NBA Roundup : Erving, Barkley Give 76ers a Lift

The Philadelphia 76ers hope to gain some inspiration from retired superstar Julius Erving.

The 76ers, in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in 14 years, retired Erving’s No. 6 jersey in a ceremony Tuesday night at the Spectrum.

“It is my hope,” Erving said, “that someone can look up at that jersey and think positively about their range of possibilities of their life.”

Charles Barkley may have done just that. The 6-foot 6-inch forward scored 28 points and had 9 rebounds to lead the 76ers to a 115-102 victory over Milwaukee and keep the 76ers’ slim hopes alive.

The 76ers (35-44) are 10th in the East, where eight teams qualify for the playoffs. The 76ers have to win all three of their remaining games, while two of the other three contenders for the last two playoff spots (Indiana, New York and Washington) lose at least two more games.

The first year after Erving’s retirement has been mostly disappointing except for the play of Barkley. A year ago, with Erving, the 76ers were 45-37.

Chicago 121, New York 118--Michael Jordan had an upset stomach, but there was no thought of taking the night off at New York. The Bulls are battling Atlanta for third place in the East.

So, Jordan dealt a jolt to the Knicks’ playoff hopes by scoring 47 points in 40 minutes, 15 of them in the last quarter.

“I’ve had a stomach virus and I was light-headed from lack of nourishment,” the two-time scoring champion said. “But it’s easier to play when you need a win, the other team needs a win, too, and the atmosphere is great.”

The loss, despite a 43-point fourth quarter, dropped the Knicks out of a tie for the seventh playoff spot with Washington. The Knicks (37-43) have games left at Milwaukee and Indiana.

“It’s tough to stop Superman,” Knicks’ Coach Rick Pitino said. “We didn’t have any Kryptonite. We have to win our last two on the road.”

Boston 121, Detroit 110--With no chance to win overall honors, the Celtics concentrated on showing the Pistons who’s boss in the East.

With the league’s only 60% shooter, Kevin McHale, making 13 of 15 shots at Boston, it was no contest.

Denver 134, Seattle 114--At Denver, Lafayette Lever and the Nuggets continued their stretch drive. Lever had 31 points and 12 rebounds as the Nuggets won for the 15th time in the last 16 games.

With two games left, the Nuggets, winners of five in a row, lead Dallas by 1 1/2 games in the Midwest Division.

Dallas 104, Houston 96--After the Rockets beat the Lakers Sunday, former NBA coach Billy Cunningham, now a television analyst, said that the real test would be the next game.

“One great game doesn’t straighten out a season,” Cunningham said. “If they beat Dallas, you’ll know they’re coming back.”

But in this game at Houston, it was the Mavericks who came out of the slump. Rolando Blackman scored 27 points to lead Dallas to victory.

Atlanta 119, New Jersey 109--Dominique Wilkins scored 32 points at East Rutherford, N.J., but the Hawks had to go overtime to beat the Nets.

Tree Rollins outscored the Nets, 4-2, in the five-minute extra session to enable the Hawks to remain in a tie with Chicago for third place in the Eastern Conference. Both have three games left, but the Bulls play Boston twice, while the slumping Hawks play them just once.

Since Willis Reed became coach, the Nets are 6-20.

Utah 129, Portland 122--The Jazz just about wrecked whatever hopes the Trail Blazers had of finishing with the second-best record in the West in this game at Portland, Ore.

Karl Malone scored 38 points, his fifth game in a row with 36 or more, to lead Utah.

The Trail Blazers are 50-29, Denver is 53-27.

Phoenix 122, Golden State 107--Rookie Armon Gilliam scored 19 points at Phoenix as the Suns kept their slim playoff hopes alive.

If Phoenix wins its last three and San Antonio loses its last three, the Suns will play the Lakers in the first round.