NBA ROUNDUP : Spurs’ Loss to Nuggets Might Cost Them Title

The worst team in the NBA might have cost the San Antonio Spurs the Midwest Division title.

Michael Adams scored 30 points and Jerome Lane grabbed 23 rebounds at Denver Friday night to lead the Nuggets to a 125-122 victory.

The loss cut the Spurs’ lead over Utah to a half-game. If Utah beats the Lakers today at Salt Lake City and Golden State in Oakland Sunday night, the Jazz will win the division.

If the Jazz wins both and the Spurs beat Dallas in their finale, the teams would be tied. But the title would go to the Jazz, who won the season series between the teams.

The victory was only Denver’s 20th.

Chicago 115, Charlotte 99--Michael Jordan put on a show for the home folks.

The former North Carolina star scored 18 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Bulls to their 60th victory.

Until this victory, the Bulls had never won 60 games in a season. After building a big lead, they nearly blew it before Jordan took over in the closing minutes.

“We just relaxed too much and they got a surge,” Jordan said. “We actually stopped them with our defense.

“We have reached our goal and now we are ready for the playoffs.”

Indiana 130, New York 118--Chuck Person scored 25 points at Indianapolis and the Pacers clinched the seventh playoff spot in the East.

The Pacers, who said they wanted to meet the East’s best--Chicago--in the first round, instead will face Boston in a best-of-five series. The Knicks will play the Bulls.

It was a club-record 29th home victory for the Pacers.

Detroit 126, Atlanta 120--Joe Dumars scored a season-high 42 points at Atlanta to lead the surging Pistons to their 50th victory.

The Pistons, bidding for their third consecutive NBA title, won 50 for the fifth consecutive year.

The Hawks, who will meet the Pistons in the first round, were winless in four games against Detroit this season.

Miami 114, Philadelphia 100--Rony Seikaly scored 35 points and had 20 rebounds to lead the Heat at Miami.

The 76ers rested their regulars much of the game. Charles Barkley, playing his second game after coming back from an ankle injury, played 22 minutes and had 14 points and 12 assists.

Dallas 113, Houston 107--A couple of weeks ago, the Rockets looked as good as any team in the NBA. But they appear to be headed in another direction with the playoffs approaching.

Derek Harper scored 19 points at Dallas and the Mavericks handed the Rockets their third loss in a row.

Minnesota 109, Milwaukee 91--Pooh Richardson, benched in the first half at Minneapolis, outscored the Bucks, 13-10, in the first seven minutes of the second half.

With Richardson leading the way, the Timberwolves built a big lead and finished with a 21-20 record at home.

Cleveland 124, Boston 117--The Celtics, who still don’t know if Larry Bird’s aching back will permit him to play in the playoffs, are another team in a slump.

Craig Ehlo scored six of his 20 points in overtime at Richfield, Ohio, including a layup that sealed the victory with 11.7 seconds to play.

The Celtics have lost three in a row and seven of their last eight. They also were without guard Reggie Lewis, who has back spasms.

Seattle 104, Phoenix 93--Ricky Pierce scored eight of his 23 points during a 10-2 spurt early in the fourth quarter to lead the SuperSonics at Seattle.

The loss may have cost the Suns home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. To gain the advantage, the Suns would have to beat Portland Sunday and either Utah or San Antonio would have to lose another game.

Orlando 112, Washington 107--Scott Skiles scored 32 points at Miami and the Magic beat the Bullets for the first time. The Magic outrebounded the Bullets, 56-30.

Portland 127, Sacramento 105--Rookie Alaa Abdelnaby came off the bench to make six of seven shots and score 15 points to lead the Trail Blazers to their 16th victory in a row.

The Kings, in their final road game, lost their 37th consecutive road game to extend their NBA record.