NBA Roundup : It’s a Long Road for 76ers; Celtics Win, 110-103

The Philadelphia 76ers are 5-1 at home this season, but owner Harold Katz is upset about the way they have played. He contends that their sloppy play at the Spectrum is keeping fans away by the hundreds.

Katz must be livid about the 76ers’ play on the road.

Danny Ainge scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half Friday night at Boston to lead the Celtics to a 110-103 victory. It was the fifth loss in six games on the road for the 76ers.

With Moses Malone scoring 15 points and Julius Erving 12 in the first half, the 76ers took a 56-51 lead. Early in the final quarter, it was 87-87. Ainge, in a desperate bid to beat the 24-second clock, fired a 20-footer that snapped the tie and triggered a 10-0 spurt that broke open the game.

Larry Bird, who has been in a shooting slump all season, was 2 for 12 from the field until the fourth quarter, when he made three baskets in a row to reach double figures (11) and help the Celtics pull away.

Malone scored only six points in the second half. At that, he contributed more than Charles Barkley. The husky forward, who engaged in a shouting match with Katz after the 76ers barely beat Golden State Wednesday night at Philadelphia, had a miserable night. At 6-6, he isn’t big enough to handle 6-11 Kevin McHale, who scored 32 points to lead all scorers. In addition, Barkley made only one of seven shots and totaled three points.

The Celtics completely dominated the boards, holding a 62-41 advantage.

In his angry outburst Wednesday night, Katz didn’t have anything nice to say about new Coach Matt Guokas, either.

“I’m completely out of patience--period,” Katz told the Associated Press. “I’m not saying it’s Matty’s fault, but we’re just standing around. Matty likes to run, but it’s 11 games now, and we’re still not doing it.”

The Celtics had only 10 players available. Dennis Johnson was attending his grandmother’s funeral, and Sly Williams is recovering from minor surgery.

Detroit 115, Golden State 96--John Long scored 20 of his season-high 28 points in the first half at Pontiac, Mich., to help the Pistons build a 61-49 lead. They pulled away by 25 points early in the fourth quarter.

High-scoring Warrior center Joe Barry Carroll tried out his sprained ankle, but the results weren’t good. He made only one of five shots in six minutes and retired for the night.

In his absence, Detroit center Bill Laimbeer dominated. He had 20 points and 18 rebounds.

Utah 121, Cleveland 113--In their first trip East, the Jazz has demonstrated that it is a tough team to beat. After losing a game in overtime at Boston Wednesday night, the Jazz, with Adrian Dantley scoring 13 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter, rallied from a 14-point deficit against the Cavaliers.

It appeared that Cleveland would win its first home game when it built a 97-83 lead after three quarters. But Dantley and Rickey Green led the Jazz to a 38-point quarter, and the Cavaliers scored only 16 to lose their fifth home game in a row.

The Cavaliers were without World B. Free, who has a hamstring problem.

Washington 102, New York 94--Patrick Ewing missed another game because of a sprained ankle, and the Knicks, despite 34 points and 19 rebounds by Pat Cummings, lost their 14th road game in a row.

Jeff Ruland scored 9 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to help the Bullets win for the third time in the last four games.

San Antonio 108, Indiana 96--Mike Mitchell scored 31 points, and Steve Johnson had 22 points and 14 rebounds at San Antonio as the Spurs ended a two-game losing streak.

In the absence of star forward Clark Kellogg, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, the Pacers started rookie Wayman Tisdale. He scored six points and had three rebounds in 24 minutes.

New Jersey 104, Phoenix 96--Otis Birdsong scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half at Phoenix to lead the Nets to victory. The Suns dropped to 2-12 despite 24 points by Walter Davis.

Seattle 122, Houston 103--Jack Sikma scored a season-high 24 points and had 11 rebounds at Seattle to lead the SuperSonics to the win over the Rockets. Rookie Xavier McDaniel had 22 for the Sonics, who led from late in the first quarter to the finish.