NBA Roundup : Hawks’ Wilkins Scores 34, Wins Title

Dominique Wilkins claimed the NBA scoring title Saturday night, scoring 34 points as the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Indiana Pacers, 108-91, in the regular-season finale for both teams at Atlanta.

Wilkins raised his average to 30.33 points a game. His closest competitors were Alex English of Denver and Adrian Dantley of Utah, neither of whom played in their teams’ final game at Denver.

Dantley ended the season averaging 29.83 points a game, and English averaged 29.80.

The victory was the 50th of the season for the Hawks, tying the record for the club since it has been in Atlanta. The Hawks also were 50-32 in 1979-80.

Wilkins took a giant stride toward the scoring championship Thursday night with 57 points, the league high this season. Against the Pacers, Wilkins scored the Hawks’ first seven points in a little more than 2 1/2 minutes and had 16 points after one quarter.

Wilkins played 35 minutes, hitting 12 of 17 shots from the field and 10 of 15 from the line.

Phoenix 110, Houston 92--Reserve guards Sedric Toney and Bernard Thompson scored 22 and 18 points, respectively, and reserve forward Mike Sanders added 22 for the Suns at Houston.

Milwaukee 116, New York 78--Craig Hodges scored 20 points, including four three-point baskets, to lead the Bucks in the final regular-season game for both teams at Milwaukee.

Only eight Knicks made the trip. Seven others were out with injuries and Ken Bannister didn’t make the trip for an undisclosed personal reason.

The loss gave the Knicks a 23-59 record, equaling the franchise mark for most defeats in a single season. The 1962-63 Knicks also lost 59 games in an 80-game season.

Utah 117, Denver 99--Rickey Green hit all of his eight shots in the first half and scored a season-high 27 points for the Jazz at Denver.

Seattle 121, Golden State 101--Rookie Xavier McDaniel scored 36 points, 26 in the second half, and had 17 rebounds in the SuperSonics’ win at Seattle.