Harper, Bulls Shock Miami
Even with the worst record in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls still scrambled the playoff race Saturday night.
Ron Harper tied a season high with 25 points, all in the second half, and lowly Chicago stunned the Miami Heat 101-86, tightening the chase for the conference championship.
"I'm real happy for our guys," Bulls coach Tim Floyd said. "We needed something like this."
|
The Heat still lead the East, but they will finish behind Orlando if they lose two of their final three games all against teams vying for playoff position and the Magic win their final game at Chicago.
"Obviously it was a very bad time for us to play like that," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "I'm not disappointed. I'm not discouraged. I'm just absolutely disgusted."
Actually, he looked despondent.
Chicago, which set an NBA record with just 49 points in an April 10 loss to Miami, scored 30 in the third period alone. Harper had 14 to help the Bulls build a 22-point lead.
After taking just one shot in the first half, Harper had a second-half performance reminiscent of Michael Jordan. He finished 9-for-14, including 4-for-7 from 3-point range.
"When M.J. calls, I'm going to say I know how he feels some nights," Harper said. "This one feels good for us all."
The Bulls snapped a 12-game road losing streak, which tied a franchise record. They finished 5-20 on the road.
Toni Kukoc barely missed a triple double with 22 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds for the Bulls, who topped 100 points for just the third time. Tim Hardaway led Miami with 20 points.
Mourning missed his third consecutive start with an eye injury. He's expected to return Sunday night against Charlotte.
"Obviously they're not the same team without Mourning," said Floyd, who considers the Heat center the NBA's most valuable player. "We were able to get to the basket this game. We had trouble doing that the first two times we played them."
The defeat was the Heat's second straight at home to a team out of the playoff race. They were beaten Thursday by Boston.
"It's unbelievable what happened tonight," forward P.J. Brown said. "On the road you might accept it, because anything can happen. But not at home."
Terry Porter beat the buzzer at the end of the first quarter with a 27-footer to put the Heat ahead 26-22. But Chicago scored eight consecutive points late in the first half to take the lead for good.
The margin was 48-45 at halftime, and a 10-0 run by the Bulls made it 60-47 before Harper went to work. He made consecutive 3-pointers for a 66-49 lead, then scored six straight points to give Chicago its biggest lead, 76-54.
"I think Bulls fans enjoyed this game," Kukoc said.
Notes: Miami's Keith Askins left the game in the third quarter with a deep bruise in his right thigh. ... Chicago's Randy Brown (sprained ankle) and Brent Barry (thigh bruise) missed their third straight game. ... The Heat missed a chance to sweep the season series against Chicago for the first time. Miami won the series 2-1. ... For Miami, the game began a stretch of four games in the final five nights of the season.
©1999 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed