NBA Roundup : Philadelphia Wins Again, Defeats Boston

Maybe, the Clippers aren’t so bad, after all. They were trounced by the Philadelphia 76ers Friday night, a team that didn’t even make the playoffs last spring.

Right away, NBA fans assumed that they were the same, futile Clippers.

Just maybe, the reason the Clippers looked so bad was that the 76ers are a much better club than they were last season.

With Cliff Robinson scoring 14 points in a 41-point third quarter, the 76ers had at least as easy a time with the Boston Celtics Saturday night as they had with the Clippers, winning, 129-115.

The 76ers built a 64-57 halftime lead, then blew the once-mighty Celtics off the court with their 41-point burst.

The Celtics, who barely overcame the New York Knicks in their home opener, also lost Danny Ainge. He twisted his knee in the second period and didn’t return.

Charles Barkley, who scored 24 points in 28 minutes, said there were two main reasons why the 76ers were an improved team. He cited the return of Robinson, Maurice Cheeks and himself plus the addition of rookie Hersey Hawkins.

“He’s taken over, he’s become our leader,” Barkley said. “That takes pressure off me and allows me to concentrate on the things I can do to contribute.

“He’s given us a more balanced attack, inside and outside.”

In his first two NBA games, Hawkins, who had to quit the U.S. Olympic team because of a sprained knee, has been steady.

He had 20 points and 8 rebounds against the Clippers and 13 points in just 23 minutes against the weary Celtics. In two games he made 12 of his 21 shots.

The Celtics are trying to develop bench strength, but in the overtime battle with the Knicks Friday night, the aging starters played most of the game. They appeared to be tired in the third quarter Saturday night when they fell apart.

Detroit 94, Charlotte 85--The dedication of their new arena, The Palace, in Auburn Hills, Mich., was not one that will go down in history.

The Pistons, impressive in winning their opener Friday night, had problems with the expansion Hornets until well into the third quarter.

Adrian Dantley, getting 8 of his 18 points in the first quarter, helped the Pistons build a 21-10 lead. At halftime they led, 48-40. They never did run away and hide the way Cleveland did at Charlotte the night before.

Only poor shooting by one-time Piston star Kelly Tripucka (2 of 12) and highly-touted rookie Rex Chapman (6 of 19) prevented the Hornets from making it even tougher.

Cleveland 105, Indiana 99--The flashy Cavaliers built a 15-point lead in the second quarter, then lasted to beat the Pacers at Indiana.

The Pacers got their first lead, 94-93, on a basket by 7-foot 4-inch rookie Rik Smits with 2 minutes remaining. They expanded the lead to 3 points before Brad Daugherty and Mark Price rallied the Cavaliers.

It was a steal and layup by Price with 40 seconds to play that broke the Pacer rally and gave Cleveland a 103-99 lead.

Dallas 114, Houston 113--Derek Harper sank a 20-foot jumper with just 2 seconds left in overtime to spoil the Rockets’ home opener. It was Houston’s second loss in a row.

Harper scored 9 of the Mavericks’ 11 overtime points. Harper scored 10 points in a late surge as the Mavericks overcame an 11-point deficit. Rolando Blackman’s 10-foot jumper with 2 seconds left sent the game into overtime.

Chicago 111, Washington 98--Horace Grant welcomed twin brother Harvey to the NBA and spoiled the Bullets’ home opener before 17,235 fans.

Horace, a second-year pro, had perhaps his best NBA game, getting 25 points, 16 rebounds and 4 assists. Harvey played 15 minutes and was 4 for 7.

New Jersey 112, New York 102--Buck Williams had 19 points and 11 rebounds at East Rutherford, N.J., to help hand the Knicks their second loss in a row.

The Knicks seemed tired after an overtime loss in Boston Friday night.

Seattle 142, Denver 141--Derrick McKey’s basket with 2 seconds left in overtime at Seattle enabled the SuperSonics to win their second straight.

The Nuggets, who led by 5 points late in the fourth quarter and by 3 in overtime, had taken a 141-140 lead on 2 free throws by Danny Schayes with 17 seconds left.

Atlanta 107, Milwaukee 94--The Bucks dedicated their new $73-million arena and drew a sellout crowd of 18,649, but it was Moses Malone doing the celebrating.

Malone scored 17 of his 25 points in the second half to help the Hawks take charge of a hard-fought game. Malone also had 16 of the Hawks’ 29 rebounds.

The Bucks led in rebounds, 40-29, but shot only 40.9%.

Portland 121, Portland 103--Clyde Drexler scored 16 of his 27 points in the first quarter at Portland to help the Trail Blazers build a lead en route to their second victory in a row.

The Blazers led almost the entire game, but the Kings pulled within 4 points late in the third quarter, only to have Jerome Kersey score 6 points in 2 minutes for Portland.

Golden State 117, Phoenix 104--Chris Mullins scored 7 of his 29 points in a fourth-quarter spurt at Oakland that broke open a tight game and gave the Warriors a victory in their opener. Mullins also had 11 rebounds.

Rookie guard Mitch Richmond scored 17 points, and 7-7 Manute Bol blocked 4 shots.