Nov. 26, at Seattle:
Sonics 97, Bulls 92
Gary Payton scored 26 points and the Sonics held the Bulls to a season-low 28 points in the second half.
The Bulls started the game in a blaze, hitting 70 percent of their shots in the first quarter and jumping to a 35-24 lead.
They stayed warm in the second quarter and trotted into the locker room with a 64-51 lead.
The Bulls then outscored Seattle 6-3 before their offense went into hibernation.
The SuperSonics countered with a 22-4 run, taking their first lead when Shawn Kemp tipped in his own miss to put his team ahead 76-74.
The Bulls did rebound, taking an 87-84 edge with 5:14 left, but unsightly free-throw shooting did them in.
For the night the Bulls missed 18 of 43 free throws. Scottie Pippen missed 9 of 11, including all six of his attempts down the stretch.
“I felt good shooting them, but none of them went in,” Pippen said. “I guess I’ll have to practice them.”
Pippen finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Michael Jordan scored just four points in the second half. “My game just totally left me,” said Jordan, who was 6 for 19 from the field and was held to 22 points, seven below his average at the time.
The loss dropped the Bulls’ record to 10-2 and snapped a five-game winning streak.
Aside from winning their 10th game of the season, many Seattle players went out to Kemp’s 26th birthday party.
Jan. 11 at Chicago:
Bulls 113, Sonics 87
The Bulls improved to 29-3 as Michael Jordan scored 35 points and Scottie Pipen added 29.
And this time, the second half was the Bulls’ time to shine, not shiver.
After taking a 51-45 lead into the intermission, the Bulls cruised in the third quarter. A Pippen three-pointer gave them a 79-60 advantage with 1:04 left in the third quarter.
Just 15 seconds later, Dennis Rodman was whistled for fouling Shawn Kemp. Rodman disagreed with official Terry Durham’s call, earning a pair of technicals and his first ejection of the season.
“I talked to our team about giving the game away in Seattle, not about revenge,” Bulls coach Phil Jackson said. “We just needed to maintain our poise under duress.”
Pippen was 9 for 15 from the field, including 5 for 9 from three-point land. Steve Kerr added 10 points, draining 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.
Gary Payton managed just eight points and Kemp missed 11 of 17, scoring 17 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
“We were tired,” Kemp said. “They came out with energy, and if they see (fatigue) in you, they’ll run you all game.” So the game was more like a track meet than “an ugly scrum match,” as Jackson had characterized the team’s first meeting.
