NBA ROUNDUP : Wilkins Sets an NBA Free-Throw Record

For those who still didn’t believe that Dominique Wilkins could regain his previous form, Tuesday’s game with the Chicago Bulls provided a perfect example.

Connecting on an NBA-record 23 free throws without a miss, Wilkins overcame the less-than-perfect Michael Jordan while leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 123-114 victory in Atlanta.

“For all the doubters who didn’t think I’d be back, I’m back,” Wilkins said after scoring 42 points. “Oh, yes, I’m back.”

Wilkins, who missed the last half of last season when he ruptured his right Achilles’ tendon, broke the league mark of 19 for 19 shared by Bob Pettit, Bill Cartwright and Adrian Dantley.

Michael Jordan led the Bulls with 32 points.

Houston 102, Minnesota 94--For the Rockets, it was as easy as Hakeem Olajuwon and the other front-liners clogging up the lane, then crowding the free-throw line. The Rockets set team highs for free throws made (38) and attempted (44) in their victory over the Timberwolves at Houston.

Olajuwon equaled his season high of 34 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and had five blocks.

Olajuwon sank 14 of 16 free throws and the starting front court combined for 27 of 32 on foul shots. Michael Williams had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Timberwolves.

San Antonio 121, Utah 103--It would help the Jazz’s stature in the Midwest Division if they could avoid being blown out by the Spurs, who have routed them in both their meetings, this time in San Antonio. Last month the Spurs won by 26.

Utah’s Karl Malone was held to just 18 points, 10 under his average. For San Antonio, their night was spoiled by a serious injury to Antoine Carr, who dislocated his right shoulder early in the fourth quarter.

Phoenix 105, New Jersey 100--The Nets’ longest winning streak since 1983-84 collided with Charles Barkley and Dan Majerle. Barkley had 34 points and 12 rebounds and Majerle limited Drazen Petrovic to 16 points at East Rutherford, N.J., ending the Nets’ streak at six games.

The victory was the Suns’ fourth straight and sixth in seven games. Chris Morris had 25 points for New Jersey.

Boston 117, Orlando 102--Shaquille O’Neal absorbed a lesson from a master when he watched Robert Parish combine with Kevin Gamble to lead the Celtics’ 17-2 fourth-quarter run at Orlando. Reggie Lewis scored 29 points and Gamble came off the bench to sink 10 of 12 shots.

Orlando lost its fourth consecutive game despite shooting 55% and getting a 26-point, 15-rebound performance from O’Neal. Parish, who had 10 rebounds, scored 11 of his 17 points in the final period.

New York 100, Seattle 88--The Knicks remained perfect at Madison Square, increasing their record there to 9-0 thanks to Patrick Ewing’s increased aggressiveness.

Ewing scored 15 of his season-high 33 points on free throws and also had 16 rebounds as the Knicks remained the NBA’s only unbeaten team at home. Shawn Kemp led the Sonics with 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Ricky Pierce and Gary Payton scored 16 points apiece.

Miami 126, Dallas 112--The worst team in the NBA just keeps getting worse, as the Mavericks lost their 10th consecutive game and matched the worst start in franchise history at Dallas. The Heat’s Grant Long scored 21 points and six teammates also reached double figures as the Mavericks fell to 1-13.

Indiana 125, Golden State 115--Detlef Schrempf nearly reached Dominique Wilkins’ perfection, sinking 22 of 23 free throws and scoring a career-high 36 points to lead the Pacers at Oakland.

Golden State closed to a 100-79 lead to 111-107 with 2:31 to play. But the Warriors, who lost for the sixth time in eight home games, couldn’t finish the rally down the stretch when the Pacers made 10 of 12 free throws to preserve the victory.

Washington 114, Sacramento 106--The Bullets made 12 of 18 shots in the third quarter to help earn their first victory over the Kings since a 107-99 triumph on Feb. 14, 1989.

Mitch Richmond scored a season-high 35 points and added 10 assists for the Kings at Sacramento.

Portland 126, Milwaukee 97--Clyde Drexler scored 25 points and Cliff Robinson added 24 and a season-high six blocked shots as the Blazers won at Portland.

Drexler, who missed the last two games with a sore right knee, started and grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds.

Milwaukee, losers of four straight, was led by Eric Murdock’s 21 points and 11 assists and Blue Edwards’ 17 points.