NBA Roundup : Malone Scores 27 as Atlanta Beats Boston

Moses Malone capped a season-high 27-point performance by making 3 free throws in the final 10 seconds, enabling the Atlanta Hawks to hold off the Boston Celtics, 106-103, Wednesday night at Boston Garden and extend their winning streak to 6 games.

It was Atlanta’s first regular-season victory at Boston since March 1, 1985, and broke an 8-game losing streak there. The Celtics suffered their third consecutive loss.

The Hawks, who snapped a 4-game road losing streak, broke an 83-83 tie with a 20-9 run, giving them a 103-92 lead with 2:43 left.

But after a Boston timeout, the Celtics rallied by scoring the next 8 points to cut the margin to 103-100 on Kevin McHale’s free throw with 24 seconds remaining.

A foul by McHale gave Atlanta the ball at midcourt with 20 seconds left, but Reggie Theus failed to make the inbounds pass in 5 seconds, and Boston got possession.

Danny Ainge missed a 3-point shot with 12 seconds remaining and Reggie Lewis fouled Malone, who made both shots with 10 seconds left. Malone was fouled again with 4 seconds left and made 1 of 2 shots.

Boston’s Jim Paxson hit a three-point shot at the buzzer to account for the final points.

The Celtics were led by Robert Parish’s season-high 29 points, and McHale added 23.

Detroit 102, Chicago 89--Adrian Dantley scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter, and the Pistons held league-scoring leader Michael Jordan to 18 points to win at Auburn Hills, Mich.

Isiah Thomas, whose three-point basket 20 seconds before halftime gave Detroit the lead for good, 49-46, scored 4 points in a 14-4 surge to open the second half. The Pistons built a 63-52 lead with 8:03 left in the third quarter.

Thomas finished with 25 points for the Pistons. Sam Vincent scored 20 to lead the Bulls, and Jordan was held to fewer than 20 for the first time in 72 games. Jordan, averaging 36.4 before the game, was nearing the second-longest streak of 20-point games in National Basketball Assn. history, with Wilt Chamberlain having run up streaks of 126 and 92 straight.

Sacramento 96, Miami 94--Kenny Smith made 3 straight breakaway layups to cap a Sacramento comeback and then hit 2 free throws with 4 seconds left at Miami, sending the winless Heat to their 14th straight defeat.

Miami blew an 80-69 lead with less than 10 minutes left. Jon Sundvold of the Heat scored a two-point shot from the corner, but it didn’t count because he released it just after the buzzer.

The Heat’s losing streak is the second-longest at the start of a season. Denver in 1949, the expansion Cleveland Cavaliers in 1970 and Philadelphia in 1972 lost their first 15 games. Miami next plays Friday at home against Denver.

Sacramento (3-12) won for the first time in 7 road games.

Dallas 102, Seattle 98--Derek Harper scored 31 points, including a go-ahead three-point shot with 1:48 remaining, to lift the Mavericks at Dallas.

Harper’s basket boosted the Mavericks to a 98-96 advantage and sparked a 9-0 run.

Harper, who scored 20 of his points in the first half, later added a layup with 30 seconds left to give Dallas a 100-96 lead, before Derrick McKey’s basket with 26 seconds to play got Seattle within 2 points. The SuperSonics, who had their 3-game winning streak snapped, went 3:39 without scoring before McKey’s field goal.

The Sonics attempted to set up a tying three-point basket after Detlef Schrempf’s free throw gave the Mavericks a 101-98 edge, but Seattle’s Russ Schoene stepped out of bounds with 15 seconds to play.

Philadelphia 134, Denver 109--Charles Barkley had 29 points and 14 rebounds and the 76ers set a club record with 45 assists, led by David Wingate’s career-high 15, in the victory at Philadelphia.

The 76ers hit 17 of their 24 shots in the first quarter to lead, 38-27, and stretched that to 13, 46-33, with 8:20 left in the first half.

Indiana 129, Portland 120--Chuck Person scored 12 of his 27 points in the decisive third quarter and the Pacers outscored the Trail Blazers, 37-14, from the free-throw line to win at Indianapolis.

Wayman Tisdale added 24 points and 14 rebounds. Seven Pacers scored in double figures to break Indiana’s 9-game losing streak against the Trail Blazers.

Clyde Drexler scored 35 points and Kevin Duckworth 32 for Portland.

Indiana made 37 of 39 free throws, including 20 of 21 in the second half. Portland made only 14 of 25.

Utah 111, Washington 94--Karl Malone scored 34 points, 21 in the second half, to lead the Jazz at Salt Lake City and send the Bullets to their fifth straight loss.

John Stockton added 18 points and 20 assists for the Jazz.