NBA Roundup : 76ers Go on a Scoring Spree, Down Portland, 153-133

Moses Malone scored 38 points Wednesday night as the Philadelphia 76ers ran up their highest point total in 15 years with a 153-133 win over the Portland Trail Blazers at Philadelphia.

Charles Barkley had 31 points, Maurice Cheeks 24 and Bob McAdoo 20 as the 76ers extended the Trail Blazers’ losing streak to seven straight games.

The total was the 76ers’ highest since they posted 159 points against the Phoenix Suns in 1970. They accomplished the feat without captain Julius Erving, who was benched with a bruised knee, and guard Andrew Toney, who apparently is unable to play just two games after returning from 3 1/2 months of injuries.

“I like racehorse basketball,” McAdoo said. “It’s easy to get into the flow of the game, and I think I’m much more effective playing that style.”

McAdoo’s total was his highest since joining the 76ers Jan. 31. He was dropped by the Lakers after last season and sat out until getting Philadelphia’s call.

“That’s how the Western teams play,” he said. “The Eastern teams seem to use much more physical play.”

Philadelphia Coach Matt Guokas said his team played a type of game that suits McAdoo.

“We normally don’t play that kind of game,” he said. “I think we surprised ourselves by scoring that many points. It was good to see Bob get on track.”

Boston 115, Golden State 100--Larry Bird scored 36 points as the Celtics beat the Warriors at Oakland. Bird has scored at least 20 points in 26 of his last 27 games.

Bird also had 12 rebounds and 11 assists for the Celtics.

Boston trailed, 71-69, after 2 1/2 minutes of the third quarter but outscored the Warriors over the next six minutes, 17-4. The Celtics led at the end of the period, 88-79, and scored the first four points of the final quarter.

Chicago 99, New Jersey 96--Former UCLA player Michael Holton hit a 17-foot jumper from the top of the key with 45 seconds left to break a 96-96 tie at the Meadowlands, and the Bulls snapped a seven-game losing streak.

Sidney Green added a free throw with four seconds left as the Bulls extended New Jersey’s losing streak to four games. Albert King’s desperation attempt from three-point range at the buzzer fell short.

Holton, who was cut by Phoenix earlier this season and then played in the Continental Basketball Assn. before joining the Bulls on Feb. 12, led Chicago with 18 points in 24 minutes. Dave Corzine and Green each had 17 points. Green also had 15 rebounds.

Detroit 118, Seattle 113--Isiah Thomas scored 23 points as the Pistons won a club-record 10th straight home game at the Silverdome in a fight-marred game.

The previous Piston home-court winning streak was nine games in 1976.

Seattle’s Tom Chambers and Detroit’s Rick Mahorn were ejected from the game for fighting with 7:02 remaining. Chambers had tied his season-high of 31 points, while Mahorn had made only one field goal before being ejected.

It was the second consecutive game in which the Sonics were involved in a fight. Seattle’s Xavier McDaniel had a fracas with Atlanta’s Kevin Willis in the Sonics’ 100-87 victory over the Hawks Monday night.

Milwaukee 124, Dallas 107--Alton Lister scored 8 of the 19 straight points run off by Milwaukee in the fourth quarter at Dallas as the Bucks won their sixth consecutive game.

The Bucks held an eight-point advantage after Jay Vincent scored a basket for Dallas with 11:02 to play. The Mavericks went the next 3:50 without scoring a point and 7:29 without a field goal.

The game was spiced by a running feud between Dallas’ Mark Aguirre and referee Terry Durham, who finally called two technicals against Aguirre in the final period.

Paul Pressey scored 26 points for Milwaukee, only two of them in the fourth quarter, while Lister and Sidney Moncrief had 17 points each. Craig Hodges added 15.

Utah 109, Atlanta 105--Adrian Dantley scored 10 of his 31 points in overtime as the Jazz beat the Hawks at Salt Lake City.

Cliff Levingston hit a free throw for the Hawks with 20 seconds left in regulation to tie the score, 88-88, and send it into overtime.

Utah scored the first seven points of the extra period for a 95-88 lead with 3:25 to go. From there, the overtime turned into a free-throw shooting contest, with the Jazz converting 15 of 20 attempts in overtime.

Atlanta--with three players, including leading scorer Dominique Wilkins, out with injuries--lost six players on fouls.