NBA Roundup : Dumars Carries the Weight as Unbeaten Pistons Stop 76ers

Joe Dumars of the Detroit Pistons went to work during the off-season after his team lost the National Basketball Assn. championship to the Lakers.

Dumars shed 9 pounds and reported to camp in good shape.

“I feel fresher and quicker,” Dumars said. “Hopefully, this will help me be a lot stronger down the stretch.”

Dumars looked good Tuesday night as he made 12 of 18 shots from the field and all 6 of his free throws to lead the Pistons to their third victory in three games, a 116-109 win over the 76ers at Philadelphia.

“We have a physical team,” Dumars said. “Our big men set good picks, which enables us to create. They make it easier for us to get open.”

Adrian Dantley added 23 points for Detroit, and James Edwards came off the bench to score 18, making 8 of 9 shots.

The Pistons led, 110-100, with 2:30 left, but Philadelphia scored 6 consecutive points, with Mike Gminski’s 2 free throws closing the margin to 110-106 with 1:25 left. But Dumars hit 2 free throws and Dennis Rodman scored on a layup to seal the outcome.

“The final score wasn’t as close as the game was,” said Philadelphia’s Charles Barkley, who led all scorers with 31 points. “I’m disappointed with myself and the team. I played ridiculously poor, and there’s no excuse for that. We didn’t move the ball at all.”

Houston 120, San Antonio 102--Mike Woodson scored 27 points, including 3 consecutive baskets that stopped a late San Antonio comeback, leading the Rockets at Houston.

The Rockets, who squandered halftime leads in losing their first two games of the season, held a 25-point halftime lead but had to fight off the Spurs in the closing minutes. Woodson hit 3 in a row after the Spurs had pulled within 105-96.

Akeem Olajuwon scored 18 points and had 11 rebounds for the Rockets, and Otis Thorpe scored 23 points and had 10 rebounds.

Johnny Dawkins scored 22 points and had 13 assists for the Spurs.

Atlanta 112, Indiana 107--Moses Malone made his first home appearance at Atlanta and helped the Hawks defeat the Pacers.

Dominique Wilkins scored 32 points and Malone had 18 points and 22 rebounds as Atlanta held off a late surge to beat Indiana.

“It was a great crowd,” said Malone, a perennial all-star who was signed as a free agent by the Hawks this summer. “It was like a big game.”

The Hawks led, 88-74, early in the final period in front of 16,371, until the Pacers rallied behind Wayman Tisdale and Chuck Person.

“Moses looks like he is in the best shape he’s been in in years,” Pacer Coach Jack Ramsay said. “You win with big guys in the NBA, and Moses is definitely a big guy.”

Tisdale, who scored 22 of his 24 points in the second half, got the Pacers (0-3) within 98-95 with 3:58 left. Person, who had 11 of his 22 points in the final period, scored to bring the Pacers within 101-99 with 2:37 left, but Indiana could not get closer.

New Jersey 109, Washington 101--Joe Barry Carroll had 19 points, and the Nets outscored the Bullets by 20-2 at the end of the game for the victory at East Rutherford, N.J.

The Nets trailed, 99-89, with 5 minutes remaining before rallying with 11 consecutive points. Carroll had a dunk and 2 foul shots, Buck Williams made a 3-point play, Kevin Williams had 2 free throws and Roy Hinson made a jump shot to put New Jersey ahead.

John Bagley scored 17 points, Mike McGee had 15 and Buck Williams added 11 points and 14 rebounds for New Jersey. Jeff Malone scored 24 for Washington.

New York 126, Chicago 117--Johnny Newman scored a career-high 35 points, including 13 during a decisive 22-6 spurt, to spark the Knicks past the Bulls at New York.

With the score tied, 62-62, with 1:46 remaining in the first half, the Knicks had 5 points from Newman in a 7-0 run. Chicago got the last basket of the half to trail by 5, but New York began the second half with a 15-4 spurt to lead, 84-68. Newman scored 8 points in the run, including a 3-point play and a 3-point shot.

It was the first victory in 3 games for the Knicks. Chicago lost for the second time in 3 games.

Seattle 97, Sacramento 75--Dale Ellis scored 28 points as the SuperSonics beat the Kings to spoil their regular-season debut at the new Arco Arena at Sacramento.

A crowd of 16,517 gave Sacramento its 128th consecutive NBA sellout.

Xavier McDaniel scored 7 of his 19 points for Seattle in the first 3 minutes of the fourth quarter to give the SuperSonics an 81-66 lead with 9:02 left.

Dallas 92, Miami 88--Brad Davis scored 8 consecutive fourth-quarter points, including a 4-point play, and Rolando Blackman made 2 free throws with 10 seconds left as the Mavericks beat the Heat at Dallas.

Miami, still seeking its first victory, gained a 85-85 tie with 3:49 to play on rookie Kevin Edwards’ free throw, but Sam Perkins hit two free throws on the Mavericks’ next possession to put Dallas ahead for good.