NBA ROUNDUP : Oakley Makes a Big Difference in Return to Lineup

Charles Oakley didn’t ease his way back into the lineup. He pushed and shoved, leading the New York Knicks to a 100-95 victory Thursday night over the Atlanta Hawks at New York.

Oakley, returning after missing three games with an injury, played 36 minutes and sparked an 18-5 run in the fourth quarter as the Knicks won for the 10th time in 11 games.

Oakley, who had sprained ligament in his right knee, scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

“At the start of the game, I was rushing everything,” he said. “I was too excited. I made some quick fouls and some bad outlet passes. When I got back to the bench, I just told myself to calm down. I’m just glad to be back and contribute.”

Gerald Wilkins led the Knicks with 23 points, and Patrick Ewing had 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Atlanta’s Dominique Wilkins scored 24 points despite nine-of-31 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds. The Hawks have lost three of their last four games and three in a row on the road.

The Knicks outscored the Hawks, 32-20, in the third quarter to build an 82-70 lead, but Atlanta closed to 82-78 early in the final period.

Ewing, the NBA’s third-leading scorer, failed to score in the first quarter and finished with only four points in the half.

Denver 112, Sacramento 98--A sellout crowd gave departing coach Jerry Reynolds a standing ovation, but Denver’s Walter Davis spoiled the occasion with 27 points as the Nuggets beat the Kings in Sacramento.

A crowd of 17,014 at Arco Arena gave Reynolds a one-minute ovation before his final game as coach. Dick Motta, hired Thursday, takes over Saturday.

Davis scored 17 of his 27 points in the second half for Denver. Fat Lever added 23 points for the Nuggets. Wayman Tisdale led Sacramento with 29 points.

Minnesota 100, Charlotte 98--Scott Roth had 16 fourth-quarter points as the Timberwolves extended the Hornets’ road record to 0-12. The Hornets are the league’s only winless team on the road.

Armon Gilliam had 26 points for Charlotte, including 17 in the first half. Tony Campbell led Minnesota with 25 points and Corbin added 20.

Phoenix 119, Dallas 102--The Suns, led by Tom Chambers with 35 points, shot 75% in the second period at Phoenix to climb above .500 for the first time since November.

Jeff Hornacek finished with 24 points while Eddie Johnson had 19 and Chambers 13 rebounds as the Suns won for the fifth time in their last six games. Rolando Blackman led Dallas with 23 points.

Golden State 119, Miami 117--Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond scored 27 points apiece and combined for all 21 of Golden State’s points in a 7:36 stretch of the fourth quarter at Oakland as the Warriors extended the Heat’s losing streak to eight games.

Rony Seikaly scored 24 points and Billy Thompson had a career-high 17 rebounds for the Heat.