NBA ROUNDUP : Bulls Throttle the Jazz Down the Stretch, 94-85

B.J. Armstrong scored 20 points, Scottie Pippen added 19 and reserve center Bill Wennington scored eight in the final 6:52 to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 94-85 victory over the Utah Jazz at Salt Lake City Thursday night.

Karl Malone scored 24 points, but was held scoreless over the final 4:27 as the Jazz was limited to its lowest point total of the season and lost at home for only the fifth time. Wennington drove the lane for a layup with 6:52 to play to put Chicago ahead for good, 75-74.

Armstrong, who scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, then made a three-pointer and a layup as the Bulls led, 80-76, with 5:29 to play.

Portland 126, Phoenix 105--Harvey Grant scored a season-high 29 points and six other Portland players scored in double figures as the Trail Blazers defeated the Suns at Portland.

The Trail Blazers built a 23-point lead with four minutes left in the second period and were never seriously threatened.

Grant connected on 13 of 19 shots, and Clifford Robinson and Clyde Drexler added 17 points apiece.

Buck Williams had a game-high 16 rebounds and added 11 points.

San Antonio 98, Cleveland 97--Dale Ellis capped a 31-point performance by converting a three-point play with 4.2 seconds to play at Richfield, Ohio, lifting the Spurs to their fifth consecutive victory.

Cleveland’s Gerald Wilkins missed an open 20-footer from the baseline as the buzzer sounded.

Cleveland, which played most of the game without flu-ridden Brad Daugherty, got a season-high 29 points from Mark Price.

David Robinson had 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Spurs. Dennis Rodman grabbed 20 rebounds.