NBA Roundup : Forget Dantley and English; Bailey Steals Show as Jazz Defeats Nuggets

It was billed as the Great Rocky Mountain Shootout--Adrian Dantley against Alex English--but Thurl Bailey, not known as a sharpshooter, stole the show.

Bailey did a tremendous defensive job on English and scored the key points Tuesday night at Salt Lake City to lead the Utah Jazz to a 117-114 overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Dantley and English are not only the fastest guns in the West, they are the fastest in the NBA. Going into this showdown, English led the league in scoring with a 29.6 average, while Dantley was second with 29.4.

Dantley scored 27 points, English 25, but neither was a factor in the exciting, decisive minutes of the game. In fact, Dantley fouled out for the first time this season with 1:40 remaining in regulation and the Jazz trailing, 101-98.

English was held scoreless in the fourth quarter and scored only two points in overtime against the close guarding of Bailey, the 6-11 third-year pro from North Carolina State.

Bailey, who entered the game with only a 44.3% shooting efficiency from the field, took charge of the Utah offense with just over a minute left in regulation.

He scored the last six Utah points to tie the game, 104-104, then blocked two jumpers by English in the last 13 seconds to send the game into overtime.

In the five-minute extra session, he sank three consecutive jumpers as the Jazz overcame a four-point deficit to squeeze out the victory.

Utah might have won it in regulation if not for a fluke basket. With 56 seconds left, Bill Hanzlick made a free throw to give the Nuggets a 102-100 lead. He missed the next, but two Utah big men, Mark Eaton and Karl Malone, battling for the rebound, knocked it into the basket to give Denver a 104-100 lead. Bailey took care of that with baskets the next two times Utah had possession.

New York 121, Golden State 114--It was not the kind of homecoming Chris Mullin had anticipated. The former St. John’s star had been looking forward to his first appearance in New York since he turned pro.

He arrived Monday, intending to enjoy a reunion with his family at Brooklyn, then helping the Warriors beat the Knicks. However, he spent Monday night at a hospital where his brother, John, underwent an emergency appendectomy early Tuesday morning. John plays for the University of Bridgeport (Conn.).

Mullin’s only scheduled performance at Madison Square Garden this season was a flop, too. He was only 3 for 10 from the field and finished with 10 points as the Warriors lost in overtime.

Patrick Ewing had 29 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. His three-point play at the start of the overtime put New York ahead to stay to the delight of a sellout crowd of 19,090, many lured by Mullin’s presence.

Ewing had a chance to win the game in regulation but made only one of two free-throw attempts to tie the score, 106-106, with eight seconds left.

In the last minute of regulation, Larry Smith of the Warriors and Ken Bannister of the Knicks squared off. Smith decked Bannister with a right.

Earlier in the fourth quarter, Warrior center Joe Barry Carroll had to leave after catching an elbow in the mouth from New York’s Rory Sparrow.

Sacramento 119, Dallas 110--The Kings, who are assured of a sellout 10,333 for every home game, are finally rewarding the enthusiasm of their new fans.

Reggie Theus scored 25 points and had 15 assists to lead the Kings to their fifth consecutive victory at home. Eddie Johnson had 29 points for the Kings.

Houston 100, Seattle 96--Robert Reid came off the bench to score 11 of his 20 points in the second quarter at Seattle to bring the Rockets from behind and put them ahead for good.

It was the eighth win in 21 road games for the Rockets and increased their lead in the Midwest Division to 4 1/2 games. The SuperSonics have lost five in a row.