NBA ROUNDUP : Drexler Remains Hot, Trail Blazers Prevail

It wasn’t so long ago that Clyde Drexler had a reputation for coming up short in big games.

Nobody thinks that anymore. Drexler is the key man as the Portland Trail Blazers go in search of the NBA championship.

Drexler scored 22 points Sunday night at Portland to lead the Trail Blazers to a 115-106 victory over Seattle and take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. The Trail Blazers could advance to the second round with a win at Seattle Tuesday night.

The Trail Blazers have beaten the SuperSonics in all six games played between the two Northwest rivals this season. Most of them have been close.

During regular-season play, Drexler has shot just about 50%. But in 50 playoff games before this season, he averaged 43.7%.

In the opener of this series, Drexler had 39 points and made 14 of 22 shots. The Trail Blazers probably would have lost if Drexler hadn’t taken charge.

In this one, Drexler was eight for 14 from the field. He also had 10 assists and kept the Portland offense moving. He also had eight rebounds.

As usual, the SuperSonics made a battle of it. With Eddie Johnson leading the attack, they trailed only 81-79 with 11 minutes left.

Then Danny Ainge, who has been in a shooting slump, sank two three-pointers and a short jumper for eight points in a 13-2 Portland spurt that ended the Seattle hopes.

Johnson, who scored 33 points in the opener, had 28 in this one. But Ricky Pierce failed to come through as the sixth man. Usually a sharpshooter, Pierce was only three for 12. One of the reasons was that Drexler kept pressure on him.

“You talk about superstars in this league,” Portland Coach Rick Adelman said. “Well, he’s certainly one of them.”

Detroit 101, Atlanta 88--The Pistons came out hot at Auburn Hills, Mich., knowing that another loss at home would probably end their hopes of a third consecutive NBA championship.

But it wasn’t until the Hawks turned cold at the start of the second quarter that the Pistons took charge and evened the best-of-five series at a game apiece.

While the Hawks were missing their first seven shots in the second quarter, Mark Aguirre came off the bench to score 11 of the Pistons’ first 16 points to build on a four-point first-quarter lead.

Atlanta shot only 30% from the field in the first half and trailed, 47-36. When they opened the second half going 5:26 of the third quarter without a basket it was all over.

Isiah Thomas, wearing a brace on his injured right wrist for the first time, scored nine of his 15 points in the third quarter.

Dominique Wilkins, who had 32 points in the Hawks’ 103-98 win Friday night, was only five for 14 from the field and had just 20 points.

The third game will be played at Atlanta Tuesday night.

Chicago 89, New York 79--It wasn’t any 41-point blowout, but the Knicks, after battling the Bulls on even terms for three quarters, lost again at Chicago.

Craig Hodges sank a three-point shot to break a 66-66 tie while Michael Jordan was getting a brief rest early in the fourth quarter.

The only basket Hodges made triggered a 13-4 run that put Chicago in command. Jordan, who finished with 26 points, had six points in the winning spurt.

It was a tough defensive battle and neither team shot well.

The Knicks’ plan was to get the ball inside to Patrick Ewing, who had only six points in Friday’s 126-85 loss. For more than a half, the strategy worked.

Ewing had 24 points, but in the last 15 minutes the Bulls forced him outside. He was eight for 22, missing six outside shots after the Bulls closed the middle.