Full Game: A 49-Point Force of Will | Bulls vs Clippers Double OT (November 21, 1997)

In a performance that would come to define the Sisyphean burden he shouldered early in the 1997-98 season, Michael Jordan single-handedly willed the Chicago Bulls to their first road victory. With Scottie Pippen sidelined by injury, a struggling Bulls squad entered Los Angeles with an uncharacteristic 0-4 road record, facing a 1-10 Clippers team primed for an upset. What followed was a double-overtime epic, a test of endurance and resolve where Jordan's singular greatness was the only constant in a chaotic, back-and-forth battle.

Timestamped Index:

00:02:44 - Pre-game: A vulnerable Bulls team, 0-4 on the road without Scottie Pippen.
00:13:55 - Lorenzen Wright emphatically blocks Michael Jordan, signaling the Clippers' early energy.
00:24:40 - The upstart Clippers, fueled by their revamped lineup, build an early 19-12 lead.
00:33:41 - Rookie Maurice Taylor makes his presence felt, pushing the Clippers' advantage to 31-16.
00:47:46 - The Bulls storm back with a methodical 18-3 run to erase the massive deficit.
00:53:08 - Dennis Rodman is assessed a flagrant foul for a hard takedown of Brent Barry.
01:44:15 - Jordan's signature fadeaway gives the Bulls a crucial 89-88 lead with 1:15 remaining.
01:49:50 - Jordan misses the potential game-winning shot at the buzzer, sending the contest to overtime.
02:07:29 - A catastrophic backcourt violation by the Clippers gives the Bulls a critical possession late in the first OT.
02:10:51 - The defining sequence: Jordan misses a free throw, grabs his own rebound, and scores to tie the game at 102.
02:14:35 - Derek Martin's shot at the end of the first overtime is off; the game heads to a second OT.
02:18:15 - Jordan hits a fadeaway jumper to start his complete takeover of the second overtime.
02:19:33 - A pull-up jumper by Jordan completes an 11-0 scoring run by the Bulls, all orchestrated by him.
02:26:52 - Final moments of Jordan's 49-point masterpiece as the Bulls seal the improbable victory.

The narrative surrounding the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls was one of impending collapse. Labeled "The Last Dance" by coach Phil Jackson, the season began not with a bang, but a whimper. Without the injured Scottie Pippen, the Bulls' offense was stagnant and their road presence non-existent. "Jordan kept waiting for somebody else to help him," one broadcaster noted. "Nobody else would help him for that game."

Against a Los Angeles Clippers team with its own extensive struggles, including a 1-10 record and the absence of star forward Loy Vaught, the Bulls' vulnerability was on full display. The Clippers, energized by lineup changes that inserted Lorenzen Wright and Pooh Richardson into starting roles, shocked the defending champions, racing out to an 18-point lead at 36-18. The Bulls looked, as commentator Bill Walton observed, "so flat and so lifeless."

The comeback was a slow grind, initially powered by an unlikely source: center Luc Longley, who scored 15 first-half points. But as the game tightened, it became exclusively the Michael Jordan show. He methodically dismantled the Clippers' defense, primarily guarded by a young Brent Barry, who was playing in what was described as "the biggest game in [his] life."

The contest devolved into a classic duel of attrition. Regulation and the first overtime were not enough to separate the teams, with both defenses forcing tough shots. The game's pivotal moment came with 13 seconds left in the first overtime. Trailing 102-100, Jordan went to the line, made the first free throw, and deliberately missed the second. In a stunning display of will and anticipation, he beat everyone to the ball, secured his own rebound, and scored the tying basket.

That sequence broke the Clippers' spirit. In the second overtime, Jordan was a force of nature. He scored all nine of the Bulls' points in the period, outscoring the entire Clippers team 9-0 himself. He finished the game with a season-high 49 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, carrying his team to a 111-102 victory. It was a performance that answered the pressing question of the early season. As the broadcast concluded, "The answer to the question, 'Is Michael Jordan tired?' No... We saw greatness here tonight."