NBA ROUNDUP : Jazz Loses, Giving Spurs the Division Title

The Midwest Division was the Utah Jazz’s to win or lose Sunday. They lost it and San Antonio became the division winner and the No. 2-seeded team in the West for the playoffs.

After beating the Lakers Saturday, the Jazz only had to beat the Golden State Warriors Sunday in the final regular season game at Oakland to win the division.

One of the poorest road teams among the top contenders in the NBA, the Jazz couldn’t handle the Warriors’ speed and lost, 125-106, at Oakland..

With Mitch Richmond scoring 32 points, the Warriors never trailed and steadily increased their lead each quarter.

The Jazz finished 54-28 and the Spurs, easily beating Dallas in their finale, had a 55-27 record. If the teams had finished with identical records, the Jazz would have won the division because they had the season’s edge over the Spurs, 3-2.

In essence, the Warriors had a chance to choose their opponent in the first round. They chose the Spurs. If they had lost, they would have faced Utah. The Warriors’ 44-38 record was their best since 1981-82.

By losing, Utah also lost the home-court edge in the playoffs. They will open the best-of-five series at Phoenix.

San Antonio 135, Dallas 101--The Spurs took out their frustration on the Mavericks, only it turned out there was no need for frustration.

When the Spurs were beaten by the lowly Nuggets Friday night at Denver, they were sure they had blown the Midwest title.

It wasn’t until several hours after overwhelming the Mavericks at San Antonio that the Spurs learned they won the division.

“It was a fun game for us,” Spur Coach Larry Brown said. “I’m proud of this team and I would have been even if we hadn’t won the title. Everything we’ve been through has been tough, but we’ve still had a great season.”

David Robinson, who played only 30 minutes, was seven for seven from the field, had nine rebounds and nine blocked shots.

A 17-4 run featuring three dunks by Sean Elliott at the start of the third quarter, broke the game open.

Rookie Tony Massenburg, in one of his longest stints, 14 minutes, was nine for 11 and had 19 points.

The Spurs face Golden State in the first round of the playoffs, while the Mavericks finish a disappointing season 28-54.

Houston 131, Denver 125--The Rockets warmed up for their first round series against the Lakers by setting a franchise record with their 52nd win in this game at Houston.

Hakeem Olajuwon had 26 points, 13 rebounds and nine blocked shots. Olajuwon finished with 221 blocks, leading the NBA for the second year in a row.

The Rockets and Lakers begin their best-of-five series at the Forum Thursday night.

Chicago 108, Detroit 100--There is no love lost between the Hawks and the Pistons. In a game at Chicago that had little significance, they battled as if the championship was at stake.

In the all-out battle, the best player on each team was hurt. Michael Jordan suffered a slight injury to his right wrist and sat out the final quarter.

Halfway through the final period, Isiah Thomas of the Pistons, earlier involved in a brief scuffle with the Bulls’ John Paxson, hurt his right wrist. Thomas was fouled while shooting and was in obvious pain from the wrist that was operated on early in the season. He spent the rest of the game on the bench with an ice pack on the wrist.

In the absence of the two brilliant guards, it was backup center Will Perdue of the Hawks who starred in the last quarter. The seldom-used 7-0 Perdue scored 10 of his career-high 15 points in the fourth quarter and dominated the boards.

“The injury is nothing,” Jordan said. “Some of the guys stepped up and played a good game. Will, getting more playing time with the injury to Bill Cartwright, has given us some strong play.”

Thomas, after being fouled by Paxson in the third quarter, appeared to slap the Bulls’ guard and was hit with a technical.

There was no report on the extent of Thomas’ injury.

The Pistons play Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs, while the Bulls take on the New York Knicks.

Atlanta 117, Boston 105--Larry Bird returned after missing seven games because of an aching back, but it didn’t end the Celtics’ slump.

Dominique Wilkins scored 24 points at Boston and the Hawks handed the Celtics their fourth loss in a row.

“We’ve got a lot of things to get done this week,” Bird said after scoring 17 points in 34 minutes. “The series with Indiana will be a tough one.”

Minnesota 89, Washington 87--Tony Campbell sank a 15-footer at the buzzer at Landover, Md., as the Timberwolves overcame a 20-point deficit.

The Wolves won 29 games, probably not enough to save Coach Bill Musselman’s job.

Cleveland 123, Philadelphia 110--The Cavaliers, who didn’t make the playoffs, won for the eighth time in their last 10 games in the finale at Richfield, Ohio. The 76ers, who did, lost five of their last six.

The 76ers, who will play Milwaukee in the first round, beginning Thursday, rested Hersey Hawkins, who has a sore right ankle. Charley Barkley played only 15 minutes.

Orlando 120, New Jersey 110--Scott Skiles scored 25 points and had 18 assists at Orlando to lead the Magic to its 31st victory in its second NBA season.

The Magic, with Skiles developing into a star, was 20-18 since Feb. 1.