NBA Roundup : Pistons (and the Flu) Slow Hawks

The flu bug did what no team in the NBA has done all season. It brought the sizzling Atlanta Hawks to an abrupt halt.

The Detroit Pistons, taking advantage of the absence of Dominique Wilkins and the weakness of six other Hawks, put an end to the Hawks home-court winning streak Tuesday night.

With Bill Laimbeer scoring 28 points and controlling the boards, the Pistons rolled to a 111-100 victory. The Hawks had won nine in a row at home and were the last unbeaten team at home.

Wilkins, the star of the high-flying Hawks (18-5), was too sick to even suit up. Starters Tree Rollins and Randy Wittman and substitutes Mike McGee, Jon Koncak and Scott Hastings played but without much spirit.

Rollins didn’t stay around long. He became involved in an altercation with Detroit’s Vinnie Johnson late in the second quarter, and both were ejected.

It was not surprising that the Hawks fell apart in the last quarter. They played the Pistons, who have victories over the two top teams (they beat the Lakers Sunday) in their last two games, even until the last 7 1/2 minutes.

At that point they trailed only 97-95, but Isiah Thomas and Laimbeer scored the next eight points, and the weary Hawks managed only 11 points in the fourth quarter.

Laimbeer scored 14 points in the first quarter and finished the game with 20 rebounds.

The five ill Atlanta players played 123 minutes but scored only 26 points and were just 8 for 31 from the field.

Phoenix 106, Houston 102--The Twin Towers are back for the Rockets, but they are a little short of being in top condition and that cost them a victory.

Akeem Olajuwon had 24 points and 21 rebounds at Houston, and Ralph Sampson had 22 points and 13 rebounds. But neither was effective in the fourth quarter when the Suns wiped out a 14-point deficit.

They had five points between them in the last 12 minutes. Walter Davis scored nine of his 24 points in the last three minutes to lead the sensational rally by the Suns.

Boston 107, New York 96--It was also fight night at New York. Knick center Patrick Ewing and Boston reserve center Greg Kite exchanged punches with 2:24 left in the second quarter. Neither was ejected.

Larry Bird and Kevin McHale each scored 29 to lead the Celtics to victory. Bird made three three-pointers and scored all his points in the first three quarters. He also had 9 assists and 10 rebounds.

“Bird was incredible,” Knick Coach Bob Hill said. “He’s a totally unselfish player. He steps up a level when the team needs him to.”

Utah 109, Washington 106--Darrell Griffith sank a 26-foot three-pointer at the buzzer at Landover, Md., to lead the surprising Jazz to their seventh victory in a row.

Moses Malone, who scored 8 of his 38 points in the last 3:13, made two free throws with three seconds left to tie the game.

Griffith, who sat out last season with an injury, came off the bench to score 27 points, 11 of them in the third quarter. He made three out of four from three-point range.

Chicago 99, New Jersey 98--Mike Brown tipped in a missed shot by Michael Jordan in the last second for the controversial winning basket at Chicago. Net Coach David Wohl claimed the ball was on the cylinder when Brown tipped it in.

Jordan, bouncing back from a one-game slump, scored 41 points. In 10 of the last 11 games, he has scored 40 or more.

“The tip,” Wohl said, “was as controversial as several other calls that went against us. The ball was definitely on the cylinder.”

Milwaukee 103, Philadelphia 91--Ricky Pierce scored 24 points, and the Bucks played tough defense to improve their home record to 10-1. The 76ers have beaten the Bucks twice in Philadelphia.

Dallas 101, San Antonio 98--Derek Harper scored 22 points and made a key steal in the last minute at Dallas to give the Mavericks their ninth win in 10 home games.

Harper scored five of the last seven Dallas points and passed to Rolando Blackman for a layup after his steal.

Denver 120, Sacramento 119--Alex English scored a season-high 45 points, and the Nuggets held off a fourth-quarter King rally to win at Sacramento. The Nuggets’ Lafayette Lever had a key role in the victory, with 17 points, 14 assists and 6 steals.

Trail Blazers 126, SuperSonics 118--Jerome Kersey scored a career-high 27 points, including 19 in the second half, to rally the Trail Blazers at Portland. It was the Trail Blazers’ ninth straight win at home and their eighth victory in the last nine games.

Five other Trail Blazers were in double figures, including Kiki Vandeweghe with 23, Terry Porter with 20, and Clyde Drexler and Steve Johnson with 15 each.