Jordan Hangs "Double Nickel" on Knicks in Fifth Game Back
March 28, 1995
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
Chicago Bulls (37-33) - 113 pts
New York Knickerbockers (44-24) - 111 pts
Some games do not live up to their advance billing. This one did. And so did Michael Jordan. The electric atmosphere was like Game 7 of the finals, opening night and the All-Star Game wrapped up in one. It was an incredible performance, even by Jordan's standards -- 55 points on 21 for 37 shooting. It was also his pass to Bill Wennington for an uncontested dunk with 3.1 seconds to play that lifted the Bulls to a thrilling 113-111 victory over the Knicks.
The Knicks still had a chance to answer, but it literally slipped away. Anthony Mason, playing his first game at the Garden since his five-game suspension, inbounded the ball at midcourt to Starks. When Starks tried to spin around Jordan, he slipped and lost control of the ball. It trickled beyond midcourt and when Starks retrieved it, he was called for a backcourt violation with 1.3 seconds to play, effectively ending the game.
The final moments were indeed pressure-packed. A Jordan jumper with 25.8 seconds left gave Chicago a 111-109 lead. The Knicks needed a basket, and Starks stepped forward, driving to the basket where he was fouled by Will Perdue with 14.6 seconds to play. Starks made both free throws to tie the game, setting up the final sequence.
When Jordan walked onto the Garden floor for the first time in the season, it was as if he had never left. His 35-point first half was worth the price of admission, perhaps even at scalpers' rates. It was vintage Jordan -- exactly what people had come to see, and exactly what Jordan's opponents had come to fear before his retirement.
Boxscores
Chicago Bulls
| Player | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | PTS |
| Michael Jordan | 39 | 21 | 37 | .568 | 3 | 4 | .750 | 10 | 11 | .909 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 55 |
| Scottie Pippen | 41 | 7 | 12 | .583 | 1 | 4 | .250 | 4 | 5 | .800 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 19 |
| B.J. Armstrong | 42 | 4 | 5 | .800 | 2 | 2 | 1.000 | 6 | 7 | .857 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
| Will Perdue | 21 | 3 | 4 | .750 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Steve Kerr | 14 | 2 | 5 | .400 | 1 | 3 | .333 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Luc Longley | 22 | 2 | 6 | .333 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Toni Kukoc | 30 | 1 | 6 | .167 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Corie Blount | 15 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Bill Wennington | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Pete Myers | 5 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Larry Krystkowiak | 6 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 240 | 42 | 78 | .538 | 8 | 15 | .533 | 21 | 25 | .840 | 35 | 13 | 6 | 113 |
New York Knickerbockers
| Player | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | PTS |
| Patrick Ewing | 42 | 10 | 21 | 0.476 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 16 | 23 | .696 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 36 |
| John Starks | 34 | 4 | 10 | .400 | 1 | 7 | .143 | 5 | 6 | .833 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 14 |
| Derek Harper | 37 | 7 | 11 | .636 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Anthony Bonner | 27 | 4 | 6 | .667 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 4 | 4 | 1.000 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| Anthony Mason | 22 | 3 | 3 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 4 | 6 | .667 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 10 |
| Charles Smith | 22 | 3 | 6 | .500 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2 | 5 | .400 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Charles Oakley | 25 | 4 | 5 | .800 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Hubert Davis | 14 | 2 | 3 | .667 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Greg Anthony | 11 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Herb Williams | 6 | 1 | 4 | .250 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Team Totals | 240 | 39 | 71 | .549 | 2 | 11 | .182 | 31 | 44 | .705 | 36 | 26 | 10 | 111 |
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