RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
CHICAGO (AP) -- Michael Jordan didn't miss much.
|  | | The Bulls' Elton Brand, right, blocks a shot by the Wizards' Juwan Howard. |
His old team's sellout streak ended after 13 years, and his new
team shot a measly 31 percent Tuesday night as the Washington
Wizards beat the Chicago Bulls 88-83.
"It was an ugly game," said Rod Strickland, who led the
Wizards with 21.
And one that would have pained his boss greatly. Although he
attended a Wizards-Bulls exhibition game at the United Center last
month, Jordan wasn't around to watch as the Wizards missed their
first 15 attempts and shot a dismal 13 percent in the first
quarter.
The only thing that saved them was Strickland -- and the Bulls'
propensity to foul. Strickland scored six points in the last two
minutes, and the Wizards scored 35 points (35-for-52) at the line.
"The free throws made up a lot for our poor shooting," said
Jahidi White, who made a career-high eight free throws. "It gave
us a boost and some easy baskets."
Chris Whitney added 17 for the Wizards. White had 12 points and
11 rebounds.
Rookie Khalid El-Amin led the Bulls with 21 points off the
bench, scoring 13 in the fourth quarter. Elton Brand added 15
points and 14 rebounds.
"It was just me getting the team energized. I was trying to get
the guys good shots," said El-Amin, who also had three assists.
"I'm upset a little, we should have won this game. We played so
hard. We did the right things up to that stretch and then we shot
ourselves in the foot."
As if dropping to 0-4 wasn't bad enough, the Bulls also saw an
era come to an end. The announced crowd of 21,312 fell 399 short of
a sellout, ending the NBA's longest active streak at 610 games. The
stretch, which began Nov. 20, 1987, was the third-longest in NBA
history.
Only the Portland TrailBlazers (814) and the Boston Celtics
(662) had longer runs.
"The fans have been remarkable," Bulls coach Tim Floyd said.
"I know that there's going to be nights when maybe they're not
here. They've watched a lot of great basketball. We're not a great
basketball team right now.
"We're trying to grow and get better. I think they've been
absolutely remarkable in terms of their patience and their
persistence as we continue to try and fight through this."
The Bulls took a 79-75 lead on Marcus Fizer's dunk with 2:14
left, but Strickland hit a layup and then made an amazing,
over-the-shoulder spin layup. Fouled on the basket, he missed the
free throw.
Bulls center Brad Miller broke his hand as he got the rebound
and lost the ball as he came down. Gerard King grabbed it and put
up a layup, and Washington never trailed again.
"We're up four with a minute and change, we have to win that,"
Brand said. "We have to really understand what it is to win in
this league. We're young and we're not accustomed to that."
The Wizards were horrid in the first quarter,
finishing 3-for-23 (13 percent). They didn't get their first field
goal until Felipe Lopez's layup with 5:08 left.
And it wasn't as if the Wizards didn't have chances. On one
possession, they missed four tries under the basket -- including
White going for a layup and missing when he hit the bottom of the
rim.
If not for their free throws, the Wizards would really have been
in trouble. They were 8-for-10 from the line in the first quarter.
"When you play that sound defensively, then not do a good job
on the offensive end and come out with a victory on the road,
that's good for our development at this stage of the season,"
Wizards coach Leonard Hamilton said.
Game notes
Miller said he expects to miss three to four weeks. ...
Leonard Hamilton was credited with a Washington basket by the Bulls
public address announcer. Leonard Hamilton is the Wizards coach.
The shot was really taken by Richard Hamilton, a Wizards guard. ...
Juwan Howard took a hard shot to his left eye in the first half. He
left the floor looking dazed, but returned to the game.
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NBA Scoreboard
Washington Clubhouse
Chicago Clubhouse
Bulls' sellout streak officially ends vs. Wizards
RECAPS
Toronto 105
Boston 75
New York 103
Milwaukee 89
Washington 88
Chicago 83
Houston 84
LA Lakers 74
Phoenix 100
San Antonio 81
Portland 97
Atlanta 88
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Rookie Khalid El-Amin gives a much-needed spark to the Bulls' offense.
avi: 913 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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