The Dallas Mavericks, who one night earlier collapsed down the stretch to extend their longest losing streak since their inaugural season, this time took control at the end.
Derek Harper scored 29 points and Adrian Dantley added 24 Friday night, leading the Mavericks to a 105-102 victory over the Indiana Pacers and halting their 12-game skid.
With the victory, the Mavericks moved a half-game behind Portland for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Dallas, which had suffered through poor shooting during the losing string, hit 54 percent from the floor and 20 of 26 free throws in the second half.
'We shot the ball well tonight, and shot the ball well for the entire game,' Mavericks Coach John MacLeod said. 'Considering this is the fourth game in five nights, I think we showed a lot of character and we showed a lot of toughness.'
One night earlier, the Mavericks scored only one basket and missed 4 of 6 free throws in the final four minutes in dropping a 99-98 decision to the New York Knicks.
'We played well at New York the whole game,' said Rolando Blackman, who scored 19 points for Dallas. 'We're building a better feeling and we were almost there. Tonight is the culmination of the last week.'
The Mavericks took the lead for good with 1:20 remaining on two Sam Perkins free throws that put Dallas ahead 99-98. Blackman added two free throws and a 3-pointer to give Dallas a 104-100 cushion with 11 seconds remaining.
Chuck Person scored 24 points and LaSalle Thompson had 23 points and 12 rebounds for Indiana.
'(Dallas) played last night, we didn't. We played like we were the tired team,' Indiana Coach Dick Versace said.
In other NBA games Friday night, Atlanta ripped New Jersey 116-99, Boston clubbed Houston 126-109, Philadelphia whipped Miami 114-93, Cleveland defeated Chicago 109-100, Washington nipped Portland 107-105, Golden State outran New York 134-114, Phoenix thumped Milwaukee 122-104, Detroit edged Seattle 111-108 and the Los Angeles Clippers topped San Antonio 109-106. Hawks 116, Nets 99 At Atlanta, Dominique Wilkins scored 31 points, Moses Malone added 27 and the Hawks held New Jersey to 44 percent shooting. Chris Morris led New Jersey with 31 points, including 4 of 5 shots from 3-point range. Mike McGee added 17 points for the Nets. Celtics 126, Rockets 109 At Boston, Kevin McHale came off the bench to score 30 points as the Celtics won their 12th straight home game. Dennis Johnson added 22 points and Reggie Lewis 20 for the Celtics, who have won 9 of their last 12 games. Akeem Olajuwon scored 27 points and Otis Thorps added 26 for the Rockets. 76ers 114, Heat 93 At Philadelphia, Charles Barkley scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and Mike Gminski added 21 points to lead the 76ers. Miami dropped its fifth straight road game, giving the Heat a 2-31 road record. Grant Long led the Heat with 18 points, while Rony Seikaly added 12. Cavaliers 109, Bulls 100 At Chicago, Mark Price scored 25 points, Ron Harper 21 and Brad Daugherty 20 as Cleveland snapped the Bulls' six-game winning streak. Chicago's Michael Jordan scored 37 points, 25 in the second half, and recorded his fourth triple-double in as many games. Jordan picked up 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Bullets 107, Trail Blazers 105 At Landover, Md., Bernard King scored 30 points and Washington withstood a late Portland rally to win their 12th straight home game. Jeff Malone added 19 points, Mark Alarie 14 and Terry Catledge 12 for the Bullets. Clyde Drexler led Portland with 25 points, while Jerome Kersey had 23. Warriors 134, Knicks 114 At New York, rookie Mitch Richmond scored 37 points and Chris Mullin added 34 for Golden State. Golden State swept both games against New York this season, keeping the Knicks from beating every NBA team at least once. Gerald Wilkins led New York with 23 points and tied a club record with six 3-point goals. Suns 122, Bucks 104 At Phoenix, Tom Chambers scored 34 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Phoenix, which is 32-5 at home this season. Eddie Johnson set a Suns record with six 3-point goals, while rookie Dan Majerle added three 3-pointers. Terry Cummings led Milwaukee with 36 points. Pistons 111, SuperSonics 108 At Seattle, John Salley sank two free throws with 53 seconds left and Isiah Thomas hit a basket with three seconds to go for Detroit. The Pistons trailed by 23 points at halftime before recording their seventh straight victory. Dale Ellis scored 30 points for Seattle, which lost its fifth straight game. Clippers 106, Spurs 106 At Los Angeles, Ken Norman scored 33 points as the Clippers recorded their third straight victory. Benoit Benjamin added 25 points and equalled a team record with 10 blocked shots for Los Angeles. Alvin Robertson and Willie Anderson scored 24 points each to lead the Spurs.
