NBA Roundup : Pistons Win Easily, Cameo for Thomas

It was just as Charles Barkley predicted: The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t beat the Detroit Pistons Wednesday night at Auburn Hills, Mich.

Vinnie Johnson, proving to be an excellent substitute for injured Isiah Thomas, scored 17 of his 31 points in the second quarter as the Pistons took charge and went on to win easily, 107-95.

The victory all but assured the Pistons of the championship of the Central Division, the best record in the National Basketball Assn. and the home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Pistons, winning their third game in a row without Thomas, improved their record to 58-18 and stretched their lead over the Cavaliers to 3 1/2 games. The Pistons need to win only four of their last seven games to clinch top honors.

This doesn’t seem much of a task for a team that has won 22 of its last 24 and 17 in a row at home. The Pistons have four more home games left.

Moreover, Thomas, wearing an elastic wrap on his broken left hand, played. The playmaking guard was supposed to miss three weeks instead of two games.

Thomas, obviously handicapped, played just 13 minutes and missed both of his shots.

It made no difference, Johnson was hot again. The Pistons were holding a 42-41 lead when Johnson sank two three-pointers, and had 10 points to lead the Pistons to a 58-48 halftime margin. The Pistons built the margin to 74-58 midway through the third period, and the Cavaliers never again came close.

Barkley, after the Cavaliers barely beat his Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday night, offered this: “Cleveland can’t beat Detroit. You know it and I know it.”

Washington 109, Milwaukee 95--John Williams, as he has so often lately, came through in the second half at Landover, Md., to help the Bullets keep their playoff hopes alive.

The Bullets, two games behind Boston with five to play, trailed the Bucks by 16 points at halftime. But Williams, an outstanding sixth man, scored 17 of his 22 points in the last 24 minutes to bring the Bullets from behind.

Phoenix 109, Dallas 94--Roy Tarpley, after missing 49 games because of a drug problem, rejoined the Mavericks at Dallas, but he couldn’t shake them out of their doldrums.

The Suns, in keeping the pressure on the Lakers, virtually ended the hopes of the Mavericks to make the playoffs. They trail Portland by three games with six remaining in the battle for the last playoff spot in the West.

Utah 107, Denver 102--Karl Malone scored 14 points in the first 5 1/2 minutes at Salt Lake City, but before the Jazz could finish off the pesky Nuggets, they needed Malone’s 40-point performance.

The magic number for the Jazz to wrap up the Midwest Division title is two. They lead the Nuggets by five with six games remaining.

Charlotte 104, New York 99--Kelly Tripucka scored 25 points at New York to help the Hornets end a nine-game losing streak at the expense of the fast-fading Knicks.