Hill: League’s Hottest Can Get Even Hotter

With 11 victories in a row, San Antonio Coach Bob Hill is still looking up.

“We can get better. There are things we can do better,� he said Wednesday night after the Spurs beat Washington, 112-101, at Landover, Md., for their 11th victory in a row and 16th in their past 18 games.

David Robinson scored 33 points in 28 foul-plagued minutes and San Antonio shot a season-high 60.5%.

But, “we didn’t have that much of a presence on the break tonight,� Hill said. “We didn’t rebound as well as we can.�

Perhaps strangely, Robinson agreed.

“We have a lot of upsides,� he said. “Some teams are peaking, but over the next six weeks we’ll see a big improvement as a team. All in all, I think we’re going to be better.�

They were good enough Wednesday night.

Washington’s Gheorghe Muresan scored nine of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, but could not rally the Bullets, whose two-game winning streak was broken. Muresan finished with a game-high 12 rebounds.

Bullet Coach Jim Lynam couldn’t see past the Spurs’ hot shooting. Why bother?

“When I look at a team that shoots 60%, I stop there,� he said. “That’s game, set and match.�

Toronto 107, Charlotte 89--Carlos Rogers, the reluctant small forward, came up big with 24 points at home for the Raptors, who ended a four-game losing streak.

Atlanta 98, Vancouver 93--Steve Smith made five three-point baskets and scored 26 points at Atlanta, where the Hawks sent the Grizzlies to their 16th consecutive defeat.

New York 102, Indiana 99--John Starks made four of six three-point shots and finished with 19 points for the Knicks at New York, where Reggie Miller scored 25 points but missed two open three-point shots in the last 1:04.

Miami 102, Detroit 93--Pat Riley turned 51, but perhaps more important, the Heat turned .500 with reserve forward Chris Gatling scoring 24 points to lead them to a victory at home.

Orlando 112, Boston 90--The Magic, unbeatable at home, had struggled on the road early in the season but ran their record to 9-3 away from Orlando since the All-Star break with the help of 35 points from Penny Hardaway and 28 from Shaquille O’Neal.

Sacramento 122, Milwaukee 97--Brian Grant scored a career-high 30 points and Olden Polynice added 20 for the Kings, who won at Milwaukee and sent the Bucks to their ninth loss in a row.

Utah 107, Philadelphia 84--Karl Malone scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds at Salt Lake City for the Jazz, who sent the 76ers to their fifth loss in a row.

NBA Notes

Detroit Piston Coach Doug Collins was fined $5,000 by the NBA for leaving the court with his players before the end of a game against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday. Collins was furious because Orlando’s Anthony Bowie had called a timeout with 2.7 seconds to play and the Magic ahead by 20 points to get a chance at a triple-double. Bowie got the assist he needed with no opposition from the Pistons. . . . Vancouver’s Greg Anthony was suspended for one game and fined $5,000 for throwing a punch at New Jersey’s Shawn Bradley, who was not disciplined, save for being ejected on Tuesday.