NBA Roundup

Cavaliers Beat Hawks, Close In on Playoff Spot

Mark Price and Ron Harper are giving the Cleveland Cavaliers a strong one-two punch in their drive toward a playoff berth.

The two guards were sensational in the first half Tuesday night at Richfield, Ohio, as the Cavaliers built a big lead and coasted to a 116-103 victory over the fading Atlanta Hawks.

The fourth consecutive victory gave the Cavaliers a 38-39 record, two games better than any of the four teams fighting for the last three playoff berths in the East. With only five games left, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to keep Cleveland out of postseason play.

Both Price and Harper had 17 points in the first half to enable the Cavaliers to build an 81-56 lead. Harper finished with 25 points while Price, the Cavaliers’ most consistent player all season, had 22 points and a career-high 14 assists.

While the Cavaliers have peaked in the stretch, the Hawks have folded. They were in a great position to win the Central Division, but the Hawks have lost their last two games and are closer to third-place Chicago than they are to first-place Detroit.

Dominique Wilkins scored 28 for the Hawks, but starting guards Doc Rivers and Randy Wittman were no match for the Cavaliers’ pair. Between them, Rivers and Wittman were 3 for 14.

“It’s good for us to beat a team like Atlanta because they’ve dominated us this year,” Price said. “Anytime you beat somebody, it gives you a feeling that maybe you can beat them again in the playoffs.”

San Antonio 127, Houston 119--Frank Brickowski scored a career-high 34 points and had 15 rebounds at San Antonio to lead the Spurs to victory.

Brickowski, who scored 33 last Friday night at Denver, outscored Akeem Olajuwon, who had 26 points and 20 rebounds.

“I feel great,” Brickowski said. “I struggled shooting wise, I made some garbage baskets, but my teammates gave me some good shots also.

“This is the fun part of the season. It creates enthusiasm for the whole team.”

The victory put San Antonio four games ahead of Phoenix in the battle for the last playoff spot in the West. The Suns and Spurs meet tonight at Phoenix.

Houston Coach Bill Fitch said: “We didn’t help ourselves all night. Our defense was really poor in the fourth quarter. We scored 119 points tonight and lost. I think our offense was the reason we gave up so many points. We missed so many easy shots.”

In the fourth quarter, San Antonio connected on 12 of 18 shots and 12 of 14 free throws, while the Rockets were 11 for 23 from the floor and 8 for 12 from the line.

“It was a very physical game,” Spurs Coach Bob Weiss said. “Frank hit some big shots at the end.”

Dallas 104, Sacramento 96--The Mavericks spotted the Kings a big early lead at Sacramento, then stormed back to pull out the victory in the fourth quarter.

The victory enabled the Mavericks to take a 1 1/2-game lead over Denver in the tight Midwest Division race. The Mavericks have seven games left, including Sunday’s game at Denver.

Rolando Blackman tied a season high by scoring 32 points to lead the Mavericks, and Derek Harper added 21. Dallas won its fourth straight game and snapped a five-game road losing streak.

“I think we did a good job defensively, but what really hurt them was being without so many of their key players,” Dallas Coach John MacLeod said. “When they get Kenny Smith, Derek Smith and LaSalle Thompson back they’ll be an entirely different team.”

Sacramento will not have the two Smiths, Thompson, Jawann Oldham or Mike McGee back for the rest of the season. All are out with injuries.