NBA ROUNDUP : Hawks Slow 76ers’ Quest for Division Title

The Philadelphia 76ers were about ready to celebrate. Another victory over the Atlanta Hawks and the 76ers would be close to nailing down the Atlantic Division.

But Dominique Wilkins and Moses Malone, especially when they are well-rested, can rise to the occasion.

Wilkins and Malone, with help from the sharpshooters in the backcourt, rallied the Hawks to a 123-111 victory Tuesday night at Philadelphia. The 76ers’ division lead over the surging Boston Celtics was cut to 1 1/2 games.

The Hawks had lost three in a row, but they had not played since losing to the 76ers Saturday night at Atlanta.

Wilkins had 29 points and 12 rebounds and Malone had 23 points and 10 rebounds. When Glenn Rivers ended his three-point shooting slump by making four of them, the 76ers were in trouble.

Rivers made three three-pointers in a four-minute span of the third quarter to help the Hawks build a 13-point lead. The 76ers, led by Charles Barkley (24 points) and Hersey Hawkins (27) but catch the Hawks.

“When I’m open, I’m going to shoot it,” Rivers said. “I missed the first 13 I tried this season, but I just kept firing.”

The Hawks (36-40) are in ninth place, a half-game behind Cleveland, for the East’s last playoff spot.

Detroit 108, New York 98--Although his left hand was heavily bandaged, Joe Dumars was back--and that was the lift the Pistons needed.

The Pistons, who won only three of their eight games after Dumars suffered a broken hand last month, broke open a tight game in the third quarter at New York with a 30-17 run triggered by Isiah Thomas.

Dumars played 23 minutes. He missed all three shots but he had six assists and played strong defense.

The Knicks led, 19-10, in the first quarter before Mark Aguirre came off the bench to score seven quick points.

Boston 112, New Jersey 96--It might be too late to overtake Philadelphia and win the Atlantic Division, but the Celtics are one of the teams coming up to the playoffs with momentum.

Two things have turned the Celtics from a so-so team to a playoff contender: Larry Bird finally found his shooting touch and Kevin McHale moved back into the starting lineup.

McHale had 24 points and 13 rebounds at East Rutherford and the Celtics improved their road record to 21-18, easily the best in the division.

The Celtics had only a 39-35 lead in the second quarter when McHale and Bird led a 14-2 spurt that put the Celtics in command.

Indiana 107, Washington 105--Detlef Schrempf sank a 15-footer to give the Pacers the lead for good with 23 seconds remaining at Indianapolis. Their third victory in a row gave the Pacers a solid grip on the seventh playoff spot in the East.

The Pacers (39-37) are 2 1/2 games ahead of eighth-place Cleveland. With six games remaining, their magic number is three.

Denver 121, Sacramento 113--Center Blair Rasmussen scored a season-high 26 points at Sacramento and the Nuggets strengthened their hopes for the playoffs.

Taking advantage of a Kings’ cold spell in which they went scoreless for more than three minutes, the Nuggets improved to 39-37, the seventh-best record in the West.

Antoine Carr of the Kings suffered a broken nose in the first quarter, but returned in the second half.

San Antonio 132, Golden State 122--David Robinson had 36 points and 12 rebounds at Oakland to lead the Spurs to their 50th victory.

The Spurs won 21 last season. If they win four of their last six games, they will set a record for biggest improvement.

Portland 106, Minnesota 104--Clyde Drexler scored 26 points and Jerome Kersey had 22 at Minneapolis to lead the Trail Blazers to their 54th victory. Only the championship team of 1977-78, featuring Bill Walton, won more (58).

The Trail Blazers have won eight of their last 11 road games and have 21 victories away from home.

Milwaukee 130, Orlando 127--Ricky Pierce, almost a cinch for the Sixth Man Award that goes to the best player coming off the bench each season, made four free throws in the last 25 seconds at Orlando. The Magic lost for the 10th time in a row.

Utah 114, Seattle 102--Karl Malone had 33 points and John Stockton had 20 assists at Salt Lake City as the Jazz dealt Seattle’s playoff hopes a jolt.

The SuperSonics dropped into ninth place in the West, one-half game behind Houston. Eight teams in each division make the playoffs.

Houston 115, Charlotte 112--The Rockets dominated the game for three quarters, building an 89-71 lead, but they almost blew it at Charlotte.

Akeem Olajuwon had 27 points and 19 rebounds, most of both in the first three quarters, for Houston.