for the Rockets. Reigning NBA MVP Tim Duncan nearly matched Yao, tallying 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a losing cause.
In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Richard Jefferson made seven of his first eight shots on his way to a 22-point night as the Nets thumped the Atlanta Hawks 87-72.
Jefferson also grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds while Kenyon Martin added 18 points for New Jersey.
Dion Glover was tops for Atlanta with 16 points.
It was a big win for the Nets, mired in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.New Jersey has been hot at home, however, with eight wins in nine games at the Continental Airlines Arena.
In Chicago, the woes continued for the Bulls as they were stung 115-90 by the New Orleans Hornets.
The Bulls have now lost seven consecutive games and 13 of 15 since beginning the season 2-0.
David Wesley and Jamal Mashburn both topped 20 points for the Hornets, who won for just the third time on the road. New Orleans is 9-0 at home.
Jamaal Magloire pitched in with 18 points and 10 boards. Jalen Rose had 19 points to pace Chicago.
In Sacramento, the Kings stayed unbeaten at Arco Arena with a 98-86 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Kings have now won their opening 10 home games, a franchise first. Bobby Jackson had 24 points for Sacramento while Chris Webber collected 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
Troy Hudson had 19 points to pace the Timberwolves, with Kevin Garnett getting 18 points and 16 rebounds. He was one assist shy of a triple-double.
In Los Angeles, the Lakers were pushed all the way by the Memphis Grizzlies before eventually recording a 101-91 win.
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant paced the Lakers with 28 and 24 points respectively. Bryant also pulled down 10 rebounds and dished out 11 assists for the triple-double.
Los Angeles, just 7-12 on the season, is now 15-0 at home against Memphis all time. The Grizzlies are a woeful 2-16 in 2002.
In Oakland, the Golden State Warriors rode a 34-16 first quarter to a lopsided 110-89 victory over the punchless Denver Nuggets.
Antawn Jamison poured in 34 points for Golden State while Donnell Harvey had 16 points to lead Denver.
The Warriors have now defeated the Nuggets in 23 of their last 27 home games.
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