NBA Roundup : Wilkins Scores 35 Points; Hawks Beat Nets, 113-97

Dominique Wilkins scored 10 of his 35 points in the last six minutes of the first half Wednesday night at East Rutherford, N.J., to lead the hot Atlanta Hawks to a 113-97 victory over the slumping New Jersey Nets.

Regaining his leadership after turning it over to Kevin Willis for a game, Wilkins led the Hawks to their seventh victory in a row. The Nets, who have fallen apart since Micheal Ray Richardson was banned because of drugs, have lost 15 of their last 21 games.

The Nets led, 39-37, halfway through the second quarter when Wilkins, now the No. 2 scorer in the NBA, and Randy Wittman paced the Hawks to a 27-8 spurt and a 64-47 halftime lead.

Willis, who scored 39 points Tuesday night in a win over Denver, scored 4 of his 14 in this one in an eight-point burst early in the second half that stretched the lead to 80-55.

All season long the Hawks have been tough to beat at home. But, until the latest winning streak, they were only 9-20 away from home. They have won the last three road games to boost their overall record to 41-25.

Wilkins went into the week with a 29.3-point average to 29.5 for Alex English of the Nuggets. While English was scoring 38 Tuesday night, Wilkins was only 6 for 22 from the field and had only 21 points.

After sparking the Hawks to the big lead in this one, Wilkins spent most of the second half resting on the bench. He scored his 35 points in just 33 minutes and was 15 for 27 from the field.

The surprising Hawks are only four games behind Milwaukee in the Central Division.

Philadelphia 105, New York 95--In the absence of Patrick Ewing, teams going up against the Knicks these days work on their inside game.

In this one at Philadelphia, Moses Malone dominated inside, scoring 28 points and grabbing 15 rebounds to hand the injury-riddled Knicks their fifth loss in a row.

Once again, the 76ers were without Julius Erving, who is resting ailing knees. Maurice Cheeks took charge in the backcourt with 15 points and 14 assists.

Sacramento 127, Dallas 120--Reggie Theus turned in his second sensational performance in a row in this game at Dallas. Theus had a triple double, scoring eight of his 32 points in overtime.

Theus, who had 33 points and 18 assists Tuesday night, had 14 rebounds and 15 assists against the Mavericks. He was 12 for 12 from the line, 6 of them in overtime.

Rolando Blackman, who scored 46 points, sent the game into overtime by sinking two free throws with 41 seconds left in regulation.

Phoenix 127, Milwaukee 126--Walter Davis scored 12 of his 32 points in overtime at Milwaukee, and it was his jumper with seven seconds left that boosted the Suns to the victory.

The Bucks rallied to send the game into overtime on baskets by Terry Cummings and Kenny Fields in the final minute. But, in overtime, Davis was just too much.

Detroit 111, Indiana 101--Isiah Thomas, returning after missing a game because of an injured thumb, and Bill Laimbeer each scored 26 points at Pontiac, Mich., to enable the Pistons to keep pace with the hot Hawks.

Thomas scored 12 points in the second quarter to help the Pistons grab a lead they never relinquished.

Washington 128, Cleveland 114--Jeff Malone scored 39 points at Richfield, Ohio, to lead the Bullets to their third victory in a row. Malone and Cliff Robinson each scored 12 in the third quarter as the Bullets built a short lead into a 95-79 advantage.

The Bullets’ Kevin McKenna came off the bench to sink 3 of 6 three-point attempts and now is 19 for 38 for 50% accuracy on the bombs.

Golden State 118, Utah 111--Adrian Dantley, still “seething” over his $3 fine, scored 30 points at Salt Lake City, but the Warriors had 39 from Purvis Short to win the game.

Dantley, at a press conference earlier, claimed his name had been “tarnished all over the country.”