NBA ROUNDUP : Trail Blazers Take Road to Success

While other teams sometimes blame tough schedules and traveling problems for losses on the road, the Portland Trail Blazers just keep on winning.

Clyde Drexler came out of a slump to score 11 of his 27 points in the third quarter Wednesday night at Orlando to lead the Trail Blazers to a 119-110 victory.

The fifth victory in a row improved the best record in the NBA to 16-1. They have won four games in five nights, three of them on the road beginning with a triple-overtime victory Saturday night at Seattle.

The Trail Blazers, losers only to Phoenix this season, are 6-0 on the road. Lately, the victories have not been easy.

The Magic, buoyed by a victory Tuesday night at New York, battled the runaway leaders of the Pacific Division on even terms for more than a half.

But Drexler, who was only 13 for 45 in three previous games, made five of seven shots in the third quarter and sparked a 21-9 run that gave Portland an 11-point lead. Although the lead dropped to four points once in the final quarter, the Trail Blazers remained in control. Except for his five-for-seven spurt, Drexler was seven for 19.

Boston 148, Denver 140--The Nuggets are still having trouble winning, but they are making the games a little closer.

Before their road record fell to 0-8, the Nuggets (3-14) gave the Celtics a battle. They led for a bit in the third quarter and it was a 130-130 tie with a bit more than five minutes to play.

But Reggie Lewis sank two free throws to trigger a 14-4 rally that put the Celtics ahead to stay.

The Nuggets seem to be absorbing Coach Paul Westhead’s pell-mell system. They barely missed at Cleveland Tuesday night and came right back to play a big game.

But it was Larry Bird who spelled doom for the Nuggets. Bird scored 43 points and had 13 assists.

“Larry was vintage,” Westhead said. “He had a great game. He was keeping them alive. We were playing our game, the pace was fast and we had a chance to win.”

Utah 106, Detroit 85--It’s becoming a very forgettable trip for the NBA champion Pistons.

After a loss to the Lakers Tuesday night, the Pistons played the Jazz tight for three quarters.

But Jeff Malone scored 11 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and Utah broke the game open, winning handily.

The Pistons are 0-3 on the trip that began at Washington. They still have games with Golden State and Sacramento.

The Pistons, who were 13-2 before the trip, scored only six points in the first 10 minutes of the last quarter.

Indiana 126, Phoenix 121--With rumors that Dick Versace is about to be fired, the Pacer coach turned his team loose at Indianapolis.

Detlef Schrempf and Reggie Miller each scored 11 points in the fourth quarter and the Pacers overcame a 16-point deficit to hand the Suns their third loss in a row.

“This was a coach’s dream the way they came firing back,” Versace said.

Atlanta 110, San Antonio 108--The Hawks have shaken their slump in Texas.

Glenn Rivers scored 25 points, including a game-winning 20-foot jump shot with only two seconds left.

It was the first home loss after six victories for the Spurs, Midwest Division leaders. Tuesday night, the Hawks ended a nine-game losing streak by winning at Houston.

Milwaukee 113, Cleveland 109--Although Alvin Robertson wants to be traded because the Bucks won’t talk contract extension, he’s playing so well, the Bucks wouldn’t dare.

Robertson scored eight of his season-high 31 points in the five-minute overtime at Milwaukee to lead the Bucks to victory.

The Bucks blew a chance to win in regulation when Jack Sikma, with 17 seconds left, made only one of two free throws.

Darnell Valentine, signed when Mark Price was lost for the season, led the Cavaliers with 24 points.

Washington 104, Golden State 98--Bernard King scored 31 points, but four free throws in the last 11 seconds by rookie A.J. English saved the Bullets.

It was the second loss in a row at home for the Warriors against weak Eastern teams. The other was to the New Jersey Nets. English, who finished with 18 points, was shooting 61.1% from the line. The lead was only two points when he made the first free throw.