NBA ROUNDUP : King Gets 45, but Kings Get First Victory

The Washington Bullets had the best King Tuesday night in Landover, Md., but it was Sacramento with the most Kings, and they won the game, 87-82.

Bernard King scored a season-high 45 points, but Duane Causwell’s three-point play with 38 seconds remaining gave the Kings the lead for good and their first victory after seven defeats. The Kings had lost 13 in a row and were the last team in the NBA to post their first victory.

King, the league’s leading scorer, had just tied the score, 82-82, with a 20-foot jumper when Causwell, a 7-foot rookie from Temple, became the star. Causwell, who averaged 11 minutes in his first seven pro games, had missed his first four shots when he put up a short jumper. The ball went in, he was fouled and he converted. The Bullets didn’t score again.

The Kings built a 44-30 lead halfway through the second period, but King, who had 25 of his points in the second half, brought the Bullets back and set up the exciting finish.

The Bullets scored nine points in the second quarter, their lowest total since the franchise moved from Baltimore in 1973.

“They were all worried about getting that gorilla off their back,” King Coach Dick Motta said. “I told them it was a little teeny monkey.

“I wasn’t trying to put pressure on them. I’m going with three rookies at the end of a tight game. I was impressed that we didn’t fold.”

Wayman Tisdale, who led the Kings with 23 points and eight rebounds, put the victory in perspective.

“It was nice to win,” he said, “but we figure to take a lot of lumps this season.”

Houston 115, New York 88--Just about the time you think the Knicks are becoming a power in the NBA, they play a stinker such as this in New York.

Last Saturday the Knicks humiliated Charles Barkley and the Philadelphia 76ers. In this game, they were never in it.

Akeem Olajuwon, rising to the occasion, outscored Patrick Ewing by a wide margin, leading the Rockets to an early lead that kept getting bigger until it reached 90-65 early in the fourth quarter.

Olajuwon, 14 of 19 from the field, had 30 points. Ewing, who made only five of 16 shots, had 14. Ewing did have an 11-5 rebounding edge.

Olajuwon led the Rockets to 57.8% shooting night. The Knicks shot only 41.1%.

“This was a nightmare,” Ewing said. “We didn’t play well and we were blown out.”

Charlotte 128, Atlanta 121--The Hawks welcomed two of their stars, Dominique Wilkins and Glenn Rivers, back for this game at Charlotte. The improved Hornets weren’t impressed.

Although Armon Gilliam, their leading scorer and rebounder, was out with tendinitis, the Hornets built a 26-point lead in the third quarter, then hung on to even their record at 6-6. It took them 19 games last season to win six.

Kenny Gattison, starting for Gilliam, had 17 points and 17 rebounds.

Wilkins, who missed one game with a sprained right thumb, had 29 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Detroit 106, Miami 90--The tough Pistons’ defense held the Heat without a field goal for more than nine minutes in the second half at Miami and the Pistons romped to their seventh win in nine games.

John Salley and Mark Aguirre came off the bench to spark the attack for the Pistons after the starters had trouble finding the range. Salley had 23 points in 29 minutes, Aguirre 22 in 31.

Golden State 123, Orlando 120--The Warriors built a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter and coasted to their sixth consecutive home victory.

Although a barrage of three-pointers made the final score close, the Warriors were never in danger of losing.

Minnesota 92, Dallas 91--Tough defeats may become a fact of life for the Mavericks now that their big man, Roy Tarpley, is out for the season.

Ty Corbin tipped in his own missed shot just before the final buzzer in overtime to give the Timberwolves their first road victory after four defeats.

Rolando Blackman led the Mavericks with 32 points.