NBA ROUNDUP : Adams Does His Part, but It’s Not Enough

The Milwaukee Bucks overcame an NBA season-high 54-point effort by Michael Adams to beat the Denver Nuggets in overtime, 140-136, Saturday night at Denver.

It was the fourth consecutive victory for the Bucks. Denver lost its sixth in a row.

Adams’ 54 points was a record for him, bettering the 45 he scored on Jan. 31 in a 123-119 victory over New Jersey. He made seven of his NBA-record 16 three-point attempts, including four in a row in the second quarter, and went over 40 points for the fifth time this season.

Adams, who entered the game averaging 25.6 points, also held the record for three-point attempts in a game with 15 against Utah on March 14, 1988.

Jay Humphries made a 25-foot shot with 0.4 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime.

Chicago 133, Indiana 119--Michael Jordan scored 17 of his 39 points in the third quarter to help the Bulls win their 26th consecutive home game.

The Bulls, 21-2 in their last 23 games, are 31-3 this season at Chicago Stadium. John Paxson added 25 points for Chicago. Reggie Miller led Indiana with 34 points.

In the third quarter, Jordan scored 11 points in 2:06, turning an 84-82 lead into a 95-87 advantage.

Orlando 105, Dallas 93--The Magic got plenty of help from its bench to win at home.

Orlando trailed, 40-32, with 6:23 left in the second quarter when Coach Matt Guokas starting making substitutions.

Using primarily reserves, the Magic took a 52-46 lead at halftime, getting 29 of its 31 second-quarter points from the bench, including 16 from Reynolds.

Washington 102, Philadelphia 99--Charles Barkley missed a three-point shot at the buzzer and the Bullets beat the 76ers for the first time in four meetings this season.

Harvey Grant made three free throws in the final 1:04 to clinch the victory at Landover, Md. It was Washington’s first victory at the Capital Centre since Feb. 7.

Cleveland 108, New Jersey 82--It was the most lopsided victory of the season for the Cavaliers, who ended a three-game losing streak. The Nets have lost 15 consecutive road games and their last 11 at the Richfield Coliseum.

Winston Bennett, making only his second start of the season, scored a career-high 23 points. Bennett scored 10 points and Brad Daugherty 14 during a 32-13 run in the third quarter.

Atlanta 108, Miami 93--In winning at home for the 24th time in 27 games, the Hawks handed the Heat its eighth consecutive defeat.

Dominique Wilkins scored 26 points to lead the Hawks. Willie Burton led Miami with 23 points.

Houston 111, New York 98--Hakeem Olajuwon scored 24 points and had 15 rebounds to help the Rockets extend their franchise-best winning streak to 11 games.

The victory was Houston’s 20th in its last 23 games. The Rockets are 22-4 since the All-Star break, the best mark in the NBA.

Patrick Ewing led the Knicks, who lost for only the third time in 11 games, with 25 points and 15 rebounds.

Utah 95, Minnesota 89--The Jazz used an 8-0 run early in the fourth quarter to take control at Salt Lake City.

Karl Malone scored 27 points and John Stockton had 22 points and 15 assists for the Jazz, who increased its lead over second-place San Antonio to 1 1/2 games in the Midwest Division.

Phoenix 100, Sacramento 95--Kevin Johnson made two free throws with 16.5 seconds left to clinch the victory for the Suns. It was their 22nd victory on the road and their eighth in a row, both franchise records. They have 14 losses. Only the Lakers, at 22-13, have a better road record.

Sacramento was led by Lionel Simmons, who scored 42 points.