The NBA was as simple as 1-2-3.
One is the number of healthy feet Michael Jordan played on. Two is the number of games the Houston Rockets need to win to match their franchise record of 13 straight victories. Three is the number of points Dominique Wilkins scored nearly every time he shot the ball Tuesday night.Jordan, despite limping noticeably on the infected left foot that caused him to miss two games, scored 11 of his 38 points in the final 5:08 of Chicago's 86-83 victory over Seattle.
Hakeem Olajuwon scored 18 of his 34 points in the final period in the 104-94 decision over Miami that gave the Rockets 11 consecutive wins.
Wilkins hit 8 of 12 3-point shots, scoring 37 points and falling one shy of the NBA record for 3-pointers in a game as Atlanta defeated Milwaukee 117-103.
Jordan rallied the Bulls from an 11-point deficit, accounting for 11 of their last 13 points and helping his teammates hold the SuperSonics to 14 points in the final period.
"I was in some pain but it was not excruciating," Jordan said. "And once I concentrated on the game, I was able to forget about my foot."
Shawn Kemp scored 19 points for Seattle, which has dropped two straight after a 10-game winning streak, the second-longest in franchise history.
"Michael is the greatest player on the floor," the Sonics' Eddie Johnson said. "It's nice just to play against him to get your picture in the paper."
Rockets 104, Heat 94
Houston also snapped Miami's franchise-record six-game winning streak as Olajuwon hit 8 of 11 shots in the fourth period and finished with 15 rebounds.
Grant Long had 22 points, Steve Smith 20 and Rony Seikaly 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat.
"I was just capitalizing on what they gave us in the fourth quarter," Olajuwon said. "I'll do whatever it takes. Whenever I step on the court, I feel like it's my time."
The Rockets, who led by three going into the fourth quarter, moved ahead 83-77 on a basket by Olajuwon with 7:28 left.
Miami closed within four before a 5-0 Houston run made it 93-84.
Hawks 117, Bucks 103
Wilkins became the eighth player in NBA history to hit eight or more 3-pointers.
He made four 3-pointers in the first period to help the Hawks build a 36-23 margin, then hit two more in the second period as Atlanta stayed ahead of Milwaukee 63-52 at halftime.
"There aren't too many times I shot the ball that well," Wilkins said. "I felt good all day. I knew it was going to be a big night for me."
Wilkins added two more 3-pointers in the third quarter as the Hawks increased their margin to 97-76. He made two 3-point attempts in the fourth period in an effort to tie the NBA record of nine by Dale Ellis and Michael Adams, but missed both.
Eric Murdock led the Bucks with 20 points.
Suns 128, Kings 108
Cedric Ceballos scored a career-high 40 points and Phoenix used a 20-4 second-quarter run to win at Sacramento.
Charles Barkley had 23 points for the Suns, who trailed 36-35 before pulling into a 55-40 lead on Ceballos' two free throws with 3:05 left in the first half.
Ceballos made 14 of 15 shots and 12 of 12 free throws and also grabbed 12 rebounds for Phoenix, which has won its last eight games against the Kings. He is averaging 24 points and 8.2 rebounds on 72 percent shooting in the Suns' four victories over Sacramento this season.
Spurs 119, Mavericks 84
David Robinson scored 19 points and Sean Elliott 16 in his first game after recovering from a back injury as San Antonio extending Dallas' road losing streak to a franchise-record 27 games.
The Mavericks also matched a club record with their 15th consecutive loss, getting just four points from first-round draft pick Jim Jackson in his third pro game.
The Spurs, winning for the 16th time in 17 home games, is 4-0 against Dallas, winning each time by at least 21 points. The 35-point margin of victory was San Antonio's largest this season.
Hornets 124, Bullets 104
Charlotte won a franchise-record 32nd game, beating Washington behind Larry Johnson's 23 points and 13 rebounds.
The Hornets, 31-51 last season, won for the ninth time in 14 outings, improving their record to 32-26, the first time the Hornets have ever been six games over .500. The injury-plagued Bullets lost their eighth consecutive road game and for the 10th time in 11 games overall.
Dell Curry had 22 points for Charlotte, which shot 57 percent for the game.
Lakers 123, Pistons 121
James Worthy scored 28 points and A.C. Green's free throw with 33 seconds left broke a tie for Los Angeles at Detroit.
After Green hit 1 of 2 free throws for a 120-119 lead, Isiah Thomas turned the ball over, then fouled Vlade Divac with 18 seconds to go.
Divac also hit 1 of 2 free throws and Terry Mills missed a layup that would have tied the score with five seconds to go. Divac got the rebound and was fouled, and his two free throws negated Thomas' last-second basket.
Sedale Threatt had 27 points and 15 assists and Divac 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers. Joe Dumars had 41 points, Mills 24 and Thomas 21 points and 13 assists for the Pistons.