NBA ROUNDUP : Orlando Has Lost Its Early-Season Magic

Earlier this season, Orlando Magic fans couldn’t help but pat themselves and their team on the back as the expansion franchise won games it wasn’t supposed to.

Reality has since arrived and with it, a nasty losing streak more befitting of a team in its infancy.

This time the Chicago Bulls, as hot as the Magic are cold, defeated Orlando, 127-116, Friday night at Chicago.

Michael Jordan scored 43 points for the Bulls, who handed the Magic its seventh consecutive loss and 11th defeat in a row on the road.

The victory was the Bulls’ 12th in a row at Chicago Stadium, tying the club record set in 1974-75. The Bulls are 13-1 at home and have won 11 of their last 13 games overall. The victory also was Chicago’s fifth in a row, equaling its season high.

It was the seventh time this season that Jordan, who leads the NBA with a 33-point average, has scored at least 40. Scottie Pippen added 19 for Chicago. Terry Catledge led Orlando with 27 points. Nick Anderson and Sidney Green each had 17.

The closest the Magic got in the fourth quarter was six points, as the Bulls gradually pulled away and cleared the bench near the end of the contest.

Detroit 122, Indiana 99--Mark Aguirre scored eight of his 12 first-quarter points during a 20-9 run at Auburn Hills, Mich., as the Pistons cruised to their fourth victory in a row.

Indiana, losing its third consecutive game, turned the ball over 23 times. The Pistons, who have committed just 43 turnovers during their winning streak, had only 10 against the Pacers.

Aguirre, breaking a 15-for-46 shooting slump over the past four games, finished with 26 points.

The Pistons’ Isiah Thomas, who had 12 of his 24 points in the first quarter, needed three stitches to close a cut over his left eye after being elbowed unintentionally by Detlef Schrempf with less than a second remaining in the second quarter. Thomas, however, was in the lineup to start the third quarter.

Schrempf scored a career-high 26 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for Indiana.

Philadelphia 104, Dallas 79--Johnny Dawkins scored 21 points and the 76ers went on a 21-0 first-half run and crushed the Mavericks at Dallas.

The 76ers scored the final 12 points of the first quarter and the first nine of the second quarter, with Ron Anderson contributing six points during the overall run.

The 76ers won even though Charles Barkley, their leading scorer with a 23.7 average, was held to 14 points. However, he had 18 rebounds. Mike Gminski scored 20 points for Philadelphia, and Sam Perkins led Dallas with 19.

Cleveland 119, Washington 107--The Cavaliers overcame a 19-point first-quarter deficit and handed the Bullets a club-record 12th consecutive road loss as Mark Price scored 27 points and Craig Ehlo added 23 points.

Jeff Malone led the Bullets with 28 points, but he had only two in the fourth quarter, when Cleveland outscored Washington, 32-20.

Seattle 140, Miami 110--Dale Ellis scored 12 of his 26 points in the third quarter when Seattle took control and Avery Johnson had a career-high 17 assists as the SuperSonics defeated the Heat at Seattle.

The Heat, which lost its ninth game in a row, led, 56-54, at halftime but was outscored, 23-12, in the first six minutes of the third quarter. Glen Rice led Miami with 27 points.

The Sonics matched the franchise high for a half with 86 points in the second half. Their 50-point final quarter was one shy of the team record.

Portland 118, Utah 89--Clyde Drexler scored 25 points and Kevin Duckworth added 22 at Portland as the Trail Blazers scored their first victory over the Jazz in seven tries.

John Stockton scored 20 points and made nine of 10 shots for Utah. He also had 11 assists. Karl Malone was only six of 15 and scored 18 points, 11 below his season average.