NBA Roundup : English Scores 31 to Lead Nuggets Past Suns, 110-103

Alex English scored 31 points and Calvin Natt added 23 Thursday night as the Denver Nuggets used a late fourth-period rally to defeat the Phoenix Suns, 110-103, at Phoenix.

The score was tied four times in the final period until Natt’s layup with 3:07 remaining gave Denver the lead for good at 103-101.

The loss was the sixth in the last seven games and 10th in the last 11 for Phoenix, now 33-44 and struggling to hang onto the eighth and final Western Conference playoff berth.

Alvan Adams paced the Suns with a triple-double--31 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.

Seattle 119, Utah 118--Rickey Green missed a free throw after the final buzzer that would have tied the game at Salt Lake City.

The Jazz was down by two when Green, who had 13 assists in the game, was fouled by Tom Chambers at the buzzer. Green converted the first, but the second bounced off the rim, breaking his string of free throws made at 32.

Chambers scored 34 points and Al Wood added a career-high 32 points for the Sonics.

The Jazz got 34 points from Adrian Dantley and 30 from Darrell Griffith, including an NBA-record 92nd three-point goal for the season,coming on the first shot of the game.

Griffith set the old record at 91 last year.

Atlanta 100, New York 79--Cliff Levingston scored 22 points and Dominique Wilkins added 18 as the Hawks handed the Knicks their seventh straight loss.

The victory improved Atlanta’s flickering playoff hopes in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks, with five games left, trail Cleveland by 2 1/2 games for the final postseason berth. The Cavaliers have six games remaining.

The Knicks were led by Darrell Walker with 18 points and Ernie Grunfeld with 14.

Milwaukee 130, Detroit 121--Terry Cummings scored 29 points and Paul Pressey added 20 to lead the Bucks to the win at Milwaukee.

Sidney Moncrief and Craig Hodges added 17 points apiece for Milwaukee, while Kelly Tripucka led Detroit with 32 points, and John Long added 23.

Golden State 113, Houston 108--Two free throws by reserve forward Mickey Johnson with 1:31 remaining broke a 108-108 tie, and the Warriors went on to snap a five-game losing streak at Oakland.

Golden State’s leading scorer was forward Purvis Short with 27 points. Akeem Olajuwon led Houston with 26 points, while Ralph Sampson scored 19.