NBA Roundup : Willis, Hawks Cool Off Hot Cavaliers, 122-98

Kevin Willis is convinced the Atlanta Hawks are becoming one of the outstanding teams in the NBA. At 7-0 and 225, Willis isn’t likely to find an argument at Richfield, Ohio.

The Hawks, with Randy Wittman having a hot hand in the third quarter and Willis playing his usual strong game, cooled off the hot Cleveland Cavaliers, 122-98, Tuesday night.

The Cavaliers, whose five victories in a row included one over the NBA champion Boston Celtics, were playing the Hawks even until the closing minutes of the first half, when Willis scored eight points in a 15-6 spurt that gave the Hawks a 66-51 lead.

They really broke it open in the third quarter, when Wittman sank 10 shots in a row. The sharpshooting guard finished with 30 points after helping build the lead to 102-75 after three quarters.

“We’re getting there,” Willis told the Associated Press. “We’re not quite there yet. We’re young and have talent, but we’re still learning. How far we get depends on how much we want it.”

Willis, continuing to show improvement in his third pro season, has become one of the Hawks’ most consistent players. He made 7 of 9 shots in this game, had 14 rebounds in 26 minutes and finished with 15 points.

After 19 games last season, when they rallied to finish second in the Central Division with a 50-32 record, the Hawks were 8-11. Now, they are 15-4 and have an 8-4 mark on the road. Last season, they won only 16 of 41 away from home.

“We’re starting off so well, that we could have 20 victories easily before this month is over,” Willis said. “We have a shot at 60, which would make everybody know we are a good team.”

Chicago 106, Denver 100--It is becoming increasingly obvious that the only thing that can stop Michael Jordan is an injury. The brilliant star of the Bulls is just too much for any team to handle.

In their first home game after a difficult trip, Jordan scored 40 points, including eight in the last three minutes, to keep the Bulls on top. It was the seventh game in a row in which the 6-6 guard scored at least 40 points.

The Bulls, who finished the trip with three losses in a row despite Jordan’s heroics, won although they went 7 1/2 minutes in the fourth quarter without scoring.

Jordan was 16 for 30 from the field, had 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Portland 120, San Antonio 104--Kiki Vandeweghe--for the first time this season--was also a 40-point scorer at San Antonio to lead the Trail Blazers to their fifth win in a row.

Vandeweghe has scored 20 or more in seven consecutive games.

Sacramento 120, New Jersey 107--East Rutherford, N.J., is a great place for a team to end a slump. The Kings had lost six in a row, but, with Reggie Theus scoring 18 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter, they easily ended the skid.

The Nets (3-16) have lost 12 of their last 13.

The Nets, led by rookie Pearl Washington, were holding an 82-81 lead after three quarters. But Theus broke it open. Washington had 27 points and 9 assists.

Phoenix 109, Golden State 94--The Suns scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter at Oakland to come from behind and rout the Warriors.

Jeff Hornacek of the Suns and Sleepy Floyd, the Warriors’ playmaker, were thrown out of the game for fighting late in the second quarter.

The Warriors were outscored, 32-16, in the fourth quarter.