NBA ROUNDUP : Celtic Trip at Dead End in Oakland

The schedule-maker was not doing the Boston Celtics any favors when he had them playing the fastest, highest-scoring team in the NBA at the end of a six-game trip West.

Tim Hardaway, speeding through the defense almost at will, scored a career-high 43 points, and the Golden State Warriors held off the Celtics, 117-112, Wednesday night at Oakland.

The Celtics, in danger of dropping out of contention in the Atlantic Division, were 1-5 on a trip that began in San Antonio Feb. 11. The Celtics, two games behind New York when the trip began, fell to 4 1/2 back.

The Warriors, who have won five in a row to move within one game of Portland in the Pacific Division, kept building leads. But each time the Celtics fought back.

Hardaway, who was 14 for 25, had six points in a 14-5 run that gave the Warriors a 97-85 lead with 8:21 to play. The Celtics never again were closer than six points until just before the final buzzer. In the first half, the Warriors built a 16-point lead.

“I just made up my mind that I was going to penetrate until they stopped me,” Hardaway said. “I didn’t know I was going to go big. I was just making shots.

“When you’re getting easy shots, you think, ‘Let me keep going, let me keep going until you stop me.’ ”

Chris Mullin had 27 points and Sarunas Marciulionis, after missing two games with an injury, had 23, giving the scoring trio 93 points.

With the Warriors leading, 44-28, in the second quarter, Celtic guard Sherman Douglas was ejected by referee Jake O’Donnell for arguing an offensive foul call.

New Jersey 106, Detroit 102--The Pistons, one of the NBA’s older teams, have their problems in back-to-back games.

After a victory at home Tuesday night, they couldn’t rally for a victory at East Rutherford, N.J.

Tate George scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Nets to their eighth victory in the last nine home games.

The Pistons lost even though Isiah Thomas had 29 points and Dennis Rodman added 25 rebounds and 15 points. Rodman has had 20 or more rebounds in eight of the last 11 games.

The Pistons were setting up for the tying basket when 7-1 Sam Bowie stole the ball from the 6-1 Thomas. Drazen Petrovic was fouled and made two free throws to clinch the game.

Chicago 112, Orlando 99--Michael Jordan was determined not to have a repeat of the tight finish Monday night that ended the Bulls’ home-court winning streak.

He scored 22 of his 27 points in the first half at Orlando and the Bulls built a 57-44 lead. Jordan also had 10 rebounds and eight assists and the Bulls improved the best record in the league to 43-10.

Charlotte 106, Denver 104--Johnny Newman grabbed a loose ball and banked it in over 7-foot-2 Dikembe Mutombo with just over one second left at Charlotte to give the Hornets the victory.

“I didn’t know for sure where Mutombo was,” Newman said, “but I knew there wasn’t much time. I had to get it up right away.”

In the battle between the two top rookies, Mutombo had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Larry Johnson had 34 points and eight rebounds for the Hornets.

San Antonio 113, Minnesota 103--David Robinson had 15 of his season-high 39 points in the fourth quarter at San Antonio.

The Timberwolves, 4-21 on the road this season, trailed by only two points after three quarters.

But Robinson, who had 16 rebounds, scored six points in a 14-5 spurt that increased the Spurs’ lead to 95-84 with 7:22 remaining.

Washington 103, Atlanta 102--Ledell Eackles had a career-high 40 points and Pervis Ellison added 30 at Atlanta to lead the Bullets to an overtime victory.

The Hawks overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half and appeared to have the game won until Eackles sank a three-point basket with five seconds remaining in regulation.

Ellison had six points in overtime, including the winning score.

Atlanta’s Kevin Willis had a career-high 33 rebounds.

Indiana 129, Sacramento 115--Chuck Person scored 18 of his season-high 41 points in the first quarter at Indianapolis.

Reggie Miller scored 24 for the Pacers, who have won nine of 11.

Utah 118, Dallas 96--Karl Malone outscored the Mavericks, 11-6, in the opening minutes and the Jazz improved its home record to 25-2.

It was the fifth victory in a row for the Jazz, who lead the Midwest Division by five games over San Antonio. The Mavericks have won only three of their last 24.