NBA Roundup : Pacers on Right Side of a Rout for a Change

The Indiana Pacers have been the doormat of the NBA for most of their 10 seasons. They finished above .500 only once. When they are involved in blowouts, invariably, the Pacers are on the short end.

There was cause for celebration Sunday at Indianapolis. There was a blowout and the Pacers were the team enjoying it.

With Vern Fleming and Steve Stipanovich leading the way, the Pacers built a 27-point lead in the second quarter and went on to overwhelm the Chicago Bulls, 131-106.

Just the day before, the Bulls, without their two top players, Michael Jordan and Orlando Woolridge, shocked Houston. But, after jumping off to a 13-12 lead, Chicago fell behind on a Stipanovich jumper five minutes into the game. Before halftime they were out of it, in part, because Stipanovich scored 16 of his 24 points in the first two quarters.

It was only the 15th victory in 47 games for the Pacers, but there is a feeling of optimism. They have won three in a row and five of their last seven.

Fleming has become the spark. Fleming, a 6-5 guard from Georgia, is improving steadily in his second pro season. He is the leader in assists and steals. Lately, he has developed into a good shooter.

In the one-sided win over the Bulls, Fleming had 27 points, making 10 of his 13 shots from the field. He also had 11 assists. In the three wins in a row, he was 22-for-32 (68.7%) and averaged 20.3 points and seven assists.

Coach George Irvine was dealt a blow early when he lost his best player, Clark Kellogg. Kellogg is again injured and has played only 18 games this season.

“We are a young team, but we are beginning to get leadership from Fleming,” Irvine said. “We would have a decent record if we had learned to protect leads in the closing minutes earlier in the season.

“We didn’t have to worry about that today, and, in the two previous games, Fleming took charge in the clutch. I really believe things are looking up.”

Boston 114, Seattle 101--On an afternoon in Boston when Larry Bird made only 4 of 17 shots, the Celtics spotted the SuperSonics a 21-point lead, then stormed back to extend their winning streak to 11.

Dennis Johnson and Scott Wedman took over the shooting after Seattle, only 4-22 on the road, jumped out to a 47-26 lead after 15 minutes.

The Celtics, 21-1 at home, trailed by 11 at halftime. But Johnson scored 10 points and Wedman eight in a 31-14 third quarter that put Boston ahead to stay.

Bird was 14 for 16 from the line for 22 points, had 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals to make up for his poor shooting.

Wedman, subbing for injured Kevin McHale, had 15 points, Johnson 24 and 7 assists.

Dallas 100, Utah 97--Mark Aguirre took another giant step out of the doghouse of Maverick Coach Dick Motta in this game at Dallas.

With the score tied, 95-95, and 34 seconds left, Aguirre scored on a driving layup, was fouled by Adrian Dantley and converted the free throw to give the Mavericks their fifth win in a row.

The Mavericks trailed by 11 points in the third quarter, but Dale Ellis sank three consecutive three-point bombs to get them back in the game.