“Bulls had the worst game in NBA history without Michael Jordan”: How the Jordan-less Bulls scored only 49 points against the Miami Heat

The Chicago Bulls scored merely 49 points in a game against the Miami Heat in April of 1999, less than a year after Michael Jordan retired. 

The Chicago Bulls put the entirety of the NBA in a chokehold during the 1990s as they won 6 championships in a span of eight seasons with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen at the helm. Legends such as Karl Malone, Reggie Miller, John Stockton, and Patrick Ewing would eventually retire ring-less due to Jordan’s dominance. 

Unfortunately, every dynasty has to come to an end and the Chicago Bulls weren’t exempt from this. As heavily detailed in the ‘Last Dance’ docuseries, Jerry Krause made it very clear that Phil Jackson would not return as head coach in 1999, regardless of the outcome of the prior season.

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Michael Jordan famously said that he would not return to the Chicago Bulls if Phil wasn’t the HC. So, despite winning the 1998 NBA championship, the title core disbanded with the ‘GOAT’ retiring for a second time, Dennis Rodman going to the Lakers, and Pippen signing with the Rockets. 

How the Bulls had one of the worst games in NBA history the season after Michael Jordan left. 

Who would’ve thought that the Chicago Bulls would become a poverty franchise after Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Phil Jackson all left at the same time. In all seriousness, it was pretty easy to predict that the 6x champs would be a lottery team going into the 1998-99 season. 

However, what happened on April 10th, 1999, was quite unprecedented, even for a team with as low talent as the Bulls. 

The Miami Heat faced off against Chicago on this night and handily beat them 82-49, making it the lowest scoring game for a team since the shot-clock era. They also posted the worst field goal percentage for a regular season game in NBA shot clock history at a measly 23.4%.

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The leading scorer for the Bulls was Kornel David, a man who spent merely 2 years in the league, who had 13. Toni Kukoc contributed 10 points while going 4-16 from the field.