NBA Roundup : Cavaliers’ Harper Hits Tying, Winning Baskets

Ron Harper says he can take the heat.

Harper scored the tying basket with one second left in regulation Saturday night and then made what proved to be the clinching basket in overtime to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a 128-126 victory over the Washington Bullets at Richfield, Ohio.

“You look at guys like Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson, and that’s what you’ve got to do,� Harper said. “I felt I played well down the stretch. That’s what a ballplayer dreams of.�

Harper, who missed 24 games because of a severely sprained ankle early in the season, scored a season-high 27 points, including four in overtime and four in the final 1:07 of regulation.

His basket with 10 seconds left in overtime clinched the victory.

Harper went around 5-foot-4 Tyrone Bogues to tie the game, 115-115, at the end of regulation after the Bullets led, 111-100, with two minutes left.

“That was just a shot we had to definitely get off,� Harper said. “Mark Price threw it to me and I knew once I caught it I only had enough time to put the ball on the floor once.�

Bernard King made two free throws to put the Bullets ahead, 117-115, with 4:29 left in overtime, but Price’s 18-foot basket with 3:55 to go started a 6-0 Cleveland run that put the Cavaliers ahead to stay.

Cleveland won its third straight, while Washington lost for only the second time in the last seven games.

Brad Daugherty scored 29 points for the Cavaliers and Price had 5 of his 26 in overtime.

Terry Catledge scored 23 points for Washington, Bernard King added 22 and Jeff Malone had 21.

Chicago 97, New York 95--Michael Jordan scored 28 points, and Sedale Threatt’s jumper from the top of the key with 55 seconds left in overtime pushed the Bulls past the Knicks at Chicago.

After Sidney Green’s free throw gave the Knicks a 92-91 lead to start the overtime, Jordan hit a short jumper and a layup to give Chicago a 95-92 edge. New York’s Kenny Walker tied the score with 1:10 left on a three-point play.

Jordan tied the game, 91-91, with seven seconds left in regulation with an 18-foot jumper and then blocked a shot by Patrick Ewing with three seconds left.

Houston 108, Dallas 92--Akeem Olajuwon scored 29 points at Dallas, and the Rockets opened the third quarter with a 19-2 run to snap the Mavericks’ seven-game winning streak.

The Mavericks had won 10 of their last 11 games, giving them the second-best record in the NBA, behind only the Lakers.

The Rockets, coming off their worst defeat of the season, a 109-85 loss at home Thursday night to the Cleveland Cavaliers, held Dallas’ leading scorer, Mark Aguirre to 13 points, 14 under his average. Aguirre was slowed by a groin injury he aggravated Friday night.

New Jersey 116, Detroit 104--Otis Birdsong scored 26 points, and the Nets snapped a five-game losing streak by downing the Pistons at East Rutherford, N.J.

Buck Williams added 22 points and 21 rebounds as New Jersey won for only the ninth time in 41 games.

Adrian Dantley scored 24 points for Detroit and Bill Laimbeer added 21 points and had 14 rebounds.

San Antonio 112, Seattle 102--The Spurs saved their best for last as they held the SuperSonics to just two points in overtime at San Antonio.

Spurs’ rookie Greg Anderson, who had 19 points and 14 rebounds in his first start at center, made two layups following offensive rebounds to tie the game, 100-100, with 23 seconds left in regulation. Alvin Robertson led the Spurs with 23 points.

Tom Chambers and Xavier McDaniel had 27 points each for Seattle, which didn’t score until their were 14 seconds left in overtime.

Sacramento 126, Phoenix 120--Otis Thorpe scored 24 points and Kenny Smith added 22 at Phoenix as the Kings posted only their second road victory in 17 games and handed the Suns their eighth straight defeat.

Sacramento’s only other road victory also came in Phoenix on Dec. 26.

Walter Davis scored 22 points for Phoenix and passed the 15,000 plateau in his 11-year career, while rookie Armon Gilliam had a career-high 21 points.

Utah 115, Atlanta 109--Thurl Bailey scored 5 of his 33 points in the final minute as the Jazz downed the Hawks at Salt Lake City.

Atlanta’s Dominique Wilkins, who scored 35 points, cut the deficit to 108-107 with a pair of free throws with 1:14 left in the game, but Bailey hit a free throw, followed with a field goal with 30 seconds left and added a dunk with six seconds left.

Karl Malone scored 32 points for the Jazz, 25 of them in the first half. John Stockton had 17 points and 19 assists.