NBA ROUNDUP : Bucks Pass Pistons, 106-101

Coach Chuck Daly of the NBA champion Detroit Pistons thought he had an idea for getting his club out of its worst slump in three years.

He had his team, which has shot poorly almost all season, come out firing at Milwaukee Tuesday night, imitating a tactic that has worked for the Chicago Bulls.

The Pistons jumped in front, 17-6, in the opening minutes, but couldn’t handle the long-range shooting of Jay Humphries and Ricky Pierce, losing again, 106-101, to the Bucks.

Milwaukee, the only team unbeaten at home, improved to 13-0 there, and stretched its lead in the Central Division to 2 1/2 games over the slumping Pistons.

It was the third loss in a row for Detroit and the seventh in the last eight games.

Humphries had 13 of his career-high 36 points in the fourth quarter when the Bucks outscored Detroit, 32-15, in the last 9:31 to pull it out. Pierce came off the bench to get 12 of his 24 in the closing rally.

Joe Dumars had 19 points and James Edwards had 18 for the Pistons, but neither scored in the fourth quarter. Edwards missed the previous loss with a pulled muscle in his rib cage.

“We have to show patience to get out of this slump,” Daly said. “I thought this was the one, but then we flopped in the stretch.

“We’re in a position to drop out of the race. We need a win.”

They will try to end the slump against Chicago tonight in Detroit.

San Antonio 96, Houston 95--The two great centers, David Robinson and Akeem Olajuwon, battled almost to a standstill. But Robinson enjoyed the meeting at Houston most, because his two free throws with 23 seconds left decided the game.

Robinson had 18 points and 13 rebounds. Olajuwon, the Rockets’ star, had 20 points and 14 rebounds.

Olajuwon had two chances to be the hero. He had a 10-foot shot with eight seconds left and it rimmed out. Then his driving layup at the buzzer was short.

Olajuwon, a six-year veteran, indicated before the game that he felt Robinson, a second-year man, still needed to pay some dues.

Portland 122, Golden State 94--With Clyde Drexler getting 10 points in the first quarter, the Trail Blazers took a 35-9 lead. They continued to build on that, and by a minute into the second half it was 74-38.

The victory improved Portland’s record to 22-2, best in the NBA.

Chicago 112, Miami 103--The Bulls failed to get off to their usual fast start at Chicago, so Michael Jordan had to play more for his team to win its third in a row.

It was the eighth loss in a row for the Heat, but Miami challenged the Bulls throughout.

Jordan played 36 minutes and scored 39 points, 24 in the second half, to hold off the Heat. Scottie Pippen made 11 of 17 shots, including a three-pointer, and finished with 30 points in 41 minutes.

Phoenix 114, Dallas 95--The Suns stretched their unbeaten string since Xavier McDaniel joined them to six games.

McDaniel had 23 points, but it was Dan Majerle, coming off the bench for 24, who led the romp at Dallas.

Already missing their big man, Roy Tarpley, for the season, the Mavericks lost Herb Williams for at least five games because of sore knees.

Utah 105, Charlotte 100--There isn’t a team that enjoys playing against Karl Malone. The Hornets really hate it.

Malone had 30 points and 17 rebounds as Utah won at Charlotte. In seven previous meetings with the Hornets, the Mailman averaged 32 points.

Seattle 122, Orlando 105--The game was delayed almost an hour at Seattle because the Magic was snowbound two miles from the Coliseum. Attendance was listed as 1,568. Six inches of snow fell in the afternoon and early evening, and traffic was stalled. The SuperSonics sold more than 10,000 tickets.

Derrick McKey had 33 points for the SuperSonics.

Sacramento 108, Minnesota 99--Anthony Bonner scored five of his 18 points in a 9-2 run late in the game at Sacramento to assure the Kings their third win in a row.

The Kings improved to 6-15, despite losing guard Bobby Hansen with a bone chip in his left ankle.