NBA ROUNDUP : Drexler Can’t Hit, but Blazers Remain Hot

In previous seasons, an off night for Clyde Drexler often meant certain defeat for the Portland Trail Blazers.

But Tuesday night at New York, the Trail Blazers demonstrated the balance that has made them a true contender in the Western Conference.

With Drexler missing nine of 10 shots, center Kevin Duckworth picked up the slack and scored a season-high 28 points as the Trail Blazers defeated the New York Knicks, 112-100.

“I’m the first to admit it when I’m having a horrible game,” Drexler said after scoring three points, 20 below his average. “The best thing I did all night was set up a bunch of offensive rebounds.”

Portland was ahead, 99-98, when Duckworth scored eight of his points during a 13-0 run at the end of the fourth quarter.

Buck Williams had 21 and Jerome Kersey added 19 for the Trail Blazers, who won their 40th game of the season--one more than all of last season.

Patrick Ewing had a game-high 40 points for the Knicks, who suffered their third loss in four home games after a 22-2 start at Madison Square Garden.

Utah 111, Orlando 101--Karl Malone scored 16 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Jazz at Orlando, Fla.

Thurl Bailey had 20 points and John Stockton 17 and 12 assists as the Midwest Division leaders, bouncing back from a last-second loss Monday night at Miami, won for the eighth time in nine games.

Reggie Theus had a team-high 22 for the Magic, which suffered its third consecutive loss and 10th in 11 games.

Detroit 101, Sacramento 91--Joe Dumars and Bill Laimbeer both scored 25 points at Auburn Hills, Mich., as the Pistons won for the 19th time in 20 games and improved their home record to 28-3.

Wayman Tisdale led the Kings with 40 points, 32 in the second half.

Chicago 114, Milwaukee 105--Michael Jordan scored 35 points, including six in a closing 10-0 run as the Bulls extended their winning streak to nine games at Milwaukee.

Phoenix 113, Atlanta 111--Jeff Hornacek broke a tie with 25 seconds left and came up with a loose ball in the final five seconds at Atlanta as the Suns won for the 11th time in 13 games.

The Suns won despite a 43-point performance by Dominique Wilkins, who has 123 points in his past three games. Tom Chambers led the Suns with 31 points.

Indiana 113, Washington 98--Chuck Person scored 36 points at Indianapolis as the Pacers ended a three-game losing streak.

Rik Smits had 24 points for the Pacers. Jeff Malone scored a team-high 19 points for the Bullets, who lost for the third time in four games.

Denver 122, Charlotte 96--Danny Schayes scored a game-high 23 points to lead the Nuggets at Denver.

Seattle 95, Cleveland 90--Dana Barros scored a game-high 23 points to lead the SuperSonics at Seattle.