NBA ROUNDUP : Willis Leads Hawks Over Celtics

It was a battle in Atlanta Friday night of two teams trying to survive without their leaders.

The Hawks, missing Dominique Wilkins, outlasted the Boston Celtics, without Larry Bird, 102-90. A 7-footer, Kevin Willis was the big man for the Hawks. He had 22 points and 22 rebounds, and the Hawks handed the Celtics their fifth consecutive loss on the road.

The aching back, which has kept Bird on the sidelines since Jan. 5, is much improved. He may be ready to face Portland Sunday at Boston.

Although they posted a 12-17 record without Bird, the Celtics, with 25 games remaining, are only 3 1/2 games behind New York, the leader of the Atlantic Division.

Without Wilkins, it is a tough struggle for the Hawks, who are 7-7 since his Achilles’ tendon was torn.

Their third victory in a row gave them a 29-27 record, sixth best in the Eastern Conference. They are in a hot fight with five other teams for the last three playoff berths.

In three games against the Celtics, Willis has 62 points and 62 rebounds.

Dee Brown, making his first start since being activated on Feb. 5 following knee surgery, had a career-high 14 assists, 10 of them in the first quarter, for the Celtics. He also scored 10 points.

“In the second half, I made some bad decisions on the breaks, and we slowed up on defense,� Brown said. “When it came to push time, we fizzled. I didn’t do my job.�

Dallas 115, Phoenix 107--A couple of weeks ago the Mavericks decided the season was lost and they would put an emphasis on the development of rookies for the future.

Every once in a while, they get a glimpse of what the future might hold. Rookies Doug Smith and Mike Iuzzolino combined for their first 21 points in the fourth quarter at Dallas and the Mavericks beat the Suns.

Smith, the No. 1 pick from Missouri, scored 11 consecutive points to bring the Mavericks from behind for a 95-91 lead.

Houston 84, Denver 81--After a near-record low half of 27 points, the Nuggets came close to a shocking victory at Denver.

After trailing, 47-27, at halftime, the Nuggets made a remarkable comeback.

Reggie Williams led the rally that enabled the Nuggets to tie, 81-81, with 50 seconds remaining.

But Buck Johnson sank a 20-footer with 31 seconds to play and the comeback fell short. Two desperate three-point shots missed in the closing seconds.

Chicago 109, Milwaukee 105--Scottie Pippen made up for the early loss of forward Horace Grant by scoring a season-high 41 points at Milwaukee.

Pippen sank two free throws with 36 seconds left to give the Bulls a 104-101 lead and the Bucks had lost their fifth in a row.

Grant crashed into a scorers’ table early in the second period, bruised a knee and did not return.

Pippen was 17 for 24 from the field, but Michael Jordan was not as sharp. He was eight for 18 and had 24 points.

Jay Humphries had 28 for the Bucks. The Bulls have won two in a row and are 22-8 on the road.

Portland 117, Washington 96--For a half at Landover, Md., the Trail Blazers appeared to be still in shock from their loss Thursday night to New Jersey. They trailed the injury-riddled Bullets, 50-48.

But Clyde Drexler went into his glide in the third quarter and it was quickly no contest. Drexler had a three-point basket, a three-point play and 14 points in a 26-12 spurt that broke it open.

Drexler, who was only three for nine from the field and had 10 points in the first half, finished with 36 points, 18 in the third quarter when he was five for six.

The Trail Blazers improved their record to 39-17 and increased their lead in the Pacific Division to a game over Golden State.

Indiana 114, Orlando 109--Detlef Schrempf scored 34 points, including two free throws with 17 seconds left at Indianapolis, to lead the Pacers to a surprisingly tough victory over the Magic.

Orlando’s road record fell to 5-24.