NBA Roundup : Rockets Stop 76ers, Keep Home Record Perfect

On the road, the Houston Rockets have a record comparable to the Chicago Bulls and only a little better than the hapless Clippers.

But at home, the Rockets are the best team in the NBA.

With Lewis Lloyd scoring 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, the Rockets pulled away from the travel-weary Philadelphia 76ers and won, 115-100, to make their season record at The Summit 17-0.

The loss ended the 76ers’ eight-game winning streak. Although they were playing their fifth consecutive game on a trip that began the day after Christmas, the 76ers trailed by only 83-81 after three quarters.

But Ralph Sampson scored six points in a 17-9 spurt at the start of the fourth quarter that put the Rockets in control.

Just how tired were the 76ers? Well, Charles Barkley had 19 points in the first three quarters and Moses Malone 17. Neither scored a point in the last quarter.

Houston Coach Bill Fitch can’t explain why his team has to score the last six points to beat a team like Golden State on the road, then plays brilliantly at home against all comers.

The victory gave the Rockets a 22-12 record and solidified their hold on first place in the Midwest Division. They have a 5-12 record on the road.

“Maybe,” Fitch said, “we should take our home uniforms and wear them on the road. In our games at home we seem to have great confidence. We don’t worry if we fall behind.But on the road, it is always a struggle.”

Both teams scored 30 points in the first quarter and 30 points in the second. But in the seond half, the 76ers scored only 40 points in 24 minutes.

Atlanta 111, Chicago 100--When the Hawks trounced the New York Knicks by 20 points last week, Coach Mike Fratello declared his team had finally arrived and was ready to take on anybody.

With Dominique Wilkins again leading the way, the Hawks took an early lead at Chicago and led all the way to win their third in a row and end the Bulls’ three-game winning streak.

Wilkins scored 10 of his 27 points in the first quarter as the Hawks built a 36-28 lead. The Bulls cut it to 78-77 near the end of the third period, but never caught up. Kevin Willis, the second-year 7-footer from Michigan State, had a strong game for the Hawks. In 37 minutes Willis scored 20 points and had 17 rebounds.

“I’m proud of this team,” Fratello said. “Everyone of them gives a big effort in every game. We don’t ever give up.”

New Jersey 125, Cleveland 106--Darwin Cook is only a temporary replacement at guard for the Nets until Micheal Ray Richardson is given the green light to rejoin the team.

But, in this game at East Rutherford, N.J. the 6-3 former Crenshaw High star, was the big man. In an 18-7 spurt late in the third quarter that gave the Nets a 10-point lead, Cook scored six points and had two assists.

In 35 minutes Cook scored 15 points, making six of eight shots from the field, and had six rebounds and 11 assists.

Milwaukee 119, New York 86--Terry Cummings scored six of his 25 points in an 11-0 rally late in the third period at Milwaukee that helped the Bucks break open a close game.

Before the spurt, the Knicks led, 74-73. But they scored only 12 points in the last 14 1/2 minutes of the game and the Bucks breezed to their sixth win in a row.

The Knicks lost their fourth in a row despite 21 points by Patrick Ewing. However, Ewing had only three rebounds in 28 minutes.

Dallas 119, Utah 106--Mark Aguirre scored 24 of his 30 points in the first half at Dallas to help the Mavericks build a 73-61 lead and coast to victory. Adrian Dantley had only 16 points for the Jazz, which lost a tough game at Los Angeles Friday night.

Mark Eaton blocked seven shots for Utah, but the team was guilty of 23 turnovers.

Sacramento 112, Denver 107--Losing on the road is becoming a distressing habit for Midwest Division teams. At one time, the Nuggets were 5-4 away from Denver, but this loss was their sixth in a row on the road.

The Nuggets led, 104-101, with 2 1/2 minutes left, but the Kings, winning their second in a row for the first time this season, scored 10 points in a row, four of them by Eddie Johnson.

Alex English scored 28 for the Nuggets.

San Antonio 122, Golden State 116--Purvis Short of the Warriors outscored Alvin Robertson, 37-36, at Oakland, but the Spurs’ fine guard had more help. The Spurs’ other guard, Wes Matthews, scored the team’s last five points to preserve the victory.