clarinews@clarinet.com (JOE CIALINI, UPI Sports Writer) (01/13/90)
PHILADELPHIA (UPI) -- If Mark Price was hoping to lull the Philadelphia 76ers into complacency, he was successful in his strategy. Price scored only five points in the first half but came alive with 25 in the second Friday night to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 113-102 victory over the 76ers. ``Once I hit a couple (of shots), I was able to get open in the second half,'' said Price, who was 8-for-10 from the field after intermission as Cleveland won for the third time in four games. Price, whose 30 points were a season high, scored six straight points and Larry Nance added a follow shot as Cleveland used an 8-0 spurt to take a 68-57 lead with 6:36 to play in the third quarter. ``We started slowly but we got back in it and I thought that in the second half, we controlled the tempo and were able to do what we wanted to do,'' Price said. ``We shot the ball well (60 percent from the field as a team) and when we do that, we have a chance to win.'' Philadelphia closed within 80-77 on a jumper by Ron Anderson with 1:06 left in the period but the Cavaliers took an 84-79 advantage into the fourth quarter. Cleveland then scored the first seven points of the final period, as Nance scored two baskets and Price had a three-point play, to take a 91-79 lead. After the Cavaliers took a 98-85 advantage on a basket by John Williams, Philadelphia scored eight straight points to close within 98-93 on a basket by Anderson with 6:43 to play. Price canned a jumper as the 24-second clock expired, was fouled and hit a free throw to restore the Cleveland lead to 101-93. ``Every time we made a run, Mark Price did something spectacular,'' Philadelphia's Charles Barkley said. ``We didn't play well and we lost the game. It happens sometimes.'' A jumper by Johnny Dawkins cut the Cavaliers' advantage to 103-98 but Price sank two free throws for a 105-98 lead with 2:49 to play. A basket by Barkley, who had 21 points, brought Philadelphia within 105-100 but Craig Ehlo scored on a layup and John Williams hit two foul shots to put Cleveland ahead 109-100 with 47 seconds left and the 76ers never got closer than seven points. John Williams added 22 points, Ehlo had 19 and Nance scored 16 as Cleveland snapped Philadelphia's four-game home winning streak and won for only the fifth time in 15 road games this season. ``Anytime you win on the road, that has to be a big confidence builder,'' Ehlo said. ``We'd like to establish ourselves with some wins at home but if we can do it on the road, that's even better.'' Anderson had 21 points and Mike Gminski 17 for the 76ers, whose record at the Spectrum dropped to 12-3 this season. ``We lost the flow after the first quarter,'' Philadelphia Coach Jim Lynam said. ``We lost our momentum and never regained it. I thought Price distributed the ball well in the first half and then he shot very well in the second.'' Steve Kerr had 12 points in the second quarter, hitting three three-point shots, as Cleveland outscored Philadelphia 35-21 to take a 53-51 lead at intermission. The Cavaliers hit 13-of-18 shots (72 percent) in the period. The 76ers scored seven straight points to take a 12-4 lead on a basket by Barkley and tallied 10 of the last 14 in the first quarter to take a 29-18 advantage at the end of the period and improved their lead to 13 (31-18) early in the second quarter before Cleveland rallied.