NBA Roundup : Bird Plays Enough to Help Celtics Win, 117-102

Larry Bird returned just in time and stayed around long enough to guide the Celtics to a 117-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday night at Boston.

Bird, who missed four games with Achilles’ tendon problems, was on the bench at the start, then played an uneventful 6 1/2 minutes in the second quarter.

But when the Hawks narrowed an 11-point Boston lead to 82-80 going into the final period, Bird came charging back onto the court.

He scored four points and grabbed a key rebound to ignite a 14-4 spurt that put the Celtics back in command en route to their 100th victory in the last 104 games at Boston Garden. Bird played just 12 minutes and had 6 points, ending a string of 99 consecutive games in which he had scored in double figures.

“I felt a little out of sync,” Bird said. “It was very strange for me watching the game from the bench and waiting for K.C. (Coach Jones) to call my name. He’s the only guy in the league who can stop me.”

The Celtics were 2-2 in Bird’s absence, and in both victories, his replacement, Darren Daye, was a key figure. In this game, Daye scored 26 points in 37 minutes, making 10 of his 11 shots.

The Celtics shot 57.5% and the Hawks 47.7%. Dominique Wilkins led Atlanta with 22 points but made only 9 of 20 shots.

“I had no concern using Larry,” Jones said. “The doctor, trainer and Larry all said he could go. He was less than 75% but he gave 100%.”

Chicago 103, Milwaukee 101--Michael Jordan enjoys playing in games that mean something, and in this battle at Milwaukee for first place in the Central Division it showed.

Jordan scored 33 points, including a basket with 1 minute 19 seconds left that gave the Bulls the lead for good.

Charles Oakley and rookie Scottie Pippen also were prominent in the closing seconds. Oakley scored the last three Chicago points after Jordan made it 100-98. Pippen, after missing two free throws with 17 seconds left, saved the victory when he knocked the ball out of Paul Pressey’s hands with two seconds left.

Pippen scored 12 of his 18 points in the last quarter. Jordan, making 13 of 24 shots, had 6 assists and 3 steals as the Bulls took a two-game lead in the division.

“This Pippen kid is a big-time player,” Bull Coach Doug Collins said. “I don’t think he knows he’s a rookie.”

Indiana 133, San Antonio 102--The Spurs have the best offense in the league, but they also have the worst defense.

With former UCLA center Stuart Gray coming off the bench to score a career-high 15 points in 16 minutes, it was a romp for the Pacers.

Gray was on the floor when Wayman Tisdale scored 10 points in a 23-7 spurt during the second quarter that broke it open. Gray had 6 points in that stretch.

Pacer Coach Jack Ramsay praised Gray, saying: “I don’t expect huge things out of him. We just like him to come in and do a good job at the backup position. He’s been doing that lately.”

Dallas 113, Detroit 107--Rolando Blackman shook an early-season slump by scoring 17 of his 30 points in the third quarter at Dallas to help the Mavericks build a 20-point lead.

However, Dallas went 6 1/2 minutes in the fourth quarter without a field goal, and Detroit closed within four points before the Mavericks found the range again.

New York 104, Cleveland 101--Gerald Wilkins came off the bench to score 20 points in 22 minutes at Richfield, Ohio, as the Knicks ended a 14-game road losing streak.

The Knicks had lost all five games away from home this season and had not won on the road since March 6.

After building a 98-87 lead with 2:50 left, the Knicks almost blew it. With New York leading by three, Cleveland’s Dell Curry sank a three-pointer at the buzzer, but it was ruled that he had stepped out of bounds before he shot.

Houston 109, Phoenix 103--Akeem Olajuwon and World B. Free scored eight points apiece in the fourth quarter at Phoenix to lead the Rockets to victory.