NBA Roundup : Celtics Routed by Knicks

After a decade of contending for the NBA title, the Boston Celtics are going into the final three days of the regular season battling to make the playoffs.

“We’re not used to scrapping for a playoff spot, but that’s the cards we’ve been dealt,” Robert Parish said after the New York Knicks routed the Celtics, 137-117, Thursday night in New York.

Mark Jackson scored 29 points for the Knicks, and Eddie Lee Wilkins, starting in place of injured Patrick Ewing, got six during a 13-0 run at the start of the second half that broke the game open.

New York extended an eight-point halftime lead to 82-61 in the third quarter as Wilkins, averaging under four points a game, got free inside for three layups during the 13-0 run.

Washington 100, Chicago 98--Ledell Eackles scored a career-high 28 points, and John Williams added 21, rallying the Bullets to a win at Landover, Md.

Michael Jordan led Chicago with 30 points but had only four assists and five rebounds, while committing six turnovers. Horace Grant scored 18 points for the Bulls.

The Bullets used a 10-0 third-quarter run to cut a 65-54 deficit to one point with 3:17 left in the period.

The Bulls led, 74-71, after three quarters, but the Bullets outscored them, 7-0, in the first two minutes of the fourth period.

Philadelphia 105, New Jersey 92--Hersey Hawkins hit his first 10 shots, and the 76ers shot 69% at East Rutherford, N.J.

Philadelphia took the lead for good with a 13-2 spurt that broke a 13-13 tie in the first period. Charles Barkley had five of his 15 points in the run, and former Net Mike Gminski added four of his 19.

New Jersey drew within three points in the second quarter and was within 65-61 midway through the third. The 76ers then went on a 9-4 burst to pull away for good.

Denver 136, San Antonio 113--Michael Adams scored 25 points, and the Nuggets scored the first 18 points of the fourth quarter at Denver, snapping a five-game losing streak.

Fat Lever had 23 points and Alex English 22 as the Nuggets won their 19th straight home game.

Denver led by as many as 18 points in the first half and held off a second-quarter rally by the Spurs that cut the lead to 67-61 shortly before halftime.

The 18-point spurt at the start of the fourth quarter gave the Nuggets a 122-92 lead.

Seattle 124, Portland 118--Dale Ellis and Xavier McDaniel each scored 31 points as the SuperSonics won at home and kept the Trail Blazers from clinching a playoff berth.

Portland made a strong run in the fourth quarter despite the absence of center Kevin Duckworth, who missed the game because of strep throat.

Jerome Kersey scored 30 points, Kevin Porter 28 and Clyde Drexler 21 for the Trail Blazers.