‘The Last Dance’ Redux: Michael Jordan Finally Gets Some Help as the Bulls Break Losing Streak to Get Back to Over .500
Coming off back-to-back bad losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards, the Chicago Bulls continued their “Last Dance” season on November 14, 1997, with a matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, needing a win to get back above .500.
And Phil Jackson got that victory with a well-balanced effort from his team, finally not needing to rely solely on Michael Jordan in a 105-92 win.
Jordan still led the way for Chicago with a game-high 28 points, adding seven assists and four rebounds. In several of the Bulls’ outings early in the year, MJ often outscored his fellow starters combined, but that certainly wasn’t the case here.
Toni Kukoc had his highest-scoring game of the young season with 18 points, while Ron Harper and Luc Longley chipped in with 16 apiece. Dennis Rodman, who was moved back to the bench to start the game, grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
Six Hornets hit double figures, but none of them scored more than 14 points. Bobby Phills and Matt Geiger hit that number, while Vlade Divac was just behind with 13. Charlotte’s usual leading scorer, Glen Rice, struggled shooting the ball, making just four of 13 shots for 10 points.
| Bulls | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Jordan | 28 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Luc Longley | 16 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Toni Kukoc | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Ron Harper | 16 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Jason Caffey | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Randy Brown | 8 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Dennis Rodman | 6 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Scott Burrell | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Joe Kleine | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jud Buechler | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keith Booth | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hornets | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glen Rice | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Bobby Phills | 14 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| David Wesley | 11 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Vlade Divac | 13 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Anthony Mason | 2 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| J.R. Reid | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Matt Geiger | 14 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Dell Curry | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| B.J. Armstrong | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Corey Beck | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tony Farmer | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Here’s a look at the NBA standings following all the action on November 14, 1997.
| Eastern Conference | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Hawks | 9 | 0 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 5 | 2 |
| New Jersey Nets | 4 | 2 |
| Miami Heat | 5 | 3 |
| New York Knicks | 5 | 3 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 4 | 3 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 4 | 3 |
| Chicago Bulls | 5 | 4 |
| Orlando Magic | 4 | 4 |
| Washington Wizards | 4 | 4 |
| Boston Celtics | 3 | 5 |
| Indiana Pacers | 3 | 5 |
| Detroit Pistons | 3 | 6 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 2 | 5 |
| Toronto Raptors | 1 | 7 |
| Western Conference | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| LA Lakers | 7 | 0 |
| Phoenix Suns | 5 | 1 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 6 | 2 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 5 | 2 |
| Seattle Supersonics | 6 | 3 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 4 | 3 |
| Utah Jazz | 4 | 4 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 3 | 4 |
| Houston Rockets | 3 | 4 |
| Vancouver Grizzlies | 3 | 5 |
| Sacramento Kings | 2 | 6 |
| LA Clippers | 1 | 6 |
| Denver Nuggets | 0 | 7 |
| Golden State Warriors | 0 | 7 |
Up next for the “Last Dance” Bulls was a second matchup in five days with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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