NBA ROUNDUP : 76ers Rumble Past Pistons to Clinch Title

The Philadelphia 76ers knew it would be a fight to the finish for their first Atlantic Division championship since 1983 and that’s exactly what they got Thursday night against the defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons.

The 76ers, behind Charles Barkley’s 36 points, clinched the division title by defeating the Pistons, 107-97, in a fight-marred game that included a bench-clearing melee in the closing seconds.

The victory, the 76ers’ 13th in their last 15 games, gave the 76ers a 53-28 record and made Sunday’s finale against the Boston Celtics meaningless.

“They started the fight and we just defended ourselves,” Barkley said. “The Pistons sit up there on their high horses and don’t expect anybody else to do anything. If they want to go out in the parking lot, let’s go.”

The fight broke out with 15 seconds left when former Piston Rick Mahorn was fouled by Dennis Rodman as he scored a basket. Mahorn started after Rodman, then Piston center Bill Laimbeer and Barkley jumped in. Both benches emptied for several minutes before order was restored.

“It started when Laimbeer put the ball in Mahorn’s face,” referee Jake O’Donnell said. “Laimbeer, Barkley and Scott Hastings were all ejected. I clearly saw Hastings sucker-punch Barkley. Every player on both benches will be fined.”

James Edwards scored 24 points for the Pistons, who locked up the Central Division title last week but have lost eight of 14 games since a 25-1 streak from Jan. 23 through March 21.

Mike Gminski scored 16 points for the 76ers, who won their last division title--and NBA championship--in 1983.

“This is the greatest feeling I’ve ever experienced as a basketball player,” Barkley said. “Nobody gave us an opportunity to win, but there won’t be anything to put a damper on this one. It was a great effort.”

Dallas 111, Charlotte 102--Rolando Blackman and Derek Harper combined to hit 16 of 20 shots at Charlotte, N.C., as the Mavericks clinched the sixth spot in the Western Conference playoffs.

Blackman scored 21 points and Harper had 18 for the Mavericks, who will face Portland in the opening round of the playoffs.

Armon Gilliam scored 20 points for the Hornets and Richard Anderson had 19.

It was the final home game of the season for the Hornets, who sold out each of their 41 home dates and extended their streak of sellouts to 71 games.

Chicago 120, Washington 117--Michael Jordan scored 32 points at Chicago as the Bulls completed their home season with a best-ever 36-5 record and assured themselves of the home-court advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Trailing by one point, the Bullets had the ball with seven seconds left, but Jordan stole the inbounds pass from Ledell Eackles and drove in for a layup.

Horace Grant scored 22 points and Bill Cartwright added 18 for the Bulls, who won for the 11th time in their last 13 games.

Jeff Malone scored 33 points for the Bullets.

Milwaukee 96, New York 95--Jack Sikma made two free throws with 32 seconds left and the Bucks survived three shots by the Knicks in the final seconds at Milwaukee.

The victory boosted the Bucks’ lead over Indiana for sixth place in the Eastern Conference to 1 1/2 games.

The sixth-place team faces Chicago in the first round of the playoffs, and No. 7 gets Atlantic Division champion Philadelphia.

Jay Humphries scored 29 points for the Bucks.

Kenny Walker had 24 points for the Knicks, who played the final 14 1/2 minutes without center Patrick Ewing. Ewing was ejected with 2:31 left in the third quarter after picking up an unsportsmanlike foul for elbowing Greg Anderson, and a technical for arguing.

Ewing left the game with 13 points, leaving him three shy of Richie Guerin’s single-season Knick record of 2,303 set in 1961-62.

Denver 130, Houston 127--Akeem Olajuwon scored a career-high 52 points for the Rockets, but Fat Lever won the game for the Nuggets with a three-point basket in overtime at Houston.

Lever, who scored 22 points, hit his go-ahead three-point shot with 58 seconds left in overtime to give the Nuggets a 128-127 lead.

Dan Schayes provided the final margin when he hit two free throws after Olajuwon fouled out.

“Yeah, I’m the hero tonight, but there are going to be nights when I miss,” Lever said. “I have missed in games in the past. When you have the open shots on this team, you take them.”

Seattle 130, Sacramento 118--Sedale Threatt scored seven of his 20 points in overtime at Sacramento as the SuperSonics ended a six-game road losing streak.

Dale Ellis scored 43 points for the SuperSonics and Xavier McDaniel added 26.