clarinews@clarinet.com (JOE CIALINI, UPI Sports Writer) (01/11/90)
Philadelphia's much-maligned bench made it possible for Charles
Barkley to hit the game-winning shot.
Barkley scored 24 points and sank a 14-foot jumper with 2.7 seconds
to play Wednesday night to give the 76ers a 113-111 victory over the New
York Knicks.
But that shot would not have been meaningful without the
contributions of Ron Anderson, Derek Smith and Corey Gaines off the
Philadelphia bench.
The 76ers' reserves, who have heard critics blame them for the
team's woes, outscored their New York counterparts 43-19.
``The bench is being blamed for a lot of problems with the team,
especially off the (recent 2-5) road trip,'' said Smith, who scored 10
of his 18 points in the fourth quarter before bruising both his knees in
a collision with Mark Jackson. ``I disagree with it.
``It's tough to deal with it and the only way to deal with it is to
play better and play harder and prove you belong. The guys on the bench
have pride.''
The 76ers went ahead by 15 points twice in the second quarter but
the Knicks fought back and used a 9-2 run to tie the score at 111-111 on
a 3-point basket by Jackson with 15.4 seconds to play.
But Barkley spun away from defender Charles Oakley and hit a shot
from just inside the foul line to give Philadelphia its 12th win in 14
home games and hand New York only its third loss in its last 15 games.
``I wanted to make sure we got the last shot,'' said Barkley, who
was 9-of-10 from the field and also grabbed 12 rebounds. ``He went for
the steal, I reversed and got the shot off. We were very lucky it went
in.''
Jackson, who had a season-high 33 points, missed a three-point shot
with less than one second to play and Gerald Wilkins' tap was wide as
time expired.
Jackson's 3-point play cut the Philadelphia lead to 109-108 with
37.4 seconds left in the game but Barkley canned two from the line for a
111-108 advantage with 22.4 seconds to go.
Anderson scored 21 points and Hersey Hawkins and Rick Mahorn had 18
each for the 76ers, who closed within five games of the first-place
Knicks in the Atlantic Division.
Charles Oakley added 18 for the Knicks and Patrick Ewing had 15,
below his average of 28.5 points per game.
``We have no excuses,'' Jackson said. ``Philly just outplayed us.''
In other games, Indiana whipped Chicago 120-113, Milwaukee clubbed
Cleveland 116-100, Boston topped Detroit 104-97, the Los Angeles
Clippers turned back Atlanta 115-109, Utah crushed Denver 130-99, Golden
State held off Dallas 123-119 and the Los Angeles Lakers dumped Orlando
121-106.
_P_a_c_e_r_s_ _1_2_0_,_ _B_u_l_l_s_ _1_1_3
At Indianapolis, Reggie Miller scored 44 points, a career-high for
the third-year guard, and Indiana snapped a five-game losing streak.
Michael Jordan scored 35 points to lead Chicago. Person scored 17 and
Rik Smits added 16 for the Pacers.
_B_u_c_k_s_ _1_1_6_,_ _C_a_v_a_l_i_e_r_s_ _1_0_0
At Richfield, Ohio, Ricky Pierce scored 31 points and Alvin
Robertson added 23, eight in a 23-8 Milwaukee run to start the second
half, to lead the Bucks to their fourth straight win. Cleveland was led
by 23 points from John ``Hot Rod'' Williams, 22 points from Larry Nance
and 18 from rookie Chucky Brown.
_C_e_l_t_i_c_s_ _1_0_4_,_ _P_i_s_t_o_n_s_ _9_7
At Boston, Reggie Lewis scored a season-high 32 points and Kevin
McHale added 30 in his first start of the year, helping the Celtics snap
Detroit's six-game winning streak. The Celtics played their third
straight game without Larry Bird, out with a sprained ankle. Detroit was
led by James Edwards' 22 points.
_C_l_i_p_p_e_r_s_ _1_1_5_,_ _H_a_w_k_s_ _1_0_9
At Atlanta, Ron Harper and Danny Manning combined for 64 points,
including 21 in the fourth quarter, to spark Los Angles. Los Angeles got
37 points from Harper while Manning added 27. Atlanta was paced by Moses
Malone with 27 points while Dominique Wilkins added 25.
_J_a_z_z_ _1_3_0_,_ _N_u_g_g_e_t_s_ _9_9
At Salt Lake City, Karl Malone scored 31 points to power Utah.
Malone went 9 of 9 from the field to help Utah to a 29-12 lead and a
score of 38-17 after the first period. The 31-point margin of victory
was Utah's biggest win ever over the Nuggets. Blair Rasmussen led Denver
with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
_W_a_r_r_i_o_r_s_ _1_2_3_,_ _M_a_v_e_r_i_c_k_s_ _1_1_9
At Oakland, Calif., Terry Teagle made 4 free throws in the final 24
seconds to lift Golden State to its fifth straight win. Rolando Blackman
of Dallas led all scorers with 30 points. Chris Mullin added 25 points
and Sarunas Marciulionis added a season-high 23 for the Warriors.
_L_a_k_e_r_s_ _1_2_1_,_ _M_a_g_i_c_ _1_0_6
At Inglewood, Calif., Magic Johnson amassed 16 points and 13
assists to lead Los Angeles. Byron Scott led the Lakers with 20 points.
Orlando Woolridge came off the bench to score 18 points and James Worthy
added 15. Orlando's Otis Smith led all scorers with 28 points. Terry
Catledge added 17 for the Magic.clarinews@clarinet.com (JEFF SHAIN, UPI Sports Writer) (01/12/90)
The Portland Trail Blazers won their sixth straight game Thursday
night despite hitting just nine shots from the floor in the second half.
Terry Porter hit two free throws with 14 seconds remaining, lifting
the Trail Blazers to an 82-80 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in
a game marred by poor field-goal shooting on both sides.
The Blazers, 24-10, shot just 34 percent from the floor on the
night, including a 9-for-40 performance after halftime. The Timberwolves
were no better, shooting an erratic 31 percent.
``I guess that's what makes a good team,'' Porter said. ``Some
teams are good enough to win even when they're not playing well, and we
definitely were that tonight. Minnesota did a good job on defense. They
didn't let us get our fast break going, and that's not when we're at our
best.''
The Timberwolves tied the score 80-80 on Tony Campbell's
three-point play with 2:16 remaining. But neither team scored the rest
of the way until Porter drove the lane, was fouled, and hit the free
throws.
Minnesota failed on its final possession when Scott Roth's 18-foot
shot misfired at the buzzer.
``We did everything we wanted to do but make our shots,''
Minnesota's Tod Murphy said. ``It's not often you hold a team as good as
Portland to 34 percent shooting.''
Campbell's 26 points and Portland's Clyde Drexler, with 18, were
the lone players to score more than 12 points.
Minnesota, which lost its 15th game in its last 17 tries to drop to
7-27, outrebounded the taller Trail Blazers 56-53. Jerome Kersey had 15
rebounds for Portland while Randy Breuer, acquired last week in a trade
with Milwaukee, had 11 rebounds in his home-court debut with Minnesota.
The Trail Blazers won largely without the guidance of Coach Rick
Adelman. Assistant John Wetzel directed the team after Adelman was
ejected near the end of the first period while protesting a foul call.
``I was shocked,'' Adelman said. ``That's the first time I've ever
been thrown out. I think they should add a fourth official to appeal to.
I'm just very happy we won the game.''
Elsewhere in the NBA Thursday night, Washington routed Miami
100-89, New Jersey topped Charlotte 109-101, Denver overwhelmed Orlando
141-105, Seattle beat Dallas 98-87 and Houston held off Sacramento
90-87.
_B_u_l_l_e_t_s_ _1_0_0_,_ _H_e_a_t_ _8_9
At Miami, Jeff Malone tossed in his 10,000th career point in the
first half and then dropped in 22 of his 39 points in the third quarter
to lead the Bullets. The Heat lost their 12th straight game, the second
longest losing streak in the team's two-year history.
_N_e_t_s_ _1_0_9_,_ _H_o_r_n_e_t_s_ _1_0_1
At East Rutherford, N.J., Purvis Short scored 29 points to lead the
Nets to their first three-game winning streak in three years. Short,
making his second start of the year, hit on 13 of 24 shots as New Jersey
handed the Hornets their third straight loss.
_N_u_g_g_e_t_s_ _1_4_1_,_ _M_a_g_i_c_ _1_0_5
At Denver, Fat Lever scored a season-high 27 points and grabbed 14
rebounds as the Nuggets handed Orlando its 13th consecutive road loss.
Denver, which had suffered a 31-point loss at Utah Wednesday, broke its
three-game losing streak.
_S_o_n_i_c_s_ _9_8_,_ _M_a_v_e_r_i_c_k_s_ _8_7
At Seattle, Dale Ellis scored 29 points, including 11 during a
decisive 26-7 run in the fourth quarter, to lead the SuperSonics. Ellis
hit 7 of 10 shots from the floor in the second half to help snap Seattle
out of a slump in which they had lost four of their last six games.
_R_o_c_k_e_t_s_ _9_0_,_ _K_i_n_g_s_ _8_7
At Sacramento, Calif., Akeem Olajuwon scored 10 of his 27 points in
the fourth quarter as the Rockets ended a 10-game road losing streak.
Houston rallied from a 16-point defict late in the third quarter for the
victory.clarinews@clarinet.com (JOE CIALINI, UPI Sports Writer) (01/13/90)
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.
Anderson had 21 points and Mike Gminski 17 for the 76ers, whose
record at the Spectrum dropped to 12-3 this season.
In other games, San Antonio downed Boston 97-90, Detroit whipped
Minnesota 97-86, New York outlasted Indiana 101-96 in overtime, Chicago
hammered Charlotte 107-95, the Los Angeles Clippers nipped Milwaukee
95-94, Phoenix bombed Sacramento 111-96 and the Los Angeles Lakers
cruised past Houston 108-97.
_S_p_u_r_s_ _9_7_,_ _C_e_l_t_i_c_s_ _9_0
At Boston, Willie Anderson scored 21 points and San Antonio ended
its 10-year, 20-game losing streak to the Celtics despite scoring just 9
points in the third quarter. For San Antonio, David Robinson and Terry
Cummings scored 18 points apiece. Reggie Lewis led Boston with 22
points.
_P_i_s_t_o_n_s_ _9_7_,_ _T_i_m_b_e_r_w_o_l_v_e_s_ _8_6
At Auburn Hills, Mich., Isiah Thomas scored 23 points and Joe
Dumars added 19 to lead Detroit. Minnesota's Tony Campbell led all
scorers with 28 points. Tyrone Corbin added 17 for the Timberwolves, who
have lost four straight.
_K_n_i_c_k_s_ _1_0_1_,_ _P_a_c_e_r_s_ _9_6_,_ _O_T
At Indianapolis, Patrick Ewing scored 20 points and blocked 7
shots, leading New York to its ninth straight triumph over Indiana.
Detlef Schrempf's game-high 26 points matched a career high for Indiana.
Gerald Wilkins added 18 points for the Knicks.
_B_u_l_l_s_ _1_0_7_,_ _H_o_r_n_e_t_s_ _9_5
At Charlotte, N.C., Michael Jordan scored 45 points to help Chicago
break a three-game losing streak. The Bulls never relinquished the lead
in the last three quarters. Armon Gilliam scored 26 points and Rex
Chapman 24 for the Hornets, who lost their fourth straight.
_C_l_i_p_p_e_r_s_ _9_5_,_ _B_u_c_k_s_ _9_4
At Milwaukee, Ron Harper scored 23 points and Charles Smith added
22 to help Los Angeles snap the Bucks' four-game winning streak.
Milwaukee's Paul Pressey missed a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer. Ricky
Pierce scored 25 points for the Bucks, who had won eight straight
against the Clippers.
_S_u_n_s_ _1_1_1_,_ _K_i_n_g_s_ _9_6
At Phoenix, Tom Chambers led six Suns in double figures with 27
points. Danny Ainge was high scorer for Sacramento with 16 points.
Wayman Tisdale and Rodney McCray added 15 points each for the Kings, who
have dropped four out of five.
_L_a_k_e_r_s_ _1_0_8_,_ _R_o_c_k_e_t_s_ _9_7
At Inglewood, Calif., Magic Johnson notched his fifth triple-double
of the year with 31 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in leading Los
Angeles. Orlando Woolridge came off the bench to score 17 points for the
Lakers.Mitchell Wiggins and Akeem Olajuwon paced the Rockets with 18
points each.clarinews@clarinet.com (STEPHEN RUTKOWSKI, UPI Sports Writer) (01/16/90)
The NBA's top scorer failed to lead his team to victory, so one of
the league's 3-point sharpshooters accomplished the task.
With the score tied 106-106, Michael Jordan, entering Monday's game
with a 32.9 scoring average, missed a 3-point shot with five seconds
left. With one-tenth of a second remaining, Trent Tucker, seventh in the
league in 3-point shooting, connected on a 26-foot basket to lift the
Knicks to a 109-106 victory in New York.
``I just threw it up and the Lord answered my prayer,'' said
Tucker, who set a Knicks record last season with 118 3-pointers.
Mark Jackson inbounded the ball to Tucker along the right sideline
when his original choice, Patrick Ewing, was covered under the basket.
Tucker delivered a high-arching shot to provide the Knicks with their
third successive victory.
``The play was designed for Patrick (Ewing), we were looking for
the lob. But I just kept coming and Mark (Jackson) gave me the ball.''
In the final minute, Jordan committed a turnover when he dribbled
the ball off his foot and it bounced out of bounds with 0:47 remaining.
The Bulls got the ball back with 21 seconds left but Jordan missed the
shot with five seconds to go and Oakley rebounded for New York.
Jackson was fouled by Scottie Pippen with 0:01 on the clock, but it
was not a shooting foul, so the Knicks only got to inbounds the ball.
Bulls Coach Phil Jackson, who played 11 seasons with the Knicks,
could not believe that Tucker could get off a shot with less than a
second left.
``A second or two, maybe,'' said Jackson, ``but in one-tenth of a
second it can not be done. You can not shoot a shot in that time. The
officials are still getting adjusted to the tenths of a second.''
The victory gave New York a 17-l record at home while the loss left
Chicago 9-12 on the road and broke a modest two-game win streak.
``We're growing up as a basketball team,'' said Tucker, who
finished with 12 points. ``We don't make the mistakes down the stretch
that we made the last couple of years.''
Ewing had 33 points and added 12 rebounds. Charles Oakley and
Johnny Newman had 16 points each for New York, with Oakley contributing
11 rebounds.
Jordan led Chicago with 26 points, but had an off-game shooting,
hitting 9 of 24 attempts. He was only 3 of 13 at the half.
Elsewhere in the NBA, Miami ripped Washington 111-105, Cleveland
clipped San Antonio 92-89, Denver downed Dallas 101-90, the Los Angeles
Lakers defeated Sacramento 111-91, Indiana routed Golden State 144-105,
Seattle held off Houston 105-101 and Phoenix defeated Charlotte 118-108
in overtime.
_H_e_a_t_ _1_1_1_,_ _B_u_l_l_e_t_s_ _1_0_5
At Landover, Md., rookie Glen Rice scored 11 points in the fourth
quarter and matched his season-high with 27 points, helping Miami end a
13-game losing streak and win for the first time in seven road games.
Washington has lost 11 of 13 games.
_C_a_v_a_l_i_e_r_s_ _9_2_,_ _S_p_u_r_s_ _8_9
At Richfield, Ohio, Mark Price scored 25 points and registered his
first career triple-double to help Cleveland past San Antonio. Price
passed for 12 assists and pulled down 11 rebounds. He also made 6
3-pointers as the Cavaliers set a team record with 10 3-point shots.
_N_u_g_g_e_t_s_ _1_0_1_,_ _M_a_v_e_r_i_c_k_s_ _9_0
At Denver, Alex English scored a season-high 29 points, including
10 in the first five minutes of the game. Blair Rasmussen added 20 for
Denver. Derek Harper scored 26 points for Dallas, losers of four
straight games.
_L_a_k_e_r_s_ _1_1_1_,_ _K_i_n_g_s_ _9_1
At Inglewood, Calif., A.C. Green and Vlade Divac scored 25 points
each to help the Lakers past Sacramento, losers of three straight games.
Magic Johnson added 17 points and James Worthy 14 for the Lakers. Kenny
Smith paced the Kings with 20 points.
_P_a_c_e_r_s_ _1_4_4_,_ _W_a_r_r_i_o_r_s_ _1_0_5
At Indianapolis, Detlef Schrempf and Chuck Person each scored 24
points, leading seven Indiana players in double figures. The Pacers led
44-28 after one quarter and 86-48 at halftime, setting team records for
first-quarter points, second-quarter points and scoring in a half.
Golden State lost its sixth straight game.
_S_o_n_i_c_s_ _1_0_5_,_ _R_o_c_k_e_t_s_ _1_0_1
At Seattle, Xavier McDaniel scored 25 points and Sedale Threatt
added 21 to help Seattle extend its home winning streak to five games.
Mitchell Wiggins, playing his third game since coming off the injured
list, led Houston with 23 points.
_S_u_n_s_ _1_1_8_,_ _H_o_r_n_e_t_s_ _1_0_8_,_ _O_T
At Phoenix, Tom Chambers scored 40 points and Kevin Johnson added
23, including 6 in overtime, to lead Phoenix over Charlotte. Johnson,
who added 11 assists, hit a driving layup to open the extra period then
added two free throws to put the Suns ahead 110-106.clarinews@clarinet.com (United Press International) (01/18/90)
The acquisition of a former Detroit ``Bad Boy'' has helped make the Philadelphia 76ers too good for the world champion Pistons. Philadelphia won a rough 112-108 victory Wednesday night at The Spectrum and remains perfect at 2-0 against Detroit. The game was filled with confrontations as former Piston enforcer Rick Mahorn made his presence felt underneath the boards. ``We're not going to be intimidated by anybody, not in this building,'' said the 76ers' Charles Barkley. ``There's nothing worse than being intimidated at home.'' Mahorn helped create the Pistons' ``bad boy'' image and was a major factor in their championship season. He was selected by Minnesota as the first pick in the expansion draft and then traded to the 76ers, who had lost eight straight games to Detroit over the past two years, and sought a physical rebounder. Philadelphia Coach Jim Lynam said of the Pistons' hard play, ``That's why they're the defending world champions ... (these) two teams just went toe to toe.'' The winning basket came after Laimbeer blocked a shot by Mahorn. Barkley grabbed the rebound and laid it in. With five seconds to go, Isiah Thomas lost the ball out of bounds on a drive to the basket and Barkley hit a dunk with two-tenths of a second left for the final margin. Johnny Dawkins, who was guarding Thomas, said, ``I was just trying to keep him from turning the corner. That's the only thing you can do ... I was hoping to make him pass the ball and let somebody else beat us. Luckily, it worked out OK.'' Not for Pistons Coach Chuck Daly. ``He (Thomas) turned to move around him off the dribble, he got bumped and took (the ball) off his foot,'' Daly said. ``It should have been a foul, but I'm not an official.'' Detroit, which lost for only the third time in its last 15 games, got a season-high 32 points from James Edwards, 17 from Joe Dumars and 16 from Thomas. Hersey Hawkins scored 25 points and Mike Gminski added 20 for Philadelphia, Philadelphia was without sixth man Ron Anderson, who sprained his left knee in Saturday night's game against Washington. In other NBA games, Miami downed Indiana 121-111, Boston defeated Orlando 133-111, Houston topped Cleveland 107-98, New Jersey stopped Washington 115-106, Phoenix routed Dallas 108-88, San Antonio edged New York 101-97, Utah out-played Atlanta 95-88 and the Los Angeles Lakers downed Seattle 100-90, Heat 121, Pacers 111 At Miami, Rony Seikaly scored a career-high 31 points and rookie Sherman Douglas scored 17 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter as Indiana lost its fifth consecutive road game. The Pacers were led by Chuck Person's 32 points, Reggie Miller added 26 and Vern Fleming 25. _C_e_l_t_i_c_s_ _1_3_3_,_ _M_a_g_i_c_ _1_1_1 In Orlando, Robert Parish scored 25 points and grabbed 16 rebounds and Kevin McHale added 21 points as the Celtics shot 58 percent from the floor and hit 25 of 26 free throws. The Magic was led by Terry Catledge with 24 points. _R_o_c_k_e_t_s_ _1_0_7_,_ _C_a_v_a_l_i_e_r_s_ _9_8 In Houston, Buck Johnson scored 22 points, Otis Thorpe added 21 and Akeem Olajuwon finished with 19 points and 19 rebounds as the Rockets won their seventh straight home game. Larry Nance paced Cleveland with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Mark Price added 17 points. _N_e_t_s_ _1_1_5_,_ _B_u_l_l_e_t_s_ _1_0_6 At East Rutherford, N.J., Sam Bowie scored 22 points and collected 14 rebounds as New Jersey handed Washington its third straight loss. Mookie Blaylock and Dennis Hopson each scored 18 points for the Nets, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Ledell Eackles led the Bullets with 21 points. _S_u_n_s_ _1_0_8_,_ _M_a_v_e_r_i_c_k_s_ _8_8 In Dallas, Tom Chambers scored 26 points and Jeff Hornacek added 22 as Phoenix won its fifth straight game and handed Dallas its fifth consecutive loss. The Suns out-rebounded the Mavericks 53-33 with Kurt Rambis gathering in 15 misses. The Mavericks were led by Rolando Blackman's 17 points. Spurs 101, Knicks 97 In San Antonio, Willie Anderson scored 7 of his 26 points in the final minute and Terry Cummings added 21 points to pace the Spurs, the league's most improved team, who are now 24-10. New York was led by Patrick Ewing's 27 points and Johnny Newman added 18 points. _L_a_k_e_r_s_ _1_0_0_,_ _S_o_n_i_c_s_ _9_0 At Inglewood, Calif., James Worthy scored 24 points and Magic Johnson added 22 as the Lakers won their fourth in a row and improved their NBA-best record to 27-8. Sedale Threatt led the visitors with 26 points. Seattle is without its top scorer, Dale Ellis, who is out indefinitely since breaking three ribs in an auto accident. _J_a_z_z_ _9_5_,_ _H_a_w_k_s_ _8_8 In Salt Lake City, Karl Malone scored 40 points and John Stockton totalled 20 points and 13 assists to lead Utah to its fourth straight victory. Atlanta, led by Dominique Wilkins' 27 points, has lost five straight. Malone has scored at least 40 points in four of his last five games.
clarinews@clarinet.com (ROBERT J. MURPHY, UPI Sports Writer) (02/02/90)
What the Chicago Bulls did to Atlanta on Monday they got back in
their face Thursday from the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets, led by Otis Thorpe's 30 points and 13 rebounds,
sprinted out to a 41-21 lead after one quarter and coasted to 133-112
rout of the Bulls at Houston. Chicago, on the first leg of a six-game
road trip, was coming off a 121-111 victory over the Hawks in which they
led 35-15 after one.
Needless to say, it was an uncomfortable night for rookie Bulls
Coach Phil Jackson, whose team suffered its worst loss of the season.
``I have only one thing to say,'' Jackon said. ``This is one of the
longest nights I have ever had in the NBA, and I have been in this
league 18 years.''
Akeem Olajuwon finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 7 blocked
shots for the Rockets, while Eric ``Sleepy'' Floyd had 20 points and 7
assists.
Houston had won 10 straight at home before losing to the Mavericks
on Saturday and were beaten again at Dallas Wednesday night.
``We really needed this game tonight,'' said Thorpe, who has scored
59 points in his last two games. ``We jumped right on them and stayed
right there. I wanted to establish myself and to protect my territory.''
Chicago received the usual peformance from Michael Jordan, who led
all scorers with 35 points. The only other Chicago starter in double
figures was Scottie Pippen with 10.
``It is sad, but there are going to be nights like this,'' said
Jordan, who left the game with 8:27 to play and his team trailing
122-89. ``We were never in this ballgame. We did not show up tonight.''
The Rockets never allowed the Bulls closer than 12 after their
first-quarter outburst. They led 77-55 at the half, grabbed their first
30-point lead with 5:44 left to play in the third quarter on a pair of
Thorpe free throws, then led 110-80 entering the final period.
``Last night we could not hit anything,'' said Houston Coach Don
Chaney, referring to the 98-91 loss at Dallas in which the Rockets
scored just 11 points in the fourth quarter. ``Tonight, we came out
shooting well right off the bat. I would like to see us have the same
mental intensity on the road.''
Elsewhere around the NBA Thursday night, New York knocked off
Sacramento 96-89; Milwaukee breezed past Orlando 129-111; Phoenix handed
Atlanta its third straight loss, 102-90; and Denver gave New Jersey its
seventh loss in a row, 123-112.
_K_n_i_c_k_s_ _9_6_,_ _K_i_n_g_s_ _8_9
At New York, Patrick Ewing scored 12 of his 31 points in the final
period and grabbed 9 rebounds. His basket with 6:46 to play put the
Knicks ahead to stay at 83-82. Johnny Newman finished with 19 points,
Charles Oakley l6 points and 16 rebounds and Mark Jackson 14 points for
New York. Waymon Tisdale led Sacramento with 22 points.
_B_u_c_k_s_ _1_2_9_,_ _M_a_g_i_c_ _1_1_1
At Milwaukee, Alvin Robertson registered his second triple-double
of the season with 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and eight
Bucks scored in double figures for their fifth straight home victory.
Orlando, 4-19 on the road, was led by Michael Ansley's 24 points. Magic
forward Sidney Green missed the game due to strep throat.
_S_u_n_s_ _1_0_2_,_ _H_a_w_k_s_ _9_0
At Phoenix, Dan Majerle came off the bench to score 10 of his 22
points in a 21-1 second-half run that gave the Suns their 10th straight
home win. Tom Chambers paced the Suns with 32 points, while Kevin
Johnson had 19 points and 16 assists. Moses Malone led Atlanta with 25
points and Dominique Wilkins added 21.
_N_u_g_g_e_t_s_ _1_2_3_,_ _N_e_t_s_ _1_1_2
At Denver, Alex English scored 20 of his 26 points in the second
half, while Lafayette Lever added 22 points, 13 assists and 9 rebounds
for the Nuggets, who broke a two-game losing streak. Rookie Mookie
Blaylock finished with 24 points and Dennis Hopson 23 for the Nets, who
suffered their 11th consecutive road loss.clarinews@clarinet.com (IAN LOVE, UPI Sports Writer) (02/03/90)
As the Philadelphia winning streak grows, so do the outlandish
claims by the Sixers Charles Barkley.
And so to does the play by the big Philadelphia forward. Barkley
scored 33 points and grabbed 14 rebounds Friday night to lead the
Philadelphia 76ers to their 10th straight victory, a 119-109 decision
over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The victory will also mark a fashion statement by Barkley and
teammate Rick Mahorn. The two made a pact if they won Friday night to
pierce their ears.
``It's something Rick and I had been talking about the whole day,''
Barkley said. ``I guess we're going to go out and do it tomorrow. If we
get to a point where the streak its 15 to 20 games I think I'll go out
and buy myself another car.''
The Sixers overcame a 13-point, third-quarter deficit as they moved
into a first place tie with the idle New York Knicks in the Atlantic
Division.
Mahorn had 22 points and Hersey Hawkins added 20 for Philadelphia.
Milwaukee was led by Alvin Robertson, with 19 points and Jack Sikma, who
had 16.
``We got big games from Charles and Rick,'' said Sixers Coach Jim
Lynam. ``They have been doing it all year for us. I would say this is
the best game of our streak.''
Trailing 96-89 with just under 11 minutes to play, Philadelphia
used a 23-9 run to race to a 112-105 lead on a basket by Barkley with
4:39 left. Barkley and Mahorn each scored 8 points during the spurt that
put the Bucks away.
In the third quarter, with Milwaukee ahead 75-63, Philadelphia went
on a 25-11 run over six minutes to take their first lead since the
opening quarter. Mike Gminski's jumper to put the Sixers up 87-86. But
Ricky Pierce hit a pair of jumpers to put the Bucks back on top 90-89
after three quarters.
``They outhustled us,'' said Bucks Coach Del Harris. ``They got the
ball inside on us too often. They definitely took the game to us
physically. They're playing with more confidence now since we last saw
them.''
In other games, Seattle stopped Indiana 87-86, Miami mauled the LA
Clippers 126-91, Washington whipped Sacramento 108-99, San Antonio
smashed Charlotte 118-107, Minnesota beat Boston 116-105, Utah upended
Dallas 105-92, the LA Lakers lashed Atlanta 112-106, and Golden State
grounded New Jersey 128-109.
_S_o_n_i_c_s_ _8_7_,_ _P_a_c_e_r_s_ _8_6
At Indianapolis, Xavier McDaniel scored 25 points and newly
acquired Quintin Dailey sank the winning free throw with six seconds
remaining, ending Seattle' 12-game losing streak. Reggie Miller led
Indiana with 23 points.
_H_e_a_t_ _1_2_6_,_ _C_l_i_p_p_e_r_s_ _9_1
At Miami, Kevin Edwards contributed 29 points to help Miami record
its largest victory in the two-year history of the franchise. LA's Gary
Grant suffered a broken fibula and is expected to be out six to eight
weeks.
_B_u_l_l_e_t_s_ _1_0_8_,_ _K_i_n_g_s_ _9_9
At Landover, Md., Jeff Malone scored 12 of his season-high 40
points during a decisive third period run and Washington kept Sacramento
winless at the Capital Centre since 1983. Rodney McCray scored 26 points
for the Kings.
_S_p_u_r_s_ _1_1_8_,_ _H_o_r_n_e_t_s_ _1_0_7
At Charlotte, N.C., Terry Cummings scored 29 points and rookie
David Robinson added a unique triple-double with 27 points, 15 rebounds
and 11 blocked shots to help San Antonio win its third straight.
Charlotte dropped its seventh straight.
_W_o_l_v_e_s_ _1_1_6_,_ _C_e_l_t_i_c_s_ _1_0_5
At Minneapolis, Tony Campbell scored 12 of his career-high 44
points and grabbed three key rebounds in the final 92 seconds to help
Minnesota beat Boston. The Metrodome crowd of 35,713 was the largest
crowd ever to watch a NBA game in Minnesota.
_J_a_z_z_ _1_0_5_,_ _M_a_v_e_r_i_c_k_s_ _9_2
At Salt Lake City, Karl Malone had 30 points and 12 rebounds to
help Utah to a franchise-record 13th straight home victory. John
Stockton added 18 points and 12 assists for Utah. Rolando Blackman
scored 23 points for the Mavericks, who had a seven-game winning streak
snapped.
_L_a_k_e_r_s_ _1_1_2_,_ _H_a_w_k_s_ _1_0_6
At Inglewood, Calif., Byron Scott scored 20 points and Magic
Johnson added 19 points and 13 assists, helping Los Angeles snap a
two-game losing skid. Dominique Wilkins scored 36 points for the Hawks,
who have lost four straight.
_W_a_r_r_i_o_r_s_ _1_2_8_,_ _N_e_t_s_ _1_0_9
At Oakland, Calif., Manute Bol set a franchise record with 13
blocked shots and Tim Hardaway had a second triple-double of the year as
Golden State won its 14th consectuvie home game. Hardaway wound up with
12 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists. Purvis Short led New Jersey with
21 points.