NBA ROUNDUP : Williams the Rebounder Gives Blazers a Scorer, Too

The Portland Trail Blazers acquired Buck Williams in a trade with New Jersey last summerbecause they needed inside strength.

The rugged 6-8 power forward was asked to provide rebounding and toughness. Anything else was merely a bonus.

Williams not only has provided the rebounding, he has given them some excellent shooting, too. Thursday night at Charlotte, Williams missed only two of 13 shots, scored 23 points and had 17 rebounds to lead the Trail Blazers to a 96-86 victory over the Hornets.

Except for Williams replacing Caldwell Jones at power forward, the Trail Blazers have the same lineup they had last season. How important is Williams?

A year ago, Portland was 10-9 after 19 games. Now, they are 15-4, the second-best record in the NBA.

“He has been just what we needed inside,” Coach Rick Adelman said. “His shooting has been a big plus.”

Williams, eighth in the league in rebounding with a 10.5 average, is shooting almost 54% from the field.

Clyde Drexler led all scorers with 25 points as the Trail Blazers sent the Hornets down to their sixth consecutive defeat.

Williams is largely responsible for the Trail Blazers being the best rebounding team in the NBA. They easily dominated the Hornets, 51-33, getting 18 offensive rebounds.

“I’m enjoying playing with a winner,” Williams said. “My job is simple. I’m here to get the rebounds. If they need scoring, I’m ready to lend a hand.”

Utah 107, Dallas 97--Karl Malone continued his hot shooting at Salt Lake City and the Jazz took over first place in the Midwest Division.

Malone had 31 points, and John Stockton had 22 points and 13 assists. The Jazz built a 13-point lead after three quarters and coasted to their third win in a row.

The Jazz, 3-3 on the road, are 8-2 at home and lead San Antonio by a half game.

Malone has scored 20 or more points in 16 consecutive games.