NBA PLAYOFFS : 76ers Gain Upper Hand on Cavaliers

Hersey Hawkins was a bust in the playoffs for the Philadelphia 76ers last season.

The nation’s leading scorer at Bradley University in 1987-88, Hawkins was three of 24 and scored only eight points as the 76ers were swept by the New York Knicks.

Hawkins was determined to prove that he could deal with playoff pressure, and he did that Thursday night at Philadelphia, scoring 35 points as the 76ers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 111-106, in an Eastern Conference playoff opener.

“I thought last year was a fluke,” said Hawkins, who shot 11 for 21, including two three-point shots. “Just a couple of bad games. This certainly boosted my confidence.”

Charles Barkley had 38 points and 21 rebounds for the Atlantic Division-champion 76ers.

John Williams had 23 points and Mark Price and Brad Daugherty each had 21 for the Cavaliers.

Boston 116, New York 105--Larry Bird was recovering from surgery on both heels last season and had to sit out the Detroit Pistons’ three-game, opening-round sweep of the Celtics.

He was back in playoff form against the Knicks, scoring 24 points, grabbing 18 rebounds and handing out 10 assists as the Celtics extended their home winning streak against the Knicks to 25 games.

“My game is rebounding and passing and making the plays,” Bird said. “When one of the areas is not going too well, I just try to pick up one of the others. That’s what I had to do tonight.”

The Celtics made an NBA-record 26 of 27 free throws and won for the ninth time in 10 games.

Reggie Lewis scored 22 points and Kevin McHale added 21 for the Celtics.

Patrick Ewing had 22 points and Johnny Newman had 21 for the Knicks, who last won at Boston on Feb. 29, 1984.

Charles Oakley, who had missed the previous 17 games with a broken left hand, returned to action as a substitute and had eight points for the Knicks.

Detroit 104, Indiana 92--The Pistons, trying to become the second team in the past 21 years to repeat as champion, got a clutch fourth-quarter performance from Vinnie Johnson at Auburn Hills, Mich.

The Pistons led, 84-79, before Johnson scored three consecutive baskets to put the game away.

James Edwards had 21 points for the Pistons and Isiah Thomas and John Salley each scored 20.

The Piston bench outscored the Pacer bench, 38-9.

“They have two teams, the starters and the bench,” Pacer Coach Dick Versace said. “With Salley, (Dennis) Rodman and V.J., they have the quickest team in the world. That team is as good as the first squad.”

Detlef Schrempf had 26 points for the Pacers.

San Antonio 119, Denver 103--The Spurs led most of the way at San Antonio and turned a Western Conference opener into a rout with a 10-0 run midway through the fourth quarter.

Willie Anderson scored 27 points and David Robinson had 26 points and 13 rebounds for the Midwest Division-champion Spurs.

Todd Lichti had 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Nuggets. Blair Rasmussen and Alex English each scored 19.

The Nuggets played without center Dan Schayes, who has a sprained left ankle.

Portland 109, Dallas 102--Terry Porter scored 28 points and preserved the victory at Portland, Ore., by hitting nine of 10 free throws in the final 57 seconds.

Buck Williams had 21 points and 16 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who led throughout the second half but weren’t able to pull away until the final 4 1/2 minutes.

The Trail Blazers, despite missing 20 layups and 11 free throws, were aided by a 20-8 advantage on the offensive boards.

Derek Harper scored 24 points and Roy Tarpley added 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Mavericks, who were winless in four regular-season games against the Trail Blazers.

Rolando Blackman scored 15 points for the Mavericks. Clyde Drexler had 14 for the Trail Blazers.