‘The Last Dance’ Redux: Bulls Shake Off a Rough Shooting Night From Michael Jordan and Cruise to an Easy Win Over the Bucks
Coming off a seven-game road trip in which they went 4-3, the Chicago Bulls returned home to the friendly confines of the United Center on December 5, 1997, to continue their “Last Dance” season with a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.
But it really didn’t turn out to be much of a matchup at all.
Michael Jordan had a dreadful night, making just four of 16 shots from the floor en route to a then-season-low 13 points. Thankfully for Chicago, the supporting cast stepped up. Toni Kukoc scored 19 points, Luc Longley added 16 points and seven rebounds, and Jason Caffey chipped in with 10 points and nine boards as the Bulls cruised to an 84-62 victory.
Armen Gilliam led the way for the Bucks with 18 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.
| Bulls | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Jordan | 13 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Dennis Rodman | 2 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Toni Kukoc | 19 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Luc Longley | 16 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Ron Harper | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Randy Brown | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Scott Burrell | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Caffey | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jud Buechler | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Rusty LaRue | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bill Wennington | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Kleine | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Bucks | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armen Gilliam | 18 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Ray Allen | 8 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Glenn Robinson | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Terrell Brandon | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ervin Johnson | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Michael Curry | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Ricky Pierce | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew Lang | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Elliot Perry | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jerald Honeycutt | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Jamie Feick | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Here’s a look at the NBA standings following all the action on December 5, 1997.
| Eastern Conference | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Hawks | 15 | 3 |
| Miami Heat | 12 | 5 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 11 | 6 |
| Orlando Magic | 12 | 7 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 10 | 6 |
| Indiana Pacers | 10 | 6 |
| Chicago Bulls | 11 | 7 |
| New Jersey Nets | 11 | 7 |
| New York Knicks | 10 | 7 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 10 | 8 |
| Boston Celtics | 7 | 11 |
| Washington Wizards | 7 | 11 |
| Detroit Pistons | 7 | 12 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 4 | 11 |
| Toronto Raptors | 1 | 17 |
| Western Conference | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| LA Lakers | 15 | 2 |
| Seattle Supersonics | 15 | 4 |
| Phoenix Suns | 11 | 4 |
| Houston Rockets | 10 | 5 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 11 | 6 |
| Utah Jazz | 11 | 7 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 10 | 9 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 8 | 9 |
| Vancouver Grizzlies | 7 | 13 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 5 | 12 |
| Sacramento Kings | 5 | 14 |
| LA Clippers | 3 | 14 |
| Golden State Warriors | 2 | 14 |
| Denver Nuggets | 1 | 15 |
Up next for the “Last Dance” Bulls was a matchup with the rival New York Knicks.
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