Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf stood, prayed and played but was upstaged by Michael Jordan as Chicago beat Denver 108-87 Friday night for a record-tying 39th straight regular-season home victory.
The Bulls, 32-0 at home this season, haven't lost at the United Center since last March 24 - Jordan's first game here after coming out of retirement. Both the 39-game overall run and 32-game season-starting streak tied NBA records set by the Orlando Magic earlier this week.Jordan had 33 points for the Bulls, who are 2-0 without injured All-Star Scottie Pippen. Toni Kukoc, starting in place of Pippen, had season-highs with 24 points and 10 assists. Dennis Rodman added 15 rebounds, eight offensive, as Chicago improved to 56-7 overall.
Suns 128, 76ers 102
At Philadelphia, Charles Barkley scored 29 points, including 16 in the third period, in leading Phoenix over Philadelphia.
John Williams had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Suns, who defeated Philadelphia for the 10th straight time and the fifth straight at the Spectrum.
Hornets 113, Raptors 101
At Charlotte, N.C., Larry Johnson and Glen Rice scored 27 points apiece and Charlotte blew an 11-point lead before rallying past injury-plagued Toronto.
Johnson broke the last of six fourth-quarter ties with 2:19 remaining, and the Hornets went on to their third victory in four games.
Pistons 80, Cavaliers 69
At Auburn Hills, Mich., Detroit moved a game ahead of Cleveland in the Eastern Conference playoff race by beating the Cavaliers despite going almost 101/2 minutes without a field goal
The scoring drought came in the third and fourth quarters after the Pistons had opened a 15-point lead. Cleveland got within two, 61-59, but Detroit responded with an 8-0 run.
Timberwolves 113, Kings 87
At Minneapolis, Tom Gugliotta, coming off an 0-for-13 outing two nights earlier, was 8-of-9 from the field to lead Minnesota over Sacramento.
Gugliotta scored 21 points, including 11 in the third quarter when the Wolves broke the game open.
SuperSonics 120, Mavericks 97
At Seattle, Sam Perkins scored a season-high 27 points and rookie Eric Snow had 13 assists in his first start for the Sonics. Shawn Kemp added 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Lakers 117, Bucks 95
At Inglewood, Calif., Magic Johnson scored eight of his 20 points off the bench in the third quarter and dished out eight assists. Cedric Ceballos had 19 points and Vlade Divac added 18 points and 15 rebounds.
Trail Blazers 86, Clippers 79
At Portland, Ore., Arvydas Sabonis had 23 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Trail Blazers to their fourth straight victory.
Magic 92, Grizzlies 87, OT
At Vancouver, British Columbia, Anfernee Hardaway scored five points in overtime and finished with 29 points and 12 assists to lead the Magic.