NBA ROUNDUP : Cavaliers Hold Jordan to 22, but Still Lose

If the Cleveland Cavaliers fail to make the playoffs, the No. 1 reason will be injuries that sidelined two of their best players, Brad Daugherty and Larry Nance, for long periods of time.

Another reason, possibly connected to the injuries, is their inability to win on the road. They have the worst record away from home of any contenders in the East.

Although they held Michael Jordan to 22 points Wednesday night at Chicago, the Cavaliers had little offense and lost, 107-86.

The surging Bulls not only won their eighth in a row, they knocked the Cavaliers out of eighth place, the final playoff spot. The Cavaliers, who are 11-26 on the road, are a half game behind Atlanta.

A couple of weeks ago the Cavaliers appeared to be making the move that would get them into the playoffs. But Nance suffered a sprained ankle and the Cavaliers are in trouble again.

“We have to make a move,” Coach Lennie Wilkins of the Cavaliers said.

They have six games remaining, four of them on the road. Atlanta has five games left, three of them on the road.

If the Cavaliers fail to make the playoffs, it would make the Clippers happy, because they own Cleveland’s No. 1 draft choice.

Atlanta 106, Milwaukee 94--In this game at Atlanta, the Hawks surged into the final playoff spot in the East as Glenn Rivers again made a big contribution.

Rivers’ three shots from long range helped upset Philadelphia Monday night. Rivers and John Long each had four points in a 12-2 rally in the fourth quarter that gave the Hawks this victory.

“We are now in a position to help ourselves,” Rivers said.

Detroit 98, New Jersey 93--The Pistons were having unexpected problems with the weak Nets at Auburn Hills, Mich. So they brought Mark Aguirre off the bench in the fourth quarter. He scored 13 of his 22 points in the period and the Pistons kept the Nets at bay. The Nets have lost 25 consecutive games on the road.

It was another step back for Piston star Joe Dumars. In his second game back from a broken hand, Dumars played 19 minutes. He was 4 for 10 from the field and seems certain to be ready to go all out in the playoffs.