NBA UPDATE
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
Atlantic Division
W 32 L .800 GB
Orlando 24 13 .649 6
New York 15 24 .385 16
Boston 15 24 .385 16
New Jersey 15 26 .366 17
Miami 12 26 .316 19
Philadelphia 12 26 .316 19
Washington 10 27 .270 20
Central Division
Cleveland 25 14 .641 —
Charlotte 24 15 .615 1
Indiana 23 15 .605 1
Chicago 20 19 .513 5
Atlanta 17 22 .436 8
Milwaukee 15 23 .395 9
Detroit 11 25 .306 12
Midwest Division
Midwest Division
W 29 L 10 Pct. GB
Utah 29 10 .744 —
Houston 23 14 .622 5
San Antonio 22 14 .611 5
Denver 18 20 .474 10
Dallas 16 21 .432 12
Minnesota 9 29 .237 19
Pacific Division
Phoenix 30 8 .789 —
Seattle 27 9 .750 2
L.A. Lakers 24 13 .649 5
Sacramento 22 16 .579 8
Portland 20 17 .541 9
Golden State 11 24 .314 17
L.A. Clippers 6 34 .150 25
NBA
Late games not
Shaq and Magic mystify Boston
WESTERN CONFERENCE
The Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. — Shaquille O'Neal took advantage of Boston's foul-plagged big men to score 31 points as the Orlando Magic beat the Celtics 110-97 last night and
Celtics 110-97 last night and improved to 19-0 at home.
Donald Royal added 19 points as the Magic improved their NBA-best
Team doctors said X-rays on Grant's left knee were negative and that he was probable for tomorrow's matchup against Chicago.
O'Neal, the league's leading scorer at 29.5 points a game, backed in for easy hooks and inside jumpers against rookie Eric Montross and backup Pervis Ellison, both of whom picked up three early fouls.
A scare for the Magic came in the closing seconds of the first half when forward Horace Grant suddenly pulled up on a fast break and crumpled to the floor. He returned to the bench, but did not go back in the game.
Orlando ...110
Boston ...97
record to 33-8. The Celtics lost their fifth straight game.
After trailing by five points late in the second period, Orlando went on a 10-2 run capped by Royal's driving layup that gave the Magic a 48-45 halftime lead that Orlando would never relinquish.
The Magic opened up a nine-point spread late in the third quarter after Anfernee Hardway drove in for a spinning jam and Nick Anderson hit a thee-pointer from the top of the key. The lead increased to 16 with less than two minutes left when O'Neal hit a fallaway 15-foot jumper and guard Anthony Bowie drove in for a fast-break layup.
Dino Radja had 29 points and Sherman Douglas 17 for Boston. Montross finished with five fouls and 7 points and Ellison had four fouls and 6 points.
Rice heats up in win over Pacers
MIAMI — Glen Rice sparked a key third-quarter surge before leaving the game with an injured right knee as the Miami Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 107-96 last night.
The Associated Press
Rice scored 15 points, 10 in the third quarter, as the Heat broke away from a tie at 60 and took a 13-point lead.
Rice was hurt when he collided with Indiana's Sam Mitchell in the final minute of the third period.
Heat trainer Ron Culp indicated that Rice could have returned to the game if necessary. But with Miami maintaining a comfortable lead, Rice was not needed.
He was helped from the court by two teammates, but did not go to the Jocker room.
Billy Owens had 19 points and 12 rebounds for Miami.
Matt Geiger had 18 points for the Heat.
Derrick McKey had 16 for Indiana and Reggie Miller and Rik Smits each had 15. Miller, averaging nearly 20 points a game, had scored 14 and 15 points in his previous two games.
After Indiana tied the game at 60 with a 9-2 spurt in the third period, Rice scored eight points during a 10-3 streak. Miami then scored eight consecutive points, including a jumper by Rice, for a 79-66 lead with 1:12 left in the third quarter.
The Pacers fell further behind until the final minutes, when a 13-3 run that featured three-pointers by John Williams and Mark Jackson made the score 101-94 with 1:31 left in the game.
Indiana would get no closer as the Heat controlled the Pacers the rest of the way.
NBA INDIVIDUAL LEADERS:
Scoring
The NBA individual scoring, field goal percentage,
rebounding and assist leaders through Jan. 24
Mong, Char. 35 251 201 714 24.0
Dumars, Det. 33 232 141 860 20.0
G EG FG 241 Pth Avg O'Neal, Ort. 40 468 244 1180 29.5
Robsn, S.A. 35 341 319 1001 28.6
Olajnw, Hou. 36 387 224 998 27.6
Jackson, Dall. 36 367 226 984 26.6
Malone, Utah 39 378 227 991 25.4
Mashbon, Dall. 37 324 203 902 24.4
Drexler, Port. 37 321 167 765 23.2
Richmd, Sac. 38 308 179 862 22.7
Sprewl, G.L. 33 265 166 743 22.5
Ceball, LAL. 35 313 131 783 22.4
C.Rbsn, Port. 37 298 156 823 22.2
Rice, Mia. 38 115 125 842 22.2
Ewing, N.Y. 36 304 174 784 21.8
Hardaway, Min. 39 302 193 844 21.6
Rider, Min. 37 278 155 778 21.0
Plipen, Chi. 38 289 157 789 20.8
Wilkins, Bos. 35 257 149 722 20.6
Payton, Sea. 36 292 125 737 20.5
Field Goal Percentage
FG FGA Pot
O'Neal, Orl. 468 786 .595
D. Davis, Ind. 200 340 .588
Grant, Orl. 201 349 .576
Polynice, Sac. 170 297 .572
Hornacik, Sac. 171 451 .557
Manning, Phoec. 286 517 .553
Carr, Utah 186 264 .563
Perry, Phoec. 153 277 .552
Hill, Clev. 189 343 .551
Stockton, Utah 205 374 .548
Rebounding
Mutmbo, Den. 38 141 343 484 127
Hill, Clev. 36 164 254 419 11.6
Willis, Att-Mia. 36 130 286 416 11.6
Olajuwan, Hou. 36 84 328 412 11.4
Robinson, S.A. 35 91 308 399 11.4
Ewing, N.Y. 36 73 317 390 10.8
Kemp, Sea. 36 132 248 380 10.8
Dudley, Port. 37 158 229 387 10.5
Jones, Dall. 35 138 228 366 10.5
O'Neal, O'Reil. 43 143 273 416 10.4
Assists
Assistants G No Avg
Stockton, Utah 39 477 12.2
Anderson, N.J. 38 389 10.2
Bogues, Char. 38 357 9.4
Hardaway, G.S. 35 305 8.7
Strickland, Port. 26 219 8.4
Richardson, LAC 40 336 8.4
Van Exel, AL 36 298 8.3
Johnson, S.A. 36 293 8.1
Blaylock, Att. 39 301 7.7
Jackson, Ind. 38 293 7.7
Knicks slip by Portland add to winning streak
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Patrick Ewong scored 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter of last night's game and rallied the New York Knicks to a 105-99 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
In winning its fifth consecutive game and 13 of the last 14, New York overcame a career-high 36 points by Portland's Rod Strickland.
Strickland and Clyde Drexler, who had 19 points, sparked the Trail Blazers in the third period as Portland stretched a two-point halftime lead to 11 with 3:19 left in the quarter.
New York ..105
Portland ..99
But New York battled back, holding Portland without a field goal the rest of the period and pulling to 83-79 entering the fourth quarter.
Then the Knicks defense and Ewing took over. Ewing, who was 3-for-11 in the first half, hit three straight baskets, the last one giving the Knicks a 90-89 lead with 7:01 to play.
The Trail Blazers did not get a field goal for 6:45, and by the time Strickland broke the drought, New York led 97-90 and did not trail again. With the Knicks clogging up the middle and forcing Portland outside, the Blazers missed 17 of 22 shots in the fourth quarter.
Ewing also had 11 rebounds. John Starks had 26 points for New York, and Anthony Mason got 15 rebounds. Clifford Robinson added 20 for Portland.
Before Portland's shooting woes started, the Knicks could not stop Strickland, who had 18 first-half points and another 10 in the third quarter. New York used Derek Harper, Starks and even the seldom-used Greg Anthony on Strickland, but he still made his first seven shots of the second half.
Suns bomb T-Wolves with three-point shots
The Associated Press
The Suns won their fifth a row overall and extended their road winning streak to seven, one short of the team record. Phoenix has won 10 of 11 while Minnesota has lost 11 of 14.
MINNEAPOLIS — Dan Majerle and A.C. Green made three-point shots during a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter as the Phoenix Suns beat Min-
the rhosa sims
nosea 100-85 last night,
making them 23-0 all-time
against the Timberwolves
Phoenix ...100
Minnesota ...85
The Suns won their fifth in
Charles Shackleford's basket with 7:34 left in the game capped a 12-2 streak by the Timberwolves that tied the score at 80. But Majerle's three-pointer put the Suns ahead to stay, and Green's basket built the lead to 90-80.
The Suns, the NBA's leading three-point team, made seven three-pointers to the Timberwolves' three.
Phoenix guard Kevin Johnson, making his first start since Jan. 9, scored 17 points in 2 1/2 quarters before aggravating a thigh injury.
Johnson had missed eight of the Suns' previous 10 games because of the injury.
Charles Barkley overcame a 6-of-23 shooting game and led the Suns with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Green had 13 points and nine rebounds.
J. R. Rider scored 26 points, but was held to one point in the fourth period. Sean Rooks had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Rider missed his first seven three-point shots and the Timberwolves fell behind 64-52 with 7-17 left in the third quarter. But Rider made three three-pointers in a 1.55 stretch, the last one capping a 15-3 run that tied the score at 67.
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