NBA ROUNDUP : Payton’s Record Stops Cavaliers

Gary Payton would have enjoyed his record-setting performance even more if the Seattle SuperSonics had needed it.

“We were cruising tonight, so I really didn’t have to take that many shots,” Payton said Wednesday night after setting a team record for accuracy by making all 14 of his shots as the SuperSonics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 116-85, at Cleveland to end the Cavaliers’ 11-game winning streak.

Payton scored 32 points and beat Lonnie Shelton’s team record of 13 shots without a miss set in 1979 against the Cavaliers. Wilt Chamberlain made all 18 of his shots for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Baltimore Bullets in 1967, setting the NBA record.

“Today, everything was just wide open for me,” Payton said. “I wasn’t even thinking about not missing a shot. I knew I hadn’t missed, but I didn’t know how many shots I had taken. You know, what with shooting from the field and free throws and all that, you just don’t know.”

Payton also was perfect at the line, making all three shots. He added six assists and five rebounds.

He was taken out of the game when he had made 12 baskets by early in the fourth quarter, then went back in with the sole intention of getting the team record with 7:59 to play. He made a fast-break layup with 7:09 to play, then set the mark on a fast-break dunk with 5:41 remaining.

“I didn’t know about the streak until Coach (George Karl) told me,” said Payton, who made 10 layups, two short jumpers, a dunk and a three-point shot. “He asked me if I wanted to go back in to set the record. I said, ‘Sure, I’ll go back.’ We deliberately tried to set up some plays that would make for easy shots, and fortunately I got some layups.”

New York 89, Atlanta 80--The Knicks got their fourth consecutive victory by holding the Hawks to one basket in the final seven minutes at New York as Hawk Coach Lenny Wilkens missed on his third attempt to break Red Auerbach’s NBA record for coaching victories.

Patrick Ewing led the Knicks with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

“When I was with Cleveland, Lenny was stuck on 699 (victories) and we lost three in a row,” Hawk guard Craig Ehlo said. “Here we are again.”

Boston 117, Miami 113--David Wesley’s three-point basket with 15 seconds to play in overtime at Boston put the Celtics ahead for good.

Miami scored the first seven points of overtime to take a 112-105 lead before Wesley started a 12-1 Celtic run with a free throw. The Celtics drew to 113-111 on Dee Brown’s three-point basket with 1:06 to play, and Wesley then stole the ball from Khalid Reeves and fed Brown for the tying layup with 49 seconds remaining.

Orlando 113, New Jersey 110--Anfernee Hardaway scored 33 points and led the Magic back from an 11-point third-quarter deficit at Orlando.

Shaquille O’Neal scored 25 points and Nick Anderson 20 for the Magic, which is 14-0 at home.

Charlotte 118, Portland 106--Scott Burrell made four of the Hornets’ six three-point baskets in the third quarter as Charlotte pulled away at home.

Alonzo Mourning led the Hornets with 28 points.

Indiana 94, Washington 90--Reggie Miller scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half at Indianapolis as the Pacers stretched their home winning streak to 10 games.

Indiana, which led by as many as 20 points in the third quarter, survived a fourth-quarter rally by the Bullets.

Chicago 86, Denver 80--B.J. Armstrong scored the game’s final six points, including a tie-breaking jumper with 1:46 to play, as the Bulls won at Chicago despite squandering a 21-point lead.

Scottie Pippen scored 21 points and Toni Kukoc 20 for the Bulls, who have won three in a row for the first time this season.

Phoenix 127, Philadelphia 122--Charles Barkley scored 14 of his 35 points in the final eight minutes to lead the Suns at Phoenix.

Barkley also had six of his 14 rebounds in the final quarter.

Clarence Weatherspoon scored 31 points for the 76ers.