NBA Roundup : Ewing’s 29 Points Aren’t Enough

Patrick Ewing, who grew up in the shadow of Boston Garden, tried to steal the show on his first return home as a professional, but Larry Bird wouldn’t let him.

Bird scored 18 of his game-high 31 points in a decisive third period Friday night as the Boston Celtics cracked New York’s tenacious defense and scored a 94-88 win over the Knicks.

Ewing, a schoolboy star in neighboring Cambridge before going on to All-American honors at Georgetown, tried to battle Bird on even terms but came up short. The 7-foot rookie finished with a career-high 29 points, including 13 in the third quarter, when Boston outscored New York, 31-25.

“We have a very sound defensive club, and with Patrick Ewing in the lineup we feel we have a chance every night,” Knick Coach Hubie Brown said. “With some of our key players injured, we don’t have a lot of established big scorers. However, Patrick is developing into an outstanding offensive threat.”

For Ewing, it was good to be home.

“I spent Thanksgiving with my family,” he said. “We played well enough to win, but there’ll be other nights. I wasn’t loose at the start, and then I made a lot of mistakes. This is a learning experience for me, but I think I played better than I did against them in New York last weekend.

“I’m learning a lot from Robert Parish. He has a lot of moves. I’m also learning that they’re expecting me to take jump shots. I’m going to have to go to the hoop more.”

Bird, who missed his first eight floor shots, broke the spell with a pair of baskets in the final minute of the first half, boosting Boston to a 45-43 lead at the intermission.

Bird then picked up where he left off as the Celtics opened up a lead of as many as 12 points. Bird hit for eight field goals and two free throws, enabling the Celtics to take a 76-68 lead after three quarters.

The Celtics led, 85-74, with eight minutes remaining. However, with Rory Sparrow hitting for three field goals, the Knicks went on a 10-2 run to close within 87-84 with 2 1/2 minutes left.

Bird cashed two free throws, and Kevin McHale added four more as Boston pulled out of danger.

McHale scored 18 points, Dennis Johnson 15 and Parish 12 as the Celtics (14-2) won their sixth straight game and ninth straight at home.

Portland 122, Chicago 107--Kenny Carr had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Blazers before being ejected for a flagrant foul in the third quarter at Portland.

Carr was tossed out for throwing Chicago’s Sidney Green to the floor. Less than a minute later, Orlando Woolridge, the Bulls’ leading scorer, was forced from the game after being whistled for his second technical foul.

The third period ended with Portland ahead, 99-78.

Detroit 111, Milwaukee 102--Former Notre Dame players Kelly Tripucka and Bill Laimbeer had 26 and 23 points, respectively, for the Pistons at Pontiac, Mich.

The Pistons outscored the Bucks, 34-14, in the third quarter with a harassing defense.

“We’ve been trying to sell defense to our players for a long time,” Piston Coach Chuck Daly said. “Defense will always win for you. Playing defense doesn’t happen overnight. It comes in stages. They have to start believing they can’t play one-on-one defense.”

Isiah Thomas of the Pistons aggravated a knee injury on the game’s last play when he crashed into a basket support after stealing the ball and scoring on a fast break. The Pistons said he will miss today’s game against Washington.

Phoenix 126, Houston 110--Walter Davis scored 39 points, and Larry Nance added 30, both season highs, at Phoenix as the Suns snapped a four-game losing streak.

Phoenix took advantage of early foul trouble by Houston forward Ralph Sampson, who sat down with his fourth foul midway in the second quarter.

Dallas 133, Sacramento 111--Mark Aguirre, Sam Perkins and Derek Harper ignited a third-quarter surge at Dallas that sparked the Mavericks to their fourth straight victory and largest of the season.

Aguirre and Perkins scored 27 points each, and Harper had 19. James Donaldson, playing his second game for Dallas since being obtained in a trade from the Clippers, led both teams with 10 rebounds.

Philadelphia 110, Indiana 100--Moses Malone scored 21 of his game-high 26 points in the second half, and Bobby Jones had 7 of his 13 in a two-minute spurt that put Philadelphia ahead to stay in the fourth quarter at Indianapolis.

New Jersey 107, Atlanta 97--Buck Williams had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Albert King had 24 points for the Nets at East Rutherford, N.J.

Denver 129, Utah 114--Alex English scored 32 points, and Bill Hanzlik added 23 at Salt Lake City as the Nuggets snapped a three-game losing streak.

Utah’s Adrian Dantley, the NBA’s leading scorer with a 31.9-point average, scored 24 points, but only four in the second half.