NBA ROUNDUP : Hawks Lose Wilkins for at Least a Month

When Dominique Wilkins was forced out of the Atlanta Hawks lineup last season because of a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, the Hawks won only 16 of their last 40 games.

They can only hope they learned during that period, because they are back in a similar situation.

Wilkins, the NBA’s second-leading scorer, will be out for at least a month after fracturing a finger on his right hand Tuesday night in the Hawks’ 107-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons at Atlanta.

Wilkins, averaging 28.5 points per game, fractured the fourth finger on his right hand with about three minutes left in the second quarter as Dennis Rodman slapped at the ball. The team said Wilkins will miss four to six weeks.

“I just feel bad for Dominique. He worked so hard to come back from his Achilles’ injury,” said Jon Koncak, Hawk center. “Sometimes these things happen. We just have to make the best of it.”

Coach Bob Weiss said the team probably will look for a small forward to add to the roster. Weiss said Duane Ferrell will replace Wilkins in the lineup for tonight’s game against the Pistons at Detroit.

‘I think everyone understands what we went through last year when we lost Dominique and how we had to come together and pick our games up a little bit,” Ferrell said. “We’ll have to do it again this year. If everyone can contribute a little extra, we can get through this.”

Joe Dumars led the Pistons with 32 points, making 12 of 17 shots. Rodman, the top rebounder in the NBA, had 21 rebounds. It was his eighth time in nine games with at least 20.

New York 108, New Jersey 94--John Starks and Greg Anthony combined for 10 points in a game-breaking 12-0 second-half run at East Rutherford, N.J., as the Knicks won a foul-plagued game.

The contest between the New York City area rivals and the two top teams in the Atlantic Division featured four scuffles, two involving Drazen Petrovic, who led New Jersey with 29 points. Patrick Ewing led the Knicks with 27 points and Starks had 20.

There were 69 personal fouls, 74 free throws and four technicals, all against the Knicks, who won for the fifth time in six games but only the third time in nine road games.

Kenny Anderson and Petrovic, the starting Net guards, fouled out in the fourth quarter.

“I love this kind of game,” Starks said. “Everybody goes kind of crazy. But in the end, we did a better job of keeping our heads and concentrating on what had to be done.”

Chicago 125, Charlotte 110--Scottie Pippen scored 26 points and Michael Jordan 25 at Chicago, leading the Bulls to their 16th consecutive victory over the Hornets.

In the first time in 19 games that Jordan was not the Bulls’ leading scorer, Chicago improved to 16-1 against the Hornets after losing to them in their first meeting in 1988. The 16-game losing streak is the Hornets’ longest against any team.

The Bulls, who admit they haven’t been playing like a defending championship team, saw some hope from the performance.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” Jordan said. “We needed a decisive win. Hopefully, we can bottle it up and take it with us everywhere we go.”

Phoenix 125, Washington 110--Danny Ainge made three three-pointers in the final quarter and added a three-point play after a steal at Phoenix as the Suns extended their winning streak to eight games. Charles Barkley had 36 points, but only five in the fourth quarter.

Washington got within seven points in the fourth quarter on a three-pointer by Tom Gugliotta, but Phoenix pulled away after Coach Paul Westphal put Barkley and Dan Majerle back in the lineup. Harvey Grant scored 22 points for the Bullets, who lost their fourth in a row on the road, and Don MacLean had 18.

It was the Suns’ fifth consecutive victory at home. They lead the NBA with a 15-4 record.

Boston 124, Minnesota 119--Xavier McDaniel scored six points in the second overtime after sitting out most of the second half at Minneapolis to lead the Celtics to their eighth victory in 11 games. Reggie Lewis scored 29 of his 31 points after halftime for Boston, which has rebounded after winning only two of its first eight games. Christian Laettner set personal bests with 35 points and 17 rebounds for the Timberwolves.

Miami 106, Sacramento 98--Rony Seikaly scored 13 of his 27 points in the final eight minutes at Miami as the Heat, which blew an early 16-point lead, handed the Kings their fifth consecutive loss.

During one stretch, Seikaly scored nine consecutive points for Miami, giving it a 94-91 lead with 4:03 remaining. The Kings were led by Mitch Richmond with 23 points. Glen Rice led the Heat with 26.

Cleveland 124, Houston 97--Larry Nance overcame a stomach virus and scored a season-high 30 points against the Rockets’ No. 2-ranked defense at Richfield, Ohio. The loss ended the Rockets’ four-game winning streak and ruined their chances for the first three-game road sweep in team history. Houston won at Chicago last Friday and at Minnesota on Saturday. Hakeem Olajuwon, despite being double-teamed nearly every time he touched the ball, led the Rockets with 18 points--ending a streak of 10 consecutive games of 20-plus points.

Orlando 119, Philadelphia 107--Dennis Scott’s 25 points at Orlando was one of four 20-point efforts by the Magic as it snapped a six-game losing streak. Jeff Turner scored 22 points, Nick Anderson 21 and Shaquille O’Neal had 20 points and 14 rebounds as the Magic coasted after building a 27-point lead in the third quarter. Philadelphia has lost nine of 11.

Seattle 108, Milwaukee 100--Gary Payton scored 22 points and Ricky Pierce scored eight points in the final six minutes, leading the SuperSonics at Seattle. The Bucks, who lost for the eighth consecutive time, never trailed by more than 11 points. They pulled to within 104-100 with 50 seconds to play. But two free throws by Derrick McKey with 32 seconds left and a layup by Shawn Kemp sealed the victory.