NBA ROUNDUP : Rodman’s 25 Rebounds Spark Piston Victory

Detroit forward Dennis Rodman did not let trade rumors slow him Tuesday night as he grabbed 25 rebounds to help the Pistons to a 101-89 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at Auburn Hills, Mich.

With Thursday’s trading deadline approaching, a half-dozen NBA teams--including the Clippers--have expressed interest in Rodman, according to Piston President Tom Wilson.

“It doesn’t really matter where I go,” said Rodman, who leads the league in rebounding. “I just want to go somewhere where I’ll be comfortable. If tonight’s my last game, I’ll miss (his Detroit teammates). But I won’t miss the people who gave me all this negative publicity, and they know who they are.”

Mark Aguirre, who returned to the starting lineup in place of injured Orlando Woolridge, scored 24 points for the Pistons, who easily handed the 76ers their ninth loss in 10 games.

Terry Mills added 19 points for Detroit. Rookie Clarence Weatherspoon led Philadelphia with 23 points.

Phoenix 105, San Antonio 103--Charles Barkley had 29 points and 12 rebounds as the Suns ended the Spurs’ 15-game home winning streak at San Antonio.

Richard Dumas scored 19 points for the Suns, and Tom Chambers and Danny Ainge combined for 36 points off the bench. Ainge made three key free throws in the final 8.5 seconds for Phoenix, which won for the eighth time in nine games.

San Antonio is 24-5 under Coach John Lucas, with two of its losses coming against Phoenix, which has the NBA’s best record at 39-10.

Orlando 125, Portland 107--Shaquille O’Neal scored 28 points and the Magic used a 46-point third quarter to beat the Trail Blazers at Orlando.

Scott Skiles scored 17 of his 23 points during the third period for Orlando, which moved past Boston into third place in the Atlantic Division. Cliff Robinson led Portland with 23 points, and Clyde Drexler added 17.

New York 95, Minnesota 91--Patrick Ewing scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Knicks survived a late rally by the Timberwolves to win at New York.

John Starks added 20 points for New York before he was ejected in the third quarter, and Anthony Mason added 16 and 12 rebounds.

Minnesota played without rookie Christian Laettner, who was suspended for one game without pay for missing Monday’s practice. Chuck Person led the Timberwolves with 21 points.

Charlotte 104, New Jersey 95--Larry Johnson scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, and the Hornets held the Nets to 38% shooting at Charlotte.

Rookie Alonzo Mourning had 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Hornets, who had seven players in double figures and have won seven of their last 10 games.

Atlanta 109, Washington 94--Dominique Wilkins scored 26 of his 31 points during the first half and Mookie Blaylock led an early third-quarter surge in the Hawks’ victory at Atlanta.

Stacey Augmon had 22 points for Atlanta. Larry Stewart led the Bullets with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Chicago 99, Milwaukee 95--Michael Jordan scored 34 points, including eight of the Bulls’ last 15, in their victory over the Bucks at Chicago.

Scottie Pippen and B.J. Armstrong each scored 15 points for Chicago. Frank Brickowski led the Bucks with 26.

Cleveland 102, Miami 100--Mark Price duplicated his All-Star game performance by making six three-point baskets and made the first four-point play of his career in the Cavaliers’ victory at Richfield, Ohio.

Price scored 29 points and made six of nine from three-point range. Brad Daugherty had 27 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland. Harold Miner and Grant Long each scored 18 points for Miami.

Indiana 113, Boston 86--Detlef Schrempf scored 12 of his 24 points on perfect free-throw shooting in the Pacers’ victory over the Celtics at Indianapolis.

Reggie Miller had 19 points and Rik Smits added 18 for the Pacers, and Pooh Richardson had a season-high 14 assists. Sherman Douglas came off the bench to lead Boston, which has lost four consecutive games, with 18 points.

Houston 105, Utah 78--Hakeem Olajuwon made 11 of 20 shots for 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Rockets to their fourth consecutive victory in a game at Salt Lake City.

Karl Malone led Utah with 18 points, and John Stockton had seven assists to become the fourth player in NBA history to top 8,000.

Seattle 103, Denver 99--Ricky Pierce scored 26 points, including the game-clinching basket, as the SuperSonics ended the Nuggets’ 10-game home winning streak.

Nate McMillan came off bench to score 16 points for Seattle, which has won four consecutive games. Sam Perkins, acquired from the Lakers on Monday, didn’t play. Dikembe Mutombo had 17 rebounds and 11 points for Denver.