NBA ROUNDUP : Sikma Leads Bucks Closer to First Place

From the day Don Nelson departed in a moment of anger, the experts have been predicting the demise of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Although they were only 42-40 the season after Nelson left to join the Golden State Warriors, the Bucks, under Del Harris, have not fallen apart. They improved to 49-33 last season.

The last straw was supposed to be the retirement of Sidney Moncrief and the trade of high-scoring forward Terry Cummings before the start of this season. A couple of experts went so far as to place the expansion Orlando Magic ahead of the Bucks in the Central Division.

But at the rate they’re going, the Bucks are going to fool everybody.

Jack Sikma, the 7-foot long-range sharpshooter, sank five three-point baskets in the first quarter Tuesday night at Milaukee to lead the Bucks to a 108-97 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. The fourth win in six games moved the Bucks to within a game of first place in the Central Division.

Sikma took advantage of the Spurs’ rookie sensation, David Robinson, who was reluctant to go that far from the basket to guard his rival center. Sikma finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Robinson had 18 points and five rebounds.

The Bucks built an 18-point lead in three quarters, then turned back a spirited fourth-quarter rally by the improved Spurs.

Boston 96, Philadelphia 94--The NBA’s decision to register the last two minutes in tenths of seconds is making it possible for Larry Bird to win games even more dramatically.

There were only five ticks left on the clock at Hartford when the Celtics’ star scored the winning basket in this one.

It was not a productive night for Bird, returning after missing most of last season because of surgery on both Achilles’ tendons, but, with the score 94-94, the Celtics set up Bird for the final shot.

They almost waited too long. But John Bagley found Bird emerging from a scramble, hit him with a pass and Bird sank a 10-foot jumper. It was only his fifth basket and 10th point of the game.

The 76ers had come from six points down to catch up when Charles Barkley made a short turnaround jumper with 24 seconds left.

Minnesota 101, Golden State 98--Scott Roth came off the bench to score 18 of his 22 points in the first half at Minneapolis to rescue the Timberwolves from a horrible start.

The Warriors jumped in front, 12-0, but the Timberwolves, in winning for the second time in six games, led at halftime and were 11 ahead in the third quarter.

Mitch Richmond led a furious rally that brought the Warriors even, 90-90, with 2:32 left, but Ty Corbin made a driving layup 24 seconds later, was fouled and converted for a three-point lead. The Warriors never caught up.

Former Laker Tony Campbell had 29 points for Minnesota.

Chicago 96, Sacramento 94--Scottie Pippen’s layup with two seconds left at Sacramento gave the Bulls a hard-fought victory over the Kings.

Michael Jordan, who is off to a fast start in his bid for a fourth consecutive scoring title, had 26 points. In his first seven games, the Bulls’ guard is averaging 34.3 points per game.

Dallas 113, Seattle 109--Derek Harper’s 18-foot jumper with 94 seconds left in overtime at Seattle clinched the win for the Mavericks.

But it was a big night by Roy Tarpley that made it possible. Tarpley had 26 points and 21 rebounds. He blocked Dale Ellis’ shot after Harper gave Dallas a 107-105 lead.

Xavier McDaniel had 29 points for the SuperSonics, including a 14-foot jumper that tied it with three seconds left in regulation.

Portland 118, New York 117--Patrick Ewing scored 43 points at Portland, but his effort left the Knicks one point short.

Rookie Cliff Robinson had 22 for the Trail Blazers including a layup with 29 seconds left that clinched the win.

Charlotte 130, Orlando 116--No matter that it came against an expansion team, the Hornets were just happy to get a big game out of J. R. Reid.

Reid, the 6-foot-9 North Carolina center who was the fifth player taken in the draft last summer, had been a disappointment as the Hornets lost their first five games.

In this game at Charlotte, Reid had 25 points and 20 rebounds and the Hornets won for the first time. It was a close game until the middle of the last quarter when Reid led a 17-4 rally. He sank an offensive rebound and scored eight more points in the surge.

Cleveland 103, New Jersey 92--Craig Ehlo came off the bench to score 19 of his 23 points in the second half at East Rutherford, N.J. to lead the Cavaliers to their second win in a row.

With the Cavaliers trailing, 60-59, in the third quarter, Ehlo and Ron Harper led a 29-7 rally.

Harper finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds as the Cavaliers continued to play without injured regulars Brad Daugherty and Larry Nance.

Miami 101, Houston 99--The Rockets shut out sharpshooting Kevin Edwards in the first 12 minutes at Miami, but thereafter couldn’t stop him.

Edwards finished with 33 points, including six in a row late in the game that thwarted the Rockets’ late bid.