NBA ROUNDUP : Celtics Take Step Forward to Beat Pistons

The Boston Celtics had lost four in a row, the last two at home to Golden State and New Jersey. Even some of their most ardent supporters were thinking the Celtics were not much of a team without ailing Larry Bird.

Maybe it’s too soon to give up, even though Bird, with a back problem, is out indefinitely.

The new forward combination of Kevin McHale and Kevin Gamble ignited the offense Wednesday night at Boston and the Celtics turned on the NBA champion Detroit Pistons for a 111-94 victory.

The victory clinched the Eastern Conference All-Star coaching assignment for Chris Ford, the Celtics’ rookie coach. It also made Boston the first team in the East to win 30 games.

McHale (26) and Gamble (22) scored 48 points, but it was Brian Shaw and rookie Dee Brown who led the 16-4 rally that put the game on ice in the closing minutes.

Monday at Detroit, the Celtics were without Bird and Robert Parish, the Pistons without Isiah Thomas. The Pistons won, 101-90.

Parish, recovered from a sprained ankle, had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Thomas, who has a wrist injury, played 22 minutes off the bench, but scored only three points.

“I can’t say enough for Robert Parish, coming back with a bad ankle,” said Ford, only the fourth rookie to coach in the All-Star game. “Both teams wanted to win and battled hard. It was a big lift for us.”

The Pistons, who could have taken over first place in the Central Division, shot only 40.2%.

“When it comes June, this game could mean playing at home or away,” Detroit’s Mark Aguirre said. “We wanted this one.”

Aguirre wasn’t much help. In 15 minutes, he took 11 shots and made two.

New Jersey 99, Chicago 95--The Nets, because of injuries and the trade of Greg Anderson in a three-way deal, had only nine men in uniform at East Rutherford, N.J.

However, they had enough to shock the Bulls, leaders of the Central Division, by outscoring them, 25-16, in the last 7 1/2 minutes.

The Nets have won three of their past four after losing 11 in a row. They stopped the Bulls’ five-game winning streak.

Michael Jordan had 35 points, but he couldn’t do anything to stem the late rush of the Nets, who led by 10 in the first half before falling behind.

Reggie Theus had 13 of his 25 points in the last quarter when the Nets scored 35 points to pull it out. Theus made eight of 10 free throws in the last 98 seconds.

Although he scored 30 or more points for the ninth game in a row, Jordan wasn’t really shooting well. He was nine for 23.

“This is the kind of game a team that expects to win the Central Division has to win,” Jordan said. “We didn’t play very well.”

New York 109, Utah 94--It was another surprise at Salt Lake City. Mark Jackson and Gerald Wilkins came off the bench to spark a big second-quarter run for the Knicks.

The Knicks, winning their third in a row, outscored the Jazz, 41-22, in the second quarter to build an overwhelming 20-point lead.

Jackson had 17 points and seven assists in the second quarter. Wilkins had 10 points.

Patrick Ewing had a big game for the Knicks, scoring 34 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and blocking nine shots.

It was only the Jazz’s fourth home loss in 20 games. The Knicks, only 9-12 at home, are 8-9 on the road.

Indiana 110, Philadelphia 109--The Pacers, who said the officiating cost them a victory over the Lakers Tuesday night, took it out on the 76ers at Philadelphia.

Chuck Person had 24 points and Reggie Miller led a decisive rally that wiped out a five-point deficit in the last three minutes.

Washington 104, Atlanta 99--Pervis Ellison, a disappointment for the Bullets this season, paid a dividend at Landover, Md.

Ellison scored six points in a 12-0 spurt late in the game that enabled the Bullets to end the Hawks’ five-game winning streak.

Ellison, who has averaged 6.7 points and six rebounds, had 13 of each in 20 minutes.

Sacramento 95, Milwaukee 91--It was an unusual night in the NBA. The underdog won every game.

At Sacramento, the Kings fell 15 points behind in the second quarter, but fought back to win their second in a row.

Antoine Carr led the Kings’ late rally and finished with 29 points. The Kings, 1-16 on the road, are 10-10 at home.

Cleveland 99, Dallas 85--In this meeting in Dallas of two teams that were shorn of their best players, the Cavaliers had two big men.

Brad Daugherty and Larry Nance each scored 21 points to lead the Cavaliers to their second win in 14 games.

Season-ending injuries have taken Mark Price away from the Cavaliers and Roy Tarpley from the Mavericks.

Herb Williams, who missed 22 games with a knee problem, rejoined Dallas, getting eight points in 17 minutes.