Clippers Will Play the Spurs Next Season in Mexico City

By SCOTT HOWARD-COOPER

June 8, 1998 12 AM PT

CHICAGO — The Clippers and San Antonio Spurs will play a regular-season game during 1998-99 in Mexico City, the NBA announced Sunday.

Both teams also played an exhibition tournament there in 1994, but the Dec. 12 contest marks the second season in a row the league has staged a regular-season game at Palacio do los Deportes. The Dallas-Houston game this season drew a crowd of 20,635.

The Clippers will be considered the home team, meaning they have to forfeit one game at the Sports Arena. But the league will reimburse them for the lost revenue, paying a sum that would equal a sellout.

The NBA has also had regular-season games in Japan, but the only other contest scheduled outside the United States and Canada for 1998-99 is Miami’s trip to Israel for an exhibition contest against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

University of Arizona guard Mike Bibby, in town to take a physical at a pre-draft camp, attended the game before heading to Los Angeles to work out for the Clippers on Tuesday.

Since the Clippers have the No. 1 pick, and all indications are they will take him barring a trade, agent David Falk has decided that will be the only visit Bibby makes to any team. He also chose not to take part in drills at games nearby at Moody Bible College, coming to Chicago only for the mandatory physical.

He finishes that today. Then, Los Angeles.

“I’m going to be nervous, but I can’t look at it that way,” Bibby said. “I’ve just got to go in there and play like I’ve been practicing.”

On the other hand, at least Karl Malone showed.

The superstar power forward, 14 of 41 the first two games, made his first six shots and was eight of 11 overall Sunday as the only bright spot for the Jazz.

“Karl Malone did his job and no one else did his job,” said Greg Ostertag, who replaced Greg Foster as the starting center.

And even Malone didn’t do it for long. For the second game in a row, the Bulls forced him out of the offense, limiting him to four shots in the second half Wednesday in Salt Lake City and five attempts in the second and third quarters Sunday at the United Center before he sat out the fourth quarter.

“They did a hell of a lot,” Malone said of the Chicago defense. “I think they cut [shots] down on everybody. They had a hell of a defensive game.”