NBA ROUNDUP : Parish, Bagley Step Up for Celtics in Victory

It was the seventh victory in a row without him and probably the biggest game the Boston Celtics have won without Larry Bird.

Robert Parish and John Bagley sparked the Celtics to a 92-89 victory over the Detroit Pistons that had all the tension and enthusiasm of a playoff game at Auburn Hills, Mich.

The victory, their 14th in the last 15 games, clinched home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs for the Celtics.

Maybe even more important, with the New York Knicks losing again, the Celtics are in position to win the Atlantic Division. If they beat Miami Sunday at Boston, they win it.

Even if the Knicks win at Milwaukee Sunday and tie Boston’s record for the season, the Celtics would win the division because they won the season series from New York.

The Pistons came into the game on a roll. They had won six in a row and, with a victory, could have won the home-court edge in the opening round.

Instead, they start the best-of-five opening series, probably against the Knicks, on the road.

Bird, still having trouble with his back, hasn’t played since April 3. He probably will try to make it back for the playoffs.

Parish, at 38 the oldest player in the NBA, had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Bagley had 18 points and nine assists.

Bagley scored six of his 18 points in the first 4:20 of the game, putting the Pistons in a hole they couldn’t escape.

Atlanta 95, New York 94--Paul Graham’s off-balance 17-foot jump shot with 27 seconds left at Atlanta accomplished two things.

First, it put the Hawks in position to win a playoff spot. It also probably cost the Knicks the title in the Atlantic Division.

The Knicks held a 94-85 lead with 3:41 to play, then didn’t score again.

New York had a five-game lead over the Celtics with eight games to play, went into a slump and is still struggling.

The Hawks, who have played quite well without injured star Dominique Wilkins, are one game ahead of Miami in the race for the eighth and final spot in the East. They play Chicago at home and at Cleveland. Miami is at home to Milwaukee tonight, then finishes at Boston.

Utah 130, Houston 98--The Rockets were humiliated at Salt Lake City, but they still moved closer to a playoff berth.

The Malones, Karl and Jeff, combined for 54 points, and the Jazz went to the front early in the second quarter and turned it into a rout.

With the Lakers losing at Denver, the Rockets still lead by half a game in the race for the last playoff spot in the West.

Portland 100, Dallas 94--Buck Williams, with most of the Trail Blazers resting at Dallas, led them in scoring the first time this season. He had 20 points.

Charlotte 115, Cleveland 107--Kendall Gill had 28 points and 11 rebounds at Charlotte, and the Hornets ended a five-game losing streak.

Orlando 102, Philadelphia 99--Nick Anderson scored nine of his 24 points in the last six minutes at Orlando to lead the Magic. Charles Barkley had 32 points for the 76ers, who lost their fifth in a row.