NBA Roundup : Atlanta Advances; 76ers Give Erving at Least One More Game to Play

Since the Atlanta Hawks became a winning team last season, the formula for success has been to get the ball to Dominique Wilkins.

The Hawks used their formula in the clutch Friday night at Indianapolis and staggered into the second round of the National Basketball Assn. playoffs.

Wilkins scored 30 points and made the key plays as the heavily favored Hawks beat the Pacers, 101-97, and took the series, 3-1.

John Long sank a jump shot with 2:03 left to get Indiana even, 93-93. It was the third game in a row in which the Pacers were either tied or ahead in the last two minutes.

Doc Rivers missed a jumper, and the 6-foot 7-inch Wilkins put in the rebound to give Atlanta the lead for good with 92 seconds remaining. A few seconds later, Wilkins stole the ball from Indiana rookie Chuck Person, was fouled by Long and made the two free throws to make it 97-93. Rivers then stole the ball, and Randy Wittman scored to put the Hawks ahead by six.

Person, the talented rookie from Auburn, scored 40 points, had 7 rebounds and 6 assists and kept the Pacers from falling far behind early.

Maybe, the Hawks were looking ahead, but they did not look the part of a team challenging for the championship. Unless they do a turnabout, the Hawks figure to have a tough time in the best-of-seven series against the Detroit Pistons that begins Sunday.

“I figured I was playing so bad, I had to do something,” said Wilkins, who scored 14 points in the fourth quarter. “Once I got my rhythm going, I was able to get in the lane, get some easy baskets, get to the line, get a couple offensive rebounds.

“That was the difference. I just tried to do a little more, because I knew it took a little more to win the game. It was a great series.”

Coach Jack Ramsay praised his young Pacers. “Our guys played hard,” he said. “The experience will profit us in the future. We lost to a very good team.”

Philadelphia 124, Milwaukee 118--When the Bucks raced out to a 17-point lead in the second quarter at Philadelphia, it appeared that Julius Erving was playing his final pro basketball game.

But Erving, Charles Barkley and the 76ers had other ideas. With Erving scoring 22 points and Barkley getting 25 points and 13 rebounds, the 76ers stormed back to tie the series at two games apiece.

The teams will play Sunday at Milwaukee to decide which team plays the Boston Celtics in the second round.

“It was too early in the game for us to worry,” Barkley said. “If it was the fourth quarter, then it’s time to worry.”

David Wingate came off the bench to lead a 15-4 spurt that got the 76ers into the game, then Cliff Robinson and Barkley led a charge in the third quarter that put the 76ers in front to stay.

Robinson, who had 21 points, said the 76ers felt they had their backs to the wall.

“We had to come back and play hard,” he said. “We let it all hang out. We talked defense and that got us back in the game when our offense wasn’t clicking.”

Erving, who played 31 minutes, also had 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

Golden State 98, Utah 94--Purvis Short put on a sensational second-half shooting exhibition at Oakland to bring the Warriors from 15 points down to the victory that squared the best-of-five series at two games apiece.

The final game to determine who will meet the Lakers in the second round will be played Sunday at Salt Lake City.

Short finished with 32 points, made his last six shots and scored eight of the last 10 Warrior points.

The Warriors, sinking 11 of their 15 shots in the fourth quarter, outscored the Jazz, 30-20 in the last 12 minutes. The Jazz led most of the way, building its 15-point lead in the middle of the third quarter.