NBA Roundup : Jordan Gets 34 Points as Bulls Hand Hawks First Loss, 112-110

Michael Jordan scored 34 points, including a spectacular drive with 19 seconds left at Chicago Tuesday night, and the Bulls knocked the Atlanta Hawks out of the unbeaten ranks, 112-110.

Jordan won his duel with scoring champion Dominique Wilkins of the Hawks, who had 26 points but missed a turnaround jumper in the closing seconds that would have sent the game into overtime.

The Hawks demonstrated last season they were a coming force in the NBA, so their 5-1 record is not surprising. That the Bulls have the same record is surprising.

Last year, Jordan, in his second pro season, led the Bulls to three victories, broke his foot and missed almost the rest of the season. He came back just in time to get the Bulls into the playoffs, then had three spectacular games, all losing efforts against the soon-to-be world champion Boston Celtics.

Before this season, Jordan told United Press International: “I’m psyched, man. I’m miles ahead of the last two years. I’m even more hungry now than I was my rookie season.”

The 6-foot 6-inch former North Carolina star has picked up where he left off in the playoffs.

The Jordan situation reminds one of the NCAA in 1954 when Tom Gola, the class of college players at the time, led four unknowns and La Salle of Philadelphia to the NCAA championship. It was called Gola and Garbage.

This may be Jordan and Junk.

The Bulls open with four castoffs, forwards Charles Oakley and Earl Cureton, center Granville Waiters and guard Steve Colter, opposite Jordan. Three other discarded players--Dave Corzine, John Paxson and Elston Turner--and rookie Brad Sellers are the bench for rookie Coach Doug Collins.

There are many who insist that Jordan is shooting too much--more than 30 times a game. Unaccustomed to winning, Jordan’s teammates are only too happy to let Michael do it. It has been a successful formula for the moment, at least.

Although Wilkins is still hampered slightly by a sprained ankle that kept him out of two games last week, he got the Hawks off to a fast start.

Until they hit a cold spell in the third quarter, the Hawks dominated play and led most of the time, once by 13 points.

But just when Jordan started to heat up, the Hawks turned cold, making only 5 of 17 shots in the third quarter. Jordan scored 11 points, Chicago outscored Atlanta, 29-15, and jumped in front by nine.

Kevin Willis led the Atlanta rally in the fourth quarter and made three baskets in a row to cut the lead to 109-108 with 38 seconds left.

Jordan drove between two defenders, laid the ball up on the backboard and it dropped through for the decisive score. It was decisive only because Wilkins missed.

New Jersey 114, Boston 110--The injury-riddled Celtics just didn’t have the bench to cope with the Nets, who ended a four-game losing streak, at East Rutherford, N.J.

Coach K.C. Jones, bothered by a sore throat, joined three of his players, Bill Walton, Danny Ainge and Scott Wedman in absence.

He wasn’t around to watch Albert King and Mike Gminski come off the bench to spark the Nets.

King scored 22 points, and Gminski had 20 points and 15 rebounds in 30 minutes.

Even Larry Bird’s 32-point performance couldn’t stem the tide. Bird’s layup with 2:28 left was the weary Celtics’ last field goal. They had made a stirring rally to wipe out a 91-77 deficit and take a 107-106 lead.

But King came through with a three-point play, and the Celtics managed only three Bird free throws thereafter.

Utah 104, Dallas 103--Darrell Griffith sank a 33-foot, three-point basket at the buzzer at Salt Lake City to give the Jazz an improbable victory.

The Mavericks, after a jumper by Rolando Blackman, held a 101-94 lead with 28 seconds remaining. Karl Malone started the rally with a dunk. A steal set up Griffith with a three-point bomb to cut the lead to 101-99. With seven seconds left, Blackman was fouled and made both free throws and it was 103-99. Bob Hansen scored for Utah with three seconds left and the deficit was two again.

Rickey Green intercepted the Dallas inbounds pass, and Griffith hit the game-winner.

New York 111, Phoenix 105--Coach Hubie Brown shifted pouting Patrick Ewing back to center for this game at New York. While the big second-year man was by no means the star of the game, he contributed to the Knicks second win in eight outings.

Gerald Wilkins, making 10 of 12 shots, scored 23 points, including a key three-point play to halt a late rally by the Suns, to lead the Knicks. Bill Cartwright, moving back to forward, scored 22 points in just 33 minutes.

Ewing scored 7 points, but he had a season-high 11 rebounds and blocked 5 shots.

Philadelphia 121, Seattle 114--Cliff Robinson scored 27 of his game-high 35 points in the second half to rally the 76ers at Seattle. The victory was the fourth straight for Philadelphia, which played without injured starters Jeff Ruland and Charles Barkley.

Julius Erving, making his final appearance in Seattle, held the SuperSonics’ leading scorer, Xavier McDaniel, to only 3 shots in the last 16 minutes. Erving scored 20 points.

Houston 116, San Antonio 95--Akeem Olajuwon, given a free rein in the absence of injured Ralph Sampson, continues to lead the Rockets to easy victories at Houston.

Olajuwon, the league’s leading rebounders, had 18 rebounds, 21 points and 3 steals while playing only three quarters as the Rockets improved to 4-1.

Milwaukee 102, Indiana 94--Ricky Pierce scored the Bucks’ final 15 points at Milwaukee as they outlasted the pesky Pacers.

The Pacers had forged ahead, 88-87, when Pierce came off the bench with just over five minutes left and outscored the Pacers, 15-6.

Sacramento 119, Cleveland 114--Brook Steppe’s go-ahead basket with 1:34 left helped the Kings overcome a 34-point performance by Cleveland rookie Ron Harper at Sacramento. Derek Smith, the ex-Clipper, led the Kings with 25 points.

LaSalle Thompson established a King record as well as an Arco Arena mark for the most rebounds in a quarter. The 6-foot-10 center grabbed 9 rebounds in the first period and had 18 for the game.

Portland 126, Golden State 108--Center Steve Johnson, playing for injured Sam Bowie, had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Kiki Vandeweghe scored 29, as the Trail Blazers beat the Warriors at Portland.