NBA Roundup : Rambis’ 21 Points, 16 Rebounds Help Hornets Stun Knicks

A number of reasons have been given for the Lakers’ recent slump. Not one of them involves Kurt Rambis, the only player of note missing from the team that won consecutive National Basketball Assn. championships.

Maybe the Lakers miss the hard-working, 6-foot 9-inch forward.

The Charlotte Hornets, an expansion team, signed Rambis as a free agent. They haven’t regretted it for a moment.

Rambis, in one of the best performances of his 8-year career, had 21 points and 16 rebounds Friday night at Charlotte to lead the Hornets to a stunning 122-111 victory over the New York Knicks.

It was the third loss in a row, all on the road, for the Knicks, who lead the Atlantic Division with an 18-10 record.

The Hornets improved to 8-19. Robert Reid led Charlotte with 23 points, and Kelly Tripucka, the team’s leading scorer, had 21.

Tripucka, Rambis and Rex Chapman, who just came off the injured list, led a 14-5 surge late in the third quarter that gave the Hornets a 10-point lead. The Knicks were never closer than 5 the rest of the way.

The last time they were within 5 was at 93-88. But Tyrone (Muggsy) Bogues had 2 steals and 4 assists in the next few minutes and the Hornets were home free.

Rambis leads the team in rebounding. In this game, he held Charles Oakley to 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Patrick Ewing led the Knicks with 25 points and 11 rebounds.

Late in the game, Rambis and Earl Cureton denied Ewing the ball and the Knicks didn’t shoot that well outside.

“Rambis played an excellent game,” Ewing said. “He and Cureton were banging all night long. I had to keep passing the ball out because Muggsy was double teaming me.”

The Hornets shut down Mark Jackson in the second half after the Knick guard scored 13 in the first half.

“Now we can put aside championship talk and concentrate,” Knick Coach Rick Pitino said. “We’re nowhere near a championship team. This form of embarrassment will teach our team a good lesson.”

Boston 112, San Antonio 99--Most of the other teams in the NBA have been taking advantage of the absence of Larry Bird. But the Spurs remain a longtime patsy.

The Celtics made their first 8 shots in the game at San Antonio and, with Robert Parish having a big game, went on to beat the Spurs for the 19th consecutive time. The last time the Spurs beat the Celtics was in January, 1980.

Parish had 34 points and 19 rebounds to help the Celtics end a 3-game losing streak with just their third win in 12 road games.

The Spurs aren’t putting up much resistance these days at home or on the road. They have lost 4 in a row and 12 of their last 13.

Cleveland 127, Washington 110--The Cavaliers tied a club record with their eighth straight victory, beating the Bullets at Richfield, Ohio.

Eight players were in double figures for the Cavaliers, who improved their NBA-best record to 21-5. Ron Harper was the leader with 22 points, but Coach Len Wilkens, for the second game in a row, gave reserves considerable playing time.

Backup center Chris Dudley played enough to regain his shooting touch.

Going into Wednesday’s game, Dudley was 16 for 48 from the field. But in the rout of Charlotte, Dudley was 6 for 7. He came right back with 5 for 7 in this game. With 11 for 14, he has improved to 27-62.

Chicago 101, Indiana 85--Michael Jordan scored 13 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter at Indianapolis as the Bulls handed the Pacers their eighth consecutive defeat.

The Pacers, who trailed by 17 points in the first half, battled back to catch the Bulls, 77-77, with a little more than 8 minutes left.

Jordan and Scottie Pippen each had 6 points in a 13-3 spurt. Then, the Pacers fell apart, making 9 turnovers down the stretch.

“We got some key defensive plays in the fourth quarter,” Jordan said. “We did a lot of trapping and they looked confused. We got some steals and also had the fast break working. Once we got the momentum, it was all over.”

Detroit 95, Houston 83--Joe Dumars scored 28 points and led a 15-4 spurt just before halftime at Auburn Hills, Mich., and the Rockets never climbed back into the game.

It was the second loss in a row for the Rockets, who had won 6 in a row.

Bill Laimbeer had 10 points, the first time he’s been in double figures in 5 games.

Phoenix 116, New Jersey 109--The Nets built a 17-point lead in the first quarter at East Rutherford, N.J., but the Suns fought back to win.

Tom Chambers led the Suns’ surge. He finished with 33 points, including 2 baskets in a 13-5 run that put the Suns ahead.

Atlanta 117, Milwaukee 113--Dominique Wilkins scored 29 points at Milwaukee, but it was a spurt by Cliff Levingston that led the Hawks to their fourth victory in a row.

With the score tied, 98-98, Levingston scored 5 points in a 13-5 run that broke the game open.

Utah 102, Philadelphia 95--Mark Eaton blocked 11 shots and Karl Malone scored 32 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Jazz at Salt Lake City.

The Jazz built an 80-62 lead with 17 minutes left, but a closing charge led by Charles Barkley made it close at the finish.

Denver 109, Miami 83--Michael Adams increased his record string to 71 games in which he has made a 3-point basket as the Nuggets coasted to victory at Denver.