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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION EASTERN CONFERENCE TEAM REPORTS FOR MONDAY, APRIL 6TH

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BSW

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Apr 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM4/6/98

ATLANTIC DIVISION
=================

* BOSTON CELTICS
--------------

The Celtics improved to 3-0 this month with a 102-92 victory
over New York on Sunday. ... The win was the second straight
over the Knicks after dropping the previous 21 games dating to
January 10th, 1993. G Ron Mercer scored 21 points for Boston,
which improved to 34-41 this season and is 5 1/2 games behind
New Jersey for the final playoff berth in the conference.

MIAMI HEAT
----------

C Duane Causwell stepped up in place of injured C Alonzo
Mourning and grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds in Saturday's
101-88 victory over Charlotte. Causwell tied a pair of team
records by grabbing 11 rebounds, including eight defensive in
the first quarter. "He gave me some uplifting words and made me
feel good about being here and wearing a Miami Heat uniform,"
Causwell said of a pre-game talk he had with Mourning. "It was
something I needed to hear." ... The Heat tied a club record
with 25 defensive rebounds in the first half. ... Miami matched
last season's franchise record with their 29th home win.

NEW JERSEY NETS
---------------

New Jersey held New York without a basket for the first six
minutes of the fourth quarter to rally for a 97-94 victory on
Saturday. ... The Nets, who have not made the postseason since
1994, are one game in front of Washington and Orlando for the
final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. "As a team, it was
the biggest win of the year for us," said F Keith Van Horn, who
scored 25 points. "I think this win might propel us into the
playoffs." ... G Sam Cassell finished with a game-high 30 points
Saturday. He has averaged 22.8 points and 6.8 assists over the
last four contests.

* NEW YORK KNICKS
---------------

F Terry Cummings scored a season-high 23 points but the Knicks
still fell to Boston for the second straight time on Sunday. ...
New York has dropped four of its last five and fell 2 1/2 games
behind Cleveland for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
New York leads New Jersey by two games for the seventh playoff
slot. ... "Over the last week, we've become a very fragile team," said
Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy. "Do we roll over and quit? We did
it against Seattle, we did it against San Antonio, We did it
against New Jersey last night and we did it again tonight.
All were doing right now is making those people who said 'we
couldn't win without C Patrick (Ewing) look real smart."

* ORLANDO MAGIC
-------------

The Magic suffered their third straight loss, 88-85 to
Washington on Sunday. The defeat dropped them into 10th place,
1 1/2 games behind eighth-place New Jersey. ... G Nick Anderson
scored 25 points in his second game back after missing three
contests with a strained left hamstring. ... F Harevy Grant was
the only other starter in to score in double figures with 17 as
Orlando was held below 90 points for the third game in a row.

* PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
------------------

After dropping six straight games, the Sixers have won their
last three. Their latest win, which featured a season-high
point total, came on Sunday, 116-104 over the
Toronto Raptors. ... G Allen Iverson had 36 points, a
season-high nine rebounds and eight assists in the contest. ...
The victory improved Philadelphia to 15-20
in games decided by 10 or more points. ... The Sixers have only
eclipsed the century mark in points five times since the
All-Star break, twice in their last three games.

* WASHINGTON WIZARDS
------------------

The Wizards won their second straight game, 88-85 over Orlando,
after losing four in a row. ... G Rod Strickland scored 21
points, handed out 12 assists, and grabbed 11 rebounds to tie
him with F Grant Hill of Detroit and Phoenix guard Jason Kidd
for the NBA lead in triple-doubles with three. ... The win
vaulted Washington into ninth place, one-half game behind the
New Jersey Nets.

CENTRAL DIVISION
================

* ATLANTA HAWKS
-------------

The Hawks suffered a 97-96 loss to Minnesota on Sunday. ... G
Steve Smith and F Christian Laettner missed their fourth straight
game with injuries. Smith was out with a knee injury, while
Laettner missed the contest with a bad ankle. ... Atlanta, which
lost the season-series with the Wolves for the first time in the
teams' nine-season history, still hold a 13-5 lead in the
all-time series.

CHARLOTTE HORNETS
-----------------

Charlotte registered 32 points in the fourth quarter Saturday,
but that was the same total it had in the first half of a 101-88
loss to Miami. The Hornets were down by 28 at halftime and
trailed by as many as 40 points. ... F Glen Rice, the league's
sixth-leading scorer at 22.5 points per game, was held to two
points on 1-of-6 shooting. He was ineffective passing out of
numerous double teams, recording just two assists. ... F Anthony
Mason had 13 points and 10 rebounds but sounded quite frustrated
as Charlotte lost its third straight road game. "Every team has
its go-to players and Glen and myself are two of them," Mason
said. "There isn't any use if they don't use us, they might as
well not have us."

* CHICAGO BULLS
-------------

The machine just keeps rolling along with Chicago's 12th
straight win on Sunday, 109-94 at Houston. But has disgruntled
F Scottie Pippen tossed a wrench into the works? Pippen, a
seven-time All-Star, once again expressed his desire to leave
the Bulls. Once again, in no uncertain terms. ... "I feel like
it's time for me to move on," Pippen told WMVP Radio in Chicago.
"It's time for me to move on. I'm sure there are many other
teams looking for complementary players. "I don't give a damn if
I did burn any bridges," continued the seven-time All-Star, who has been involved in a long-running
feud with Bulls management. "I'm gone. I'm not looking back
over my shoulder. I don't give a damn about this franchise
after that." C'mon, say what you really mean, Scottie.

* CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
-------------------

The Cavaliers won for the 10th time in 12 games, edging out the
Los Angeles Clippers, 94-93. F Shawn Kemp returned from a
one-game suspension to score 25 points. Kemp and teammates
C/F Vitaly Potapenko and C Shawnelle Scott sat out Friday's
loss to the Los Angeles Lakers for coming off the bench during
an altercation in Wednesday's win at Detroit. ... Cleveland
opened a 2 1/2 game lead over the seventh-place New York Knicks
in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

* DETROIT PISTONS
---------------

After matching their season high with four straight wins, the
Pistons have followed that up with six consecutive losses. ....
Their latest setback was a 105-103 overtime loss to the Los
Angeles Lakers. ... The Pistons have lost their last four games
by a combined total of 10 points. Three of their past six
defeats have come in overtime.

* INDIANA PACERS
--------------

Indiana matched its franchise high for wins with a 93-92
victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. The Pacers (52-23)
overcame an 11-point second-quarter deficit to tie the club
record for wins, set in the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons.
Indiana won all four games in the season series, its first
sweep of Milwaukee since entering the NBA in 1976.

* MILWAUKEE BUCKS
---------------

The Bucks' loss to Indiana denied them their first 4-0 road trip
and was their 14th loss in their last 15 games against teams
with winning records. Milwaukee (33-42) still needs one win
to surpass last season's victory total. ... G Michael Curry
missed an open 15-footer in the final seconds that would have
won the game for Milwaukee. ... "Our guys have been playing
competitive basketball," Bucks coach Chris Ford said. "We
had a golden opportunity. We shot well and had a good look
to win the game. It was a great effort and we'll go home.
I'm very happy with the performance of my guys."

* TORONTO RAPTORS
---------------

Another game, another loss. The Raptors went down to their
ninth straight loss Sunday with a 116-104 setback at
Philadelphia... The Raptors, who have lost 16 of 18 overall,
own the worst record in the East at 15-59. ... It was Toronto's
first loss in four meetings with the Sixers this season.

--------
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BSW

unread,

Apr 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM4/6/98

ATLANTIC DIVISION
=================

BOSTON CELTICS
--------------

MIAMI HEAT
----------

NEW JERSEY NETS
---------------

NEW YORK KNICKS
---------------

F Terry Cummings scored a season-high 23 points but the Knicks
still fell to Boston for the second straight time on Sunday. ...
New York has dropped four of its last five and fell 2 1/2 games
behind Cleveland for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. New
York leads New Jersey by two games for the seventh playoff slot.
... "Over the last week, we've become a very fragile team," said
Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy. "Do we roll over and quit? We did
it against Seattle, we did it against San Antonio, We did it
against New Jersey last night and we did it again tonight. All
were doing right now is making those people who said 'we
couldn't win without C Patrick (Ewing) look real smart."

ORLANDO MAGIC
-------------

The Magic suffered their third straight loss, 88-85 to
Washington on Sunday. The defeat dropped them into 10th place, 1
1/2 games behind eighth-place New Jersey. ... G Nick Anderson
scored 25 points in his second game back after missing three
contests with a strained left hamstring. ... F Harevy Grant was
the only other starter in to score in double figures with 17 as
Orlando was held below 90 points for the third game in a row.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
------------------

After dropping six straight games, the Sixers have won their
last three. Their latest win, which featured a season-high
point total, came on Sunday, 116-104 over the Toronto Raptors.
... G Allen Iverson had 36 points, a season-high nine rebounds
and eight assists in the contest. ... The victory improved
Philadelphia to 15-20 in games decided by 10 or more points. ...
The Sixers have only eclipsed the century mark in points five
times since the All-Star break, twice in their last three games.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS
------------------

CENTRAL DIVISION
================

ATLANTA HAWKS
-------------

The Hawks suffered a 97-96 loss to Minnesota on Sunday. ... G
Steve Smith and F Christian Laettner missed their fourth
straight game with injuries. Smith was out with a knee injury,
while Laettner missed the contest with a bad ankle. ... Atlanta,
which lost the season-series with the Wolves for the first time
in the teams' nine-season history, still hold a 13-5 lead in the
all-time series.

CHARLOTTE HORNETS
-----------------

CHICAGO BULLS
-------------

The machine just keeps rolling along with Chicago's 12th
straight win on Sunday, 109-94 at Houston. But has disgruntled
F Scottie Pippen tossed a wrench into the works? Pippen, a
seven-time All-Star, once again expressed his desire to leave
the Bulls. Once again, in no uncertain terms. ... "I feel like
it's time for me to move on," Pippen told WMVP Radio in Chicago.
"It's time for me to move on. I'm sure there are many other
teams looking for complementary players. "I don't give a damn
if I did burn any bridges," continued the seven-time All-Star,
who has been involved in a long-running feud with Bulls
management. "I'm gone. I'm not looking back over my shoulder.
I don't give a damn about this franchise after that."

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
-------------------

The Cavaliers won for the 10th time in 12 games, edging out the
Los Angeles Clippers, 94-93. F Shawn Kemp returned from a
one-game suspension to score 25 points. Kemp and teammates C/F
Vitaly Potapenko and C Shawnelle Scott sat out Friday's loss to
the Los Angeles Lakers for coming off the bench during an
altercation in Wednesday's win at Detroit. ... Cleveland opened
a 2 1/2 game lead over the seventh-place New York Knicks in the
Eastern Conference playoff race.

DETROIT PISTONS
---------------

INDIANA PACERS
--------------

Indiana matched its franchise high for wins with a 93-92 victory
over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. The Pacers (52-23) overcame
an 11-point second-quarter deficit to tie the club record for
wins, set in the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons. Indiana won all
four games in the season series, its first sweep of Milwaukee
since entering the NBA in 1976.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS
---------------

The Bucks' loss to Indiana denied them their first 4-0 road trip
and was their 14th loss in their last 15 games against teams
with winning records. Milwaukee (33-42) still needs one win to
surpass last season's victory total. ... G Michael Curry missed
an open 15-footer in the final seconds that would have won the
game for Milwaukee. ... "Our guys have been playing competitive
basketball," Bucks coach Chris Ford said. "We had a golden
opportunity. We shot well and had a good look to win the game.
It was a great effort and we'll go home. I'm very happy with the
performance of my guys."

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