NBA Roundup : Cummings, Pierce Lead Bucks to 115-106 Win

Few thought the Milwaukee Bucks would have the fourth-best record in the National Basketball Assn. this far into the season.

But they made believers of the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday night at Milwaukee. With Terry Cummings scoring 31 points and Ricky Pierce leading a late charge, the Bucks beat the Cavaliers, 115-106, for their fourth win in a row and their 19th in their last 23 games.

The Cavaliers are 3 1/2 games ahead of the third-place Milwaukee in the tough Central Division, and the Bucks have given Cleveland reason to believe they pose at least as tough a challenge as the Detroit Pistons, who are three games out.

Three of the four best records are in the Central. Cleveland, best in the NBA is 34-11, the Pistons are 30-13, the Lakers 32-14 and the Bucks, who were 11-10 after the first quarter of the regular season, are 30-14.

One reason this victory is impressive is that the Cavaliers (14-9) have the NBA’s best road record. Another is that, while the Cavaliers were at full strength, the Bucks were missing Sidney Moncrief and promising rookie Jeff Grayer. Both have knee injuries.

Brad Daugherty kept the pressure on the Bucks in the first half when he was 9 for 12 and Cleveland led, 60-56.

Cummings, who has scored 81 points in three games with the Cavaliers, scored 18 in the first half to keep the Bucks in the battle.

By early in the last quarter, the Bucks led by six. But Cleveland had an 8-0 run and, with 7:30 remaining, led, 96-94. That’s when Cummings and Pierce went to work. A 7-0 run was interrupted by two Cleveland baskets, but Pierce sank two baskets and Cummings another to make it 107-100 with 4:40 left.

After losing 13 of their last 20 games last season and getting knocked out in the first round of the playoffs, the Bucks were not highly regarded going into this season.

Age was one reason. Jack Sikma was 33, both guards, Moncrief and Pressey, were over 30. There was age everywhere except for injury-prone Grayer, just out of Iowa State.

Until Del Harris, in his second season as the replacement for popular, successful Don Nelson, took 7-foot-3 center Randy Breuer out of the starting lineup and put 6-foot-10 Larry Krystkowiak in, the Bucks appeared destined to be an also ran.

But Sikma thrived at center and Krystkowiak, in his third pro season out of Montana, became a giant at power forward. He has averaged 11.8 points per game.

“All I know,” Cummings said, “is that people are taking us seriously. We have known for some time we are capable of beating anybody. This was a big one.”

New York 117, Washington 105--On a night when they played poorly at home, the Knicks were fortunate to have Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley around to control the boards.

And, when Ewing scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, the Knicks won their 17th in a row at Madison Square Garden. They are 20-1 at home. The only loss was to the Lakers.

“We played a terrible game,” Ewing said. “But now, we have enough confidence to win. Last year we would have lost this one.”

The struggling Bullets have lost seven in a row on the road and are now 3-19 away from home.

New Jersey 109, Seattle 99--Obviously, the Nets fine performance against the Lakers Sunday night was not a fluke.

With Dennis Hopson scoring 20 points and the other guard, Lester Conner turning in a triple-double at East Rutherford, N.J., they beat the SuperSonics for the second time in a row.

Conner, who had 13 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in this game, had 13 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds last Tuesday at Seattle when the Nets ended the Sonics’ 17-game home winning streak.

The Nets didn’t do anything for the teamwork of the Sonics. Dale Ellis, who scored 34 points and Xavier McDaniel, who had 15, got into a heated argument in the dressing room. Seattle Coach Bernie Bickerstaff sent the media out as tempers raged.

“I think the fight was good,” Bickerstaff said. “Maybe it will fuel the fire. The fight was caused by the frustration of losing.”

Chicago 118, Charlotte 93--Michael Jordan was knocked flat by a stray elbow to the face and came up limping in the first quarter at Chicago. It turned out the elbow belonged to teammate Bill Cartwright.

But, Jordan scored 14 points in the third quarter, eight of them in a row, to break the game open. Jordan, who scored 32 points and had five assists in 32 minutes, sat out the fourth quarter.

Utah 96, Miami 77--The Heat played its normal road game, sinking only five of their first 25 shots and lost for the 21st time in 22 games away from home.

Karl Malone, the No. 2 scorer in the NBA had 26 points for the Jazz, now only one-half game out of first in the Midwest Division, and John Stockton had 20 points and nine assists.

Sacramento 114, San Antonio 99--Kenny Smith sparked a 17-2 burst late in the third quarter at Sacramento that put the Kings in front and Ricky Barry, with three bombs, kept them in front to end a six-game losing streak.

The Kings trailed, 67-66, in the third quarter before Smith scored seven points in the rally. In the last quarter Berry scored 11 of his 23 points to keep the Kings in command.

Portland 134, Dallas 125--Jerome Kersey scored a season-high 33 points and reserves Steve Johnson and Kiki Vandeweghe keyed a fourth-period rally to lead the Trail Blazers at Portland.

The Trail Blazers, down by as many as 16 points, trailed 104-92 after three periods but Johnson scored nine of his 14 points in the opening 6 1/2 minutes of the fourth quarter, including two consecutive rebound baskets that capped a 24-9 spurt and gave Portland a 116-113 lead.

Vandeweghe scored nine of his 17 points in the final period as the Trail Blazers outscored Dallas, 42-21.