NBA Roundup : With Walter Davis in Lineup, Suns Defeat Sonics, 120-109

After missing 47 games, Walter Davis of the Phoenix Suns made his seasonal debut Sunday night and the Suns came up with a 120-109 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics at Phoenix.

Davis injured a knee on a slippery floor in an exhibition game against the Lakers at the Forum, and it was feared he might miss the entire season.

He played only 14 minutes, made only three of eight shots and finished with 11 points.

While Davis was working himself back into playing condition after the freak mishap, the Suns fell so far behind the Lakers in the Pacific Division that they had to set their sights on second place.

In one of their most spirited performances of the season, the Suns, with Maurice Lucas coming off the bench to score 19 points, took an early lead and breezed. The win moved them 2 1/2-games in front of Seattle in the battle for second place.

“Most important,” said Davis, who was hurt Oct. 9, “was for us to win. I didn’t know if I would be back. But here I am, and it really feels good.”

Davis sank a 12-foot jumper the first time he touched the ball.

Dallas 114, Denver 106--The Nuggets went into Texas over the weekend with a chance to take a commanding lead in the Midwest Division. Instead, they find themselves in a tight race.

The Nuggets lost a tough double overtime game at Houston Saturday night and may have been tired Sunday at Dallas.

After building a 12-point lead in the second quarter, the Nuggets slowly began to run out of gas.

Rookie Sam Perkins, getting a rare opportunity to start, had 18 points and a career-high 18 rebounds to help the Mavericks grab a 54-37 margin on the boards.

The Nuggets were leading by a point with five minutes remaining when Perkins broke it open. He put Dallas ahead with a layup, followed with an offensive rebound, a dunk and a free throw and the Nuggets were done.

The Mavericks had lost six of eight.