NBA ROUNDUP : Knicks Beat Clock and Bulls, 109-106

When New York reporters covering the Knicks wrote early this season that seven-foot Patrick Ewing had developed into the best center in the NBA, it was greeted with some skepticism.

But Ewing has changed that. A disappointment early in his five-year pro career, the Knick center has become a dominant figure in the middle, both on offense and defense.

Ewing had 33 points Monday at New York, but his defensive work was more important as the Knicks defeated the Chicago Bulls, 109-106, on a controversial play in the final one-tenth of a second.

That’s how much time was remaining when Mark Jackson inbounded the ball to Trent Tucker, who turned and made a 26-foot, three-point shot.

“I can’t believe it,” Bull Coach Phil Jackson said. “There isn’t time enough to get off a shot. That was a one- or two-second shot. A tenth of a second it was not.”

Referee Paul Mihalik said, “It was a judgment call.”

The strange finish did not diminish the performance of Ewing. His exceptional play kept the Bulls from winning handily.

He blocked eight shots and grabbed 12 rebounds. His presence prevented Michael Jordan from taking the ball to the basket.

Jordan, only nine of 24 from the field, had 26 points. His jump shot gave the Bulls a 106-104 lead with 1:21 left. But Ewing grabbed a rebound and scored to tie the score with 65 seconds remaining.

Cleveland 92, San Antonio 89--Mark Price does not consider himself another Magic Johnson, but he always wanted to get a triple-double.

He picked a good time for his first. Facing the tough Spurs at Richfield, Ohio, Price had 25 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists as the Cavaliers prevailed.

The Spurs lost their second consecutive road game, despite 28 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots by David Robinson.

Denver 101, Dallas 90--Alex English scored 20 of his season-high 29 points to help the Nuggets build a comfortable lead, but Coach Doug Moe was not happy with his team’s play at Denver.

“I hope we’ve hit rock bottom offensively, because we were terrible today,” Moe said. “We weren’t active, we stood around too much and we were totally out of sync.”

Indiana 144, Golden State 105--The Warriors are as bad on the road as they are good at home. After winning six in a row at home, they were never in this game at Indianapolis.

The Pacers scored 44 points in the first quarter and led, 86-48, at halftime.

Miami 111, Washington 105--Glen Rice scored 11 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter at Landover, Md., to lead a comeback by the Heat and end its 13-game losing streak.

The Bullets were led by Bernard King with 30 points, but he was sitting on the bench when the Heat wiped out a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Phoenix 118, Charlotte 108--Tom Chambers scored 40 points, but the Suns had to go overtime to hand the Hornets their 15th loss on the road without a victory.

The Hornets battled from a 69-52 deficit to force the overtime on a three-point basket by Rex Chapman with 23 seconds left. In overtime, Charlotte was outscored, 12-2.

Seattle 105, Houston 101--The SuperSonics, who have been complaining about not getting a fair shake from referees, lost Coach Bernie Bickerstaff by ejection early, but outlasted the Rockets at Seattle.