NBA ROUNDUP : Now They Can’t Take Bullets for Granted

The theory on how to play the Washington Bullets has been to double team Bernard King and not worry about his teammates.

The idea was that King would probably score his 30 points, but with John Williams hurt, there weren’t any other scoring threats.

The theory is becoming history.

The Bullets now have a one-two punch up front.

King, the NBA scoring leader, had 37 points, but late-blooming Harvey Grant added 30 Saturday night at Landover, Md., and the Bullets beat the Boston Celtics, 116-99.

The Celtics, who had won three in a row without injured star Larry Bird, couldn’t bounce back from Friday night’s battle with the Clippers. The Celtics’ NBA-best record fell to 29-6 with the ending of a six-game winning streak.

The Celtics jumped in front, 12-4, before the Bullets’ forward tandem of Grant and King went to work. King had eight points and Grant six in a 24-4 run that put the Bullets in control.

It was the fifth victory in the past six games for the Bullets, who hope to get Williams back next week.

The surge began with the emergence of Grant as a scorer. Grant is a twin brother of Horace Grant, a 6-8 forward for the Chicago Bulls.

After two lackluster seasons, Harvey Grant became a regular when Williams underwent knee surgery before the season. His scoring improved with more minutes, but suddenly he has become a force.

In the past six games, which included a three-point loss at Milwaukee, Harvey has averaged 26.3 points per game. During the same period, King, who has passed Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley in the scoring race, has averaged 39.3.

“There is no doubt that it is easier for me to get easy shots when Harvey is shooting the way he has been lately,” King said. “If he keeps it up, we will be hard to beat.”

Coach Wes Unseld wasn’t ready to concede that 6-8 Grant has arrived, but Grant, who averaged 8.2 points last season, his second in the NBA, is not surprised.

“I took it upon myself this year to show the fans and the team they didn’t make a mistake drafting me No. 1 in 1988,” he said. “I worked hard and it’s beginning to get results. It helps having them worry about Bernard, too.”

The Celtics were not surprised by Grant, who was 14 for 23 from the field.

“We saw him on film and he’s tearing up teams,” Coach Chris Ford said. “He’s doing it with the jumper, and putting it on the floor. He’s a legitimate threat now for whatever reason. I don’t know what Wes has done to him.”

Unseld was a bit more reserved. “I look for consistency,” he said. “The jury’s still out on him because he’s got to do it over a period of time.”

Detroit 109, Miami 103--One test of a great team is the ability to pull out a victory when it doesn’t play well. The two-time NBA champion Pistons passed the test once again at Auburn Hills, Mich.

After a tough overtime battle with Portland Friday night, the Pistons didn’t appear ready for the Heat.

However, with Isiah Thomas scoring eight of his 25 points in overtime, the Pistons stretched their winning streak to nine games and moved to within half a game of first place in the Central Division.

The Pistons, after trailing much of the game, built a 97-93 lead with 2:18 left. Unlike champions, they didn’t score again in regulation.

Instead, Sherman Douglas, who led the Heat (9-26) with 23 points, sank two free throws with 1:42 left. Both teams missed numerous chances before Douglas made a driving layup to send the game into overtime.

“Isiah and the Pistons just turned it up a notch when they had to,” said 6-11 rookie Alec Kessler, who replaced injured Rony Seikaly as the Miami center. “Earlier, I think, they were flat after a big victory last night.”

San Antonio 112, Utah 92--The Jazz went into San Antonio a hot team. David Robinson, as he has done to a lot of teams, sent them out a cold one.

It wasn’t so much the 22 points and 18 rebounds for the brilliant center, it was the intimidation. Robinson, posting his second consecutive unusual triple-double, blocked 11 shots. He forced shooters to change their shots another dozen times. He has blocked 21 shots in the last two games.

The Jazz had won seven of eight and trailed the Spurs by only a game in the Midwest Division. But their scoring leader, Karl Malone, averaging 28 points a game, was bothered most by the 7-1 Robinson.

Malone was only six for 23 and had 20 points.

Chicago 106, Charlotte 95--Michael Jordan scored 33 points--his ninth consecutive game with at least 30 points--at Charlotte, N.C., and the Bulls surged into first place in the Central Division race.

Jordan scored 11 of his points in the fourth quarter when the Hornets made a desperate effort to overcome a 17-point deficit. It was the fifth victory in a row for the Bulls.

Indiana 118, Milwaukee 110--It was the second night in a row the Bucks were shocked. Their 18-game home winning streak was snapped by Philadelphia on Friday.

Instead of bouncing back at Indianapolis, the Bucks lost their third in a row and dropped into a second-place tie with Detroit in the Central Division.

Michael Williams led the Pacers to their second victory in a row with 19 points and 14 assists.

Philadelphia 109, New Jersey 99--It is sometimes possible to win without your best player, but the 76ers did it without their two best.

Charles Barkley and Hersey Hawkins were out with nagging injuries at Philadelphia, but Armon Gilliam had 29 points and 13 rebounds to pace the 76ers.

New York 99, Atlanta 92--Kiki Vandeweghe scored 23 points and made four three-point baskets at New York and the Knicks beat a team with a winning record for the first time since Nov. 17.

Orlando 127, Dallas 103--The Magic shot the lights out against the Mavericks to win on the road for only the second time in 19 games. They shot 59% from the field, making 48 of 81 shots.

Denver 128, Cleveland 120--Michael Adams, taking over as the Nuggets’ leader, had 28 points and 17 assists at Denver and the Nuggets ended an eight-game losing streak.

The Cavaliers have lost 11 in a row.

Phoenix 127, Golden State 118--Kevin Johnson helped the Suns build a 27-point lead at Oakland and when the Warriors rallied to lead in the fourth quarter, he took charge again.

Johnson had 13 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter to assure the Suns their 10th victory in a row over the Warriors.

The Warriors came back to take the lead, 102-101, but Johnson’s two jumpers put the Suns on top.

Sacramento 101, Seattle 85--The Kings bounced back from their worst performance in history (59 points Thursday) with an impressive victory at Sacramento.

Travis Mays had 22 points for the Kings, who lost previously to the SuperSonics by 35 and 28 points.