NBA ROUNDUP : Starks, Knicks Win by a Nose

John Starks broke his nose in the first quarter, then broke a shooting slump with 15 points on six-for-six shooting in the second quarter to help the New York Knicks defeat the Utah Jazz, 125-111, Thursday night at New York.

Starks, who finished with 22 points, broke his nose in a collision with Jeff Malone of the Jazz in the second minute of the game, then went to the locker room for a facemask.

“The pain was excruciating,” Starks said. “I went to the floor and saw the blood, and I knew it was broken.”

Starks returned with 9:36 to play in the second quarter.

“When I was walking back,” Starks said, “a guy yelled, ‘Remember Kenny Anderson,’ so I wanted to get fixed and get back on the court in the worst way.”

Anderson, a local favorite with the New Jersey Nets, broke his wrist after falling to the floor after a flagrant foul by Starks last Sunday.

Upon his return from the injury Thursday, Starks made two long jumpers, then stepped back for three consecutive three-pointers, ending an 0-for-10 slump from long range. He capped the quarter with another jumper with 51 seconds to play.

“The mask didn’t bother me at all,” Starks said. “If anything, it helped me focus on the rim and block everything else out.”

Teammate Tony Campbell made 12 of 13 shots and finished with a season-high 28 points. Patrick Ewing had 28 points and 15 rebounds for the Knicks, who are 25-4 at home this season.

Karl Malone and Jeff Malone scored 32 points each for the Jazz, which has lost six of its last seven.

Denver 103, Portland 88--Chris Jackson scored 12 of his 28 points in a lopsided first quarter, and the Nuggets continued their dominance at home.

The victory was Denver’s 13th in its last 14 games at McNichols Arena. The Trail Blazers lost for the ninth time in 13 games.

The Nuggets shot 60% while taking a 34-19 lead after one quarter and were never threatened.

Dikembe Mutombo had 17 rebounds and 10 points for Denver. He also had three of the Nuggets’ eight blocks.

New Jersey 116, Orlando 97--Derrick Coleman scored a season-high 34 points and was able to dunk over Shaquille O’Neal in leading the Nets at East Rutherford, N.J.

New Jersey outrebounded Orlando, 50-37, with Coleman grabbing 15. The Magic was in the game until O’Neal picked up his third and fourth fouls on offensive calls early in the third quarter.

Dennis Scott led Orlando with 24 points.

Indiana 136, Atlanta 111--Reggie Miller scored 34 points and the Pacers made their first 15 shots of the second quarter at Indianapolis. The victory was the Pacers’ 1,000th in regular-season play.

It also was the 100th for Bob Hill as Indiana’s coach.

The Pacers made 81% (17 of 21) of their shots in the second quarter.

Dominique Wilkins led Atlanta with 23 points.

Cleveland 103, Minnesota 95--Terrell Brandon, playing for injured Mark Price, scored 17 of his career-high 21 points in the second half as the Cavaliers rallied from a 15-point deficit at Minneapolis.

Brad Daugherty had 20 points and 13 rebounds and Larry Nance scored 16 to become the 64th player in NBA history with 15,000 career points as Cleveland won for the eighth time in nine games.

The Cavaliers had been 0-3 this season without Price, out because of a sprained thumb. Since the start of the 1989-90 season, Cleveland was 31-58 without the All-Star point guard, 139-76 with him.

Micheal Williams had 24 points for the Timberwolves, who are 1-5 since the All-Star break.

Christian Laettner, Minnesota’s top draft pick, had six points on two-for-11 shooting.

Chuck Person became the 40th active player with 10,000 points, but scored only 11 on five-for-15 shooting.

Seattle 138, Charlotte 112--Eddie Johnson’s 22 points led eight players in double figures as the SuperSonics, playing at home, won their ninth in a row.

Seattle, 6-0 since the All-Star break, matched the second-longest winning streak in club history.