NBA Roundup : Bird Out, but Ainge (34) Tends Garden in Win

Even without their best player, Larry Bird, the Boston Celtics are still unbeatable at Boston Garden.

Bird strained an Achilles’ tendon Tuesday night at Hartford, Conn., where the Washington Bullets ended the Celtics’ “home” winning streak at 48 games.

But Wednesday night, Danny Ainge, who missed the first eight games this season with a leg injury, took up the slack with a career-high 34 points to lead the Celtics to a 119-113 victory over the road-weary Denver Nuggets. It was the Celtics’ 46th win in a row in the ancient Garden, and it gave the Nuggets an 0-8 record on the road this season.

Doctors have advised Bird, who did not miss a game last season and has missed only 14 in eight years, to sit out three games. He may miss only one and return for Friday night’s game with Philadelphia.

In his absence, Ainge made 12 of 21 shots. In the third quarter, when the Celtics broke the game open, he scored 13 points. Then, when Denver put on a spurt in the fourth quarter, Ainge returned to toss in a three-point bomb, his third in five tries in the game.

Scott Wedman started in place of Bird, but it was Wedman’s backup, Fred Roberts, who was impressive at the forward position. Roberts was 5 for 5 and had 19 points. His three baskets in a row at the start of the last quarter increased the Boston lead to 26 points.

Philadelphia 115, Milwaukee 110--Jeff Ruland, the key newcomer in the rebuilding of the 76ers, has seen only token service this season, but some of the other new faces are starting to pay dividends.

Tim McCormick, the 6-foot 11-inch replacement at center for Ruland, had 22 points and 11 rebounds at Philadelphia, and Cliff Robinson sank consecutive jumpers in overtime to help the 76ers keep pace with Boston atop the Atlantic Division. Boston and Philadelphia have 11-5 records.

The Bucks, without hot-shooting guards Sidney Moncrief and Ricky Pierce, sent the game into overtime when Paul Pressey sank a three-point basket with 29 seconds left in regulation.

Robinson put the 76ers, who have won four in a row, in front to stay, 110-108, with 2:11 left in the extra session. Then 26 seconds later, he scored again.

Robinson came from Washington as part of the Ruland trade in which Moses Malone went to the Bullets. McCormick was obtained from Seattle in a trade for Clemon Johnson.

Indiana 116, Washington 103--Wayman Tisdale, mostly a disappointment as a rookie last season, is slowly reaching his potential for the Pacers. For the most part, he has been coming off the bench to rally them.

But with injuries to John Long and Herb Williams, Tisdale has started the last two games. In this one at Indianapolis, he scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Pacers to their eighth win in 18 games.

Although Moses Malone had 26 points and 16 rebounds and Jeff Malone had 30 points, the Bullets, after playing the Pacers even for three quarters, fell apart in the last 12 minutes.

Detroit 107, New Jersey 106--The luckless Nets, who have lost 9 of their last 10 games, blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter at East Rutherford, N.J., and lost in overtime.

There were mostly giants all around him, but 6-1 Isiah Thomas tipped in a missed shot with 28 seconds left in overtime to give the Pistons their fourth win in a row.

The Pistons’ 6-5 Adrian Dantley grabbed a missed shot with just seconds left in regulation and made a layup to send the game into overtime.

The Nets learned shortly before the game that Darryl Dawkins, out with a back injury, may need surgery.

Utah 99, Chicago 94--The Jazz couldn’t stop Michael Jordan, but they caught the rest of the Bulls in a tired condition from playing five road games in seven nights.

Jordan scored 45 points and made a valiant effort to win it by himself. With Utah leading, 85-80, Jordan made three consecutive steals and converted each into a basket to put the Bulls ahead, 86-85. But Utah scored the next eight points, and the Bulls were finished.

Jordan made 17 of 33 shots.