NBA ROUNDUP : Knicks Still Perfect at Garden

The Portland Trail Blazers found out Tuesday night what the Chicago Bulls already knew--that the New York Knicks are especially tough at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks, who defeated the defending champion Bulls by 37 points last Saturday, routed the Trail Blazers, 101-85, for their seventh consecutive victory and sellout at home. New York is the only team in the NBA that is unbeaten on its own floor.

“We want to make sure at home that we play well and play hard and win,” Knick Coach Pat Riley said. “We’ve got great support, and the city is excited.”

The Knicks, the top defensive team in the NBA, lowered their average points allowed per game to 90.1 and held the Trail Blazers, who came in with the best record in the NBA at 9-2, to 34.5% shooting.

The Trail Blazers, who beat the Knicks, 109-94, at Portland on Nov. 16, made only 28 field goals, only one more than the team’s record low on Jan. 3, 1988 against the Lakers.

John Starks was the Knicks’ leading scorer with 15 points. Patrick Ewing added 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Knicks led by as many as 25 points in the final quarter.

“About the only good things we can say about this game is we came out of it with no injuries and we outscored the Bulls,” Portland forward Buck Williams said.

The Bulls managed only 75 points against the Knicks last Saturday.

Denver 112, Houston 105--Reggie Williams made his first nine shots and finished with a career-high 35 points, leading the Nuggets at Denver.

Williams connected on all eight shots in the first quarter, including a pair of three-pointers, and scored 18 points, lifting Denver to a 39-28 lead.

The Nuggets extended the margin to 52-36 with 4:17 left in the half. The Rockets responded with an 18-6 run but were unable to catch the Nuggets.

Hakeem Olajuwon scored 30 points and Kenny Smith 23 for Houston.

Atlanta 119, Indiana 107--Rookie Adam Keefe had 16 points and 14 rebounds, both career highs, and Dominique Wilkins scored 31 points as the Hawks won at Atlanta.

Keefe, Atlanta’s No. 1 pick from Stanford, scored seven points in the first 1:40 of the fourth quarter to spark the Hawks to an 89-79 lead.

Wilkins broke the 30-point mark for the eighth time this season. He also had six assists.

Cleveland 111, Boston 101--Brad Daugherty returned from a nine-game layoff and scored 27 points at Richfield, Ohio, as the Cavaliers ended the Celtics’ three-game winning streak.

Cleveland had gone 3-6 while Daugherty was out because of tendinitis and bursitis in his left knee. The Cavaliers are 4-1 with Daugherty in the lineup.

Larry Nance had 22 points and 11 rebounds for Cleveland.

Washington 119, San Antonio 106--Harvey Grant paced a 19-point first-quarter run with 10 of his 27 points, and Michael Adams set an NBA all-time record for three-point baskets as the Bullets won at Landover, Md.

Adams, a seven-year veteran from Boston College, connected on the 795th three-pointer with 7:29 remaining in the first quarter, surpassing Louie Dampier.

The victory ended a four-game losing streak for the Bullets.

David Robinson led San Antonio with 28 points and 12 rebounds.

Utah 116, Dallas 101--Karl Malone had 27 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Jazz at Utah.

Jeff Malone added 22 points and John Stockton 21 points and 10 assists for Utah.

The Mavericks, who lost their seventh in a row, were led by Tracy Moore and Terry Davis with 20 points apiece.

Phoenix 109, Charlotte 90--Cedric Ceballos paced a balanced attack with 20 points as the Suns won at Phoenix.

Tom Chambers added 18 points and Jerrod Mustaf 16 for the Suns, who dominated the boards. Charles Barkley had 14 rebounds, Chambers 10.

Larry Johnson had 27 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte, which never threatened after falling behind, 55-42, at halftime.

Seattle 116, Orlando 102--Ricky Pierce scored 27 points and the SuperSonics broke open a close game in the fourth quarter at Seattle.

Leading, 80-79, after three quarters, Seattle scored the first nine points of the fourth for a 10-point lead, then increased the margin to 99-85 with 6:02 left.

Seattle held rookie center Shaquille O’Neal to a nine points, 14 under his average and his lowest output of the season.

Nick Anderson had 28 and Scott Skiles 25 for Orlando.