NBA Roundup : Johnson Comes Back, and So Do the Celtics

When Dennis Johnson injured his thumb and wrist Thursday night against Sacramento, the Boston Celtics were told the durable guard might be out for six or seven games.

What was thought to be a hairline fracture of the wrist was really an old injury. Johnson missed just his 20th game in 10 NBA seasons Saturday night and the Celtics lost.

It was a good thing Johnson returned for Sunday night’s game at Boston against the Chicago Bulls. Without Johnson’s hot hand in the third quarter, the Celtics probably would have lost again.

Johnson, his thumb and wrist heavily taped, scored 17 points in the third quarter to get the Celtics back in the game and they went on to beat the Bulls, 109-104.

The Bulls, still without their best player, injured Michael Jordan, led by 12 points in the second quarter and had a 61-52 lead before Johnson went on his spree and the Celtics forged in front.

The pesky Bulls went ahead again in the final quarter, stretching the lead to 103-94 with just under five minutes left. Johnson hurried back onto the court and teamed with Danny Ainge to spark the Celtics to a 12-0 run. The Bulls, 4-15 on the road this season, scored only one point after assuming the nine-point lead. They went 0 for 7 from the field.

Until Johnson took charge, Larry Bird kept the Celtics in the game. He scored 34 points and had 13 rebounds, 3 steals and 4 assists. The spectacular finish gave Coach K.C. Jones his 300th victory.

“It was one of the most amazing comebacks I’ve seen,” Jones said.

Milwaukee 140, Sacramento 82--The Kings made a game of it for four minutes at Milwaukee. But the Bucks forged ahead with 7:59 left in the first quarter on a jumper by Paul Pressey and left the weary travelers far behind.

The Kings, playing their seventh game on a trip that began Dec. 4 in Los Angeles, shot only 31.7% from the field in the first three quarters.

Terry Cummings led the Bucks to their 58-point victory with 21 points, and seven of his teammates were also in double figures.

The margin of victory was the fourth highest in NBA history. The record of 63 points was set by the Lakers in 1972 in a 162-99 win over Golden State.

Golden State 112, Seattle 105--Purvis Short and Joe Barry Carroll made the key points in the closing seconds at Oakland that enabled the Warriors to hold off the SuperSonics.

A three-point play by Short, who finished with 27 points, gave the Warriors a 106-99 lead with 90 seconds left. The Sonics cut the lead to a point with 15 seconds left, but Carroll, who finished with 24 points, sank two free throws to clinch the victory.