NBA ROUNDUP : Undermanned Pistons Defeated Again at Home

The Detroit Pistons were two players short.

Actually, make that three.

With Sean Elliott in Houston, sent there by the Pistons in trade but idle because of possible problems with his physical examination, and with Robert Horry and Matt Bullard on the bench in street clothes until Elliott is approved, Detroit squandered a 42-point performance by Joe Dumars and lost to the New Jersey Nets, 107-100, at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich., Saturday night.

Houston team physician Bruce Moseley requested additional test results after Elliott’s examination Saturday.

Neither team would say why.

“Anybody would be concerned if you can’t go through a routine physical in a direct, straightforward way. But it may not turn out to be anything significant,” said Moseley, who added that the evaluation process was hampered because it was on a weekend.

“I would have liked to have those two players here tonight,” Piston Coach Don Chaney said. “We could have used them.”

Especially if either could have defended against New Jersey’s Derrick Coleman, who scored 31 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in helping the Nets to their eighth victory in 10 games. Or Kenny Anderson, who had 29 points.

Detroit has lost 22 of 24 games, 17 of the last 20 at home.

Even a couple of touches of Auld Lang Syne didn’t help.

Memory No. 1: Net Coach Chuck Daly was ejected by referee Bennett Salvatore with 1:47 to play in the third quarter, a familiar sight to Piston fans from Daly’s days as Detroit’s coach.

Memory No. 2: The Pistons retired Vinnie Johnson’s No. 15 in a long halftime ceremony.

Cleveland 109, Atlanta 93--A night after beating the New York Knicks in a playoff-like atmosphere in Atlanta, the Hawks collapsed in the fourth quarter at Richfield, Ohio, when the Cavaliers won after a 14-2 run.

Atlanta, whose three-game winning streak ended, dropped into a three-way tie with New York and Chicago for the best record in the East.

John Williams, playing while wearing a mask because of a broken nose and subbing for flu-ridden Brad Daugherty, had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers. Larry Nance had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Mark Price had 16 points and 13 assists.

Philadelphia 96, Miami 94--Dana Barros hit a 20-foot jump shot with one second to play at Miami to end the Heat’s four-game winning streak.

Steve Smith tied the score on a jump shot with 18 seconds remaining, setting the stage for Barros’ game-winner. Philadelphia overcame Brian Shaw’s season-high 27 points. Smith added 21.

Utah 128, Portland 114--Jay Humphries, averaging only 6.2 points, scored 25 in a reserve role to spark the Jazz at Salt Lake City.

The Trail Blazers led, 24-17, when Humphries entered the game late in the first quarter. He scored eight points, including two three-pointers, in the final minute as the teams finished the period tied, 27-27.

Humphries’ 20-foot jump shot with 8:41 to play in the second quarter gave Utah a 35-33 lead, and the Jazz never trailed again.

Seattle 115, Milwaukee 94--Detlef Schrempf’s 18 points led six SuperSonics in double figures as they overcame Frank Brickowski’s 24 points at Milwaukee.

Shawn Kemp added 17 points for Seattle, which has the best record in the NBA, 34-10. Sam Perkins scored 16, Ricky Pierce 15, Kendall Gill 14 and Nate McMillan 10.

Indiana 111, Charlotte 102--Rik Smits took advantage of an undermanned Hornet front line and scored 24 points and Reggie Miller added 21 at Indianapolis as the Pacers won their fifth in a row.

The Hornets dropped their sixth in a row, also a season-high.

Smits, who is 7 feet 4, topped the 20-point mark for the fourth time in the winning streak, as Charlotte played a front line with only one player as tall as 6-8.

Charlotte regulars Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson and reserves Scott Burrell and LeRon Ellis are sidelined because of injuries.