NBA ROUNDUP : Rockets Get Last Spot, Lakers in 1st Round

It took the last game of the regular season to determine who would meet the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. The Houston Rockets earned the right Sunday by defeating the Utah Jazz, 100-88.

The game at Houston was largely decided earlier in the day. When San Antonio defeated Phoenix to clinch the Midwest Division title, the game was meaningless to the Jazz. The team played like it.

When Seattle lost to Golden State, it became the most important game of the season to the Rockets. They played like it.

The Rockets led almost the whole game, building the lead to 21 points in the third quarter. Akeem Olajuwon led the Rockets with 28 points and 12 rebounds.

John Stockton of Utah had 11 assists to increase his league record in a season to 1,134.

San Antonio 108, Phoenix 93--The Spurs, 21-61 last season, completed the greatest reversal in NBA history by winning the Midwest title.

David Robinson and Terry Cummings, as they have all season, led the Spurs over the Suns at San Antonio.

Cummings had 27 points and Robinson, a cinch for rookie-of-the-year honors, overcame a slow start to score 23 points and grab 18 rebounds.

The Spurs ended up winning their last seven games to beat out Utah. The Spurs finished with 35 more victories this season in going from last place to first.

Only two Spur players from last season, guard Willie Anderson and backup center Frank Brickowski, remained as Coach Larry Brown revamped his team.

Cummings was obtained in one deal and veteran Maurice Cheeks in another. Later, Cheeks was sent to New York for a younger point guard, Rod Strickland.

“I have had a number of teams who have improved 20 games or more,” Brown said. “But this was something special. I was here for the bad as well as the turnaround. It’s a tremendous feeling, winning the division. You can’t be anything but excited.”

The Spurs will be the No. 2-seeded in the Western Conference behind the Lakers. They will play Denver Thursday night at San Antonio in the opening best-of-five series.

“The Spurs should be saluted,” Sun Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said. “They came in knowing what they had to do it and did it. After all, we wanted this one, too.”

Golden State 124, Seattle 122--The Warriors knocked the SuperSonics out of the playoffs on rookie Tim Hardaway’s driving layup with three seconds left.

If the Sonics had won, they would have made the playoffs no matter what Houston did.

The Sonics made back-to-back three-point shots to tie the score with seven seconds remaining, but Hardaway ended Seattle’s postseason dream.

“I think we wanted this game bad,” Hardaway said. “They beat us bad in Seattle and we were ready. It feels good to knock them out.”

Cleveland 115, New York 99--Another team with momentum going into postseason play is the Cavaliers. A year ago the Cavaliers tied the Lakers for the second-best record in the NBA, then were knocked out in the first round by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

This season, beset by injuries, the Cavaliers won their last six games to finish seventh in the East. They will meet Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs.

If the Cavaliers had lost this game at Richfield, Ohio, they would have faced defending champion Detroit.

It was the third loss in a row for the fading Knicks and their 21st in the past 33 games. They face Boston at Boston in their playoff opener.

Brad Daugherty had 26 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Cavaliers.

Boston 118, Philadelphia 98--Neither Larry Bird of the Celtics nor Charles Barkley of the 76ers played in this finale at Philadelphia.

Bird is recovering from minor surgery, while Barkley was sitting out a one-game suspension.

Indiana 127, Washington 117--Detlef Schrempf had 25 points at Landover, Md., as the Pacers won, but still finished in the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.

Detroit 111, Chicago 106--Bill Laimbeer, after sitting out a game because of a fight with former teammate Rick Mahorn, hit the clutch basket at Auburn Hills, Mich.

Laimbeer hit a jump shot with 25 seconds to give the Pistons a final record of 59-23, best in the East.

The Bulls finished 55-27.

Denver 115, Minnesota 108--Michael Adams scored 32 points at Denver to help the Nuggets clinch seventh place in the West and avoid playing the Lakers in the first round.

The Timberwolves finished their first season with a 22-60 record.

Dallas 118, Charlotte 107--Shortly after Coach Richie Adubato was reportedly offered a contract for next season, the Mavericks won their fourth in a row.

Adubato took over after John MacLeod was fired Nov. 29 and the Mavericks compiled a 42-29 record under him to finish sixth in the West.

Orlando 110, New Jersey 102--Michael Ansley scored 26 points at East Rutherford, N.J., and the Magic ended their 15-game losing streak. Seven losses in a row left the Nets with the worst record in the league, 17-65.

NBA PLAYOFFS BEST-OF-5 SERIES EASTERN CONFERENCE Thursday’s Games Indiana at Detroit, 5 p.m.

New York Knicks at Boston, 5 p.m.

Cleveland at Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m.

Friday’s Game

Milwaukee at Chicago, 5 p.m.

WESTERN CONFERENCE Thursday’s Games Denver at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m.

Dallas at Portland, 7:30 p.m.

Friday’s Games Houston at Lakers at Forum, 7:30 p.m.

Phoenix at Utah, 6:30 p.m.

NOTE: All times Pacific Daylight.