Kerr leads Bulls to 60th win
Game Flow
CHICAGO -- Steve Kerr scored eight of his season-high 20 points during a decisive fourth-quarter surge as the Chicago Bulls scrambled for their 60th victory of the season, 94-92 over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.
Michael Jordan added 20 points for Chicago (60-9), which reached 60 wins for the fourth time this decade. The Bulls needs to go 10-3 for remainder of the regular season to reach 70 wins for the second year in a row.
"We didn't have much energy out there tonight," Jordan said. "We just couldn't do anything out there, but you have to give credit to Dallas -- they played a really good game.
"It wasn't a great game for us, but we were able to get No. 60."
Dennis Rodman grabbed 21 rebounds before leaving the game in the final seconds with a knee injury. He is scheduled for an MRI on Wednesday.
Chicago native Michael Finley scored 28 points -- none in the fourth quarter -- for the Mavericks, who have lost four in a row.
"There are no moral victories in the NBA," said Finley, who played at Westinghouse High School in Chicago. "We played three outstanding quarters, and then came up short in the fourth.
"I thought we played a good defensive game, but you have to give their second unit credit for grabbing the victory away from us."
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Michael Jordan looks to pass against Derek Harper.
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Mavs coach Jim Cleamons received a warm ovation when he was introduced to the United Center crowd. Cleamons was a Bulls assistant for seven seasons before taking the Dallas job.
Finley scored five points during a 10-2 burst near the end of the third period that gave Dallas its largest lead, 76-66. The Bulls closed to 78-71 entering the fourth quarter, which opened with Jordan and Scottie Pippen on the bench.
Chicago scored 15 of the next 17 points. A jumper by Kerr with 7:02 remaining capped the surge.
"The rim looked really big to me tonight," Kerr said. "When you get into one of those stretches, it's a lot of fun. It was up to the bench to take this game back and we did."
A basket by Kerr gave the Bulls their largest lead at 90-83 with4:18 remaining, and Jordan and Pippen returned with 3:40 to go. The Mavs made one final push, as Robert Pack's three-point play and two free throws cut the deficit to 90-88 with 1:27 left.
Luc Longley and Shawn Bradley traded short jumpers before Jordan made a fadeaway 10-footer -- his only points of the final period -- to seal the win with 12 seconds to go.
Longley scored 14 points and Pippen 13 for the Bulls, who shot 44 percent (38 for 86) from the field and held a 48-42 edge in rebounds. Chicago made 13 of 15 free throws.
Bradley had 17 points and nine rebounds and A.C. Green added 10 points and 13 boards for the Mavs, who also shot 44 percent (40 for 91) and made seven of 11 free throws. Pack scored 16 points but shot just six for 17.
