NBA Roundup : Miami Scores Only 65 Points in Loss to Boston

The Miami Heat missed 16 of its first 17 shots in the fourth quarter and the winless expansion team lost to the Boston Celtics, 84-65, Tuesday night at Miami, the fourth-lowest total for a National Basketball Assn. team since 1955.

The record is 57 by Milwaukee on Feb. 27, 1955, the first season of the NBA’s 24-second clock. Buffalo with 63 in 1972 and Indiana with 64 in 1985 are the only teams to score fewer than Miami.

The Heat (0-5) scored only 26 points in the second half, one more than the record low. Miami, which scored only 9 points in the fourth quarter, made just 29 of 91 shots (31.9%) in the game.

Kevin McHale scored 17 points as Boston broke a 4-game losing streak, its longest in 5 seasons. Larry Bird, bothered by sore Achilles’ tendons, scored 6 points in 16 minutes of play. Reggie Lewis had 15 points and Jim Paxson 14.

Rory Sparrow led the Heat with 10 points. Pearl Washington scored 8 points, but made only 4 of 20 shots.

Miami trailed, 58-56, late in the third quarter, then played miserably.

After the Celtics outscored Miami, 10-1, to take a 68-57 lead, the Heat’s Rony Seikaly scored.

Miami, averaging 93 points a game, the second-lowest in the league, then missed 11 straight shots as Boston surged to a 77-59 lead.

Detroit 108, Dallas 99--Bill Laimbeer had 23 points and 21 rebounds as the Pistons ran their record to an NBA-best 6-0 with the victory at Dallas.

Mark Aguirre scored 37 points to lead the Mavericks (4-3). Dallas rallied in the fourth quarter to cut a 15-point deficit to 101-96 on Aguirre’s 3-point play with 2:36 left.

But Laimbeer made a free throw, then scored on a goal-tending call with 1:24 remaining as Detroit held on.

New York 126, Houston 121--Gerald Wilkins scored 30 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:15 left, leading the Knicks to their fifth straight victory.

Akeem Olajuwon led Houston with 28 points and 16 rebounds and Mike Woodson had 26 points, but the Rockets’ 4-game winning streak ended at Houston.

Atlanta 97, Cleveland 95--Moses Malone scored 21 points, including Atlanta’s final field goal with 7 minutes left, as the Hawks won at Richfield, Ohio, despite nearly squandering an 18-point lead.

Chicago 120, Philadelphia 107--John Paxson and Bill Cartwright combined for 13 points during a 15-7 Chicago rally to start the fourth quarter as the Bulls beat the 76ers at Chicago.

The Bulls’ Michael Jordan scored 33 points, including a jumper that broke a 70-70 tie late in the third quarter and gave Chicago the lead for good.

New Jersey 106, Charlotte 99--Joe Barry Carroll scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half to lead the Nets over the Hornets at Charlotte, N.C.

Charlotte (1-5) held a 51-45 lead at halftime, but Carroll, who scored 11 points in the third quarter, led New Jersey (4-3) in the second half.

Utah 108, Indiana 96--Karl Malone scored 26 of his 36 points in the second half after missing most of the first half because of foul trouble, and the Jazz (5-2) rallied to beat the winless Pacers (0-6) at Salt Lake City.

Phoenix 119, Sacramento 89--Eddie Johnson scored 27 points, Kevin Johnson 25 and Armon Gilliam had 18 for the Suns, who won their first road game in four tries this season by defeating the winless Kings at Sacramento.