NBA ROUNDUP : Suns Tie Record With 173 Against Nuggets

One thing is sure: The hectic system Paul Westhead used with success in college and installed at Denver will put points on the board in bunches.

Also certain is that the Nuggets will produce records--for running teams with superior talent.

The Phoenix Suns fit that category.

The Nuggets, trying to play their racehorse style for the second consecutive night, simply weren’t up to it Saturday night at Phoenix.

In fact, before settling for a 173-143 victory, the Suns threatened to become the first team in NBA history to reach 200 points. As it was, the 173 points tied the record for most points by a team in a regulation (48 minutes) game. It was set by Boston in 1959 against the Minneapolis Lakers.

The Suns shattered the league record for a half by building a 107-67 lead. While doing so they also broke the record for a quarter and carried the weary Nuggets along for a two-team halftime record.

The old record, set Wednesday by Denver in a loss to San Antonio, was 90 for a half and 173 for two teams in a half.

With rookie Cedric Ceballos of Cal State Fullerton scoring 22 points in the last nine minutes of the second quarter, the Suns shattered the halftime record with 3 1/2 minutes remaining.

They scored 57 points in the second quarter, breaking the 52 by Baltimore in 1965.

Orlando Woolridge, who has, under Westhead’s system, a chance to bid for the scoring title, had 40 points for the Nuggets, who are 0-6.

The Suns, who cooled off considerably in the second half, were ready to run and gun. They made 17 of their first 19 shots and it was downhill from then on.

Other records that fell to the Suns were most baskets in a half (43) and most assists (33).

Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons used his reserves early and often.

Cleveland 104, Philadelphia 88--Charles Barkley of the 76ers thought this was the season his team would achieve greatness.

But that was before the injury that might have knocked playmaker Johnny Dawkins out for the season.

In their first game without Dawkins, who will undergo knee surgery this week, the 76ers couldn’t generate an offense at Richfield, Ohio.

Rickey Green started at guard in place of Dawkins and he had eight assists, but he was only two for 10 from the field. The 26 points in the first quarter was the Philadelphia high mark for the game. The 76ers scored only 43 points in the second half.

Barkley had 31 of the 88 points.

Larry Nance scored 23 for the Cavaliers, but when the 6-10 forward blocked an attempted dunk by 7-7 Manute Bol in the second period, he inspired his teammates. They went on an 18-4 run to take command before intermission.

Boston 105, New Jersey 91--It was a much more difficult game at Boston for the Celtics than the final score indicates.

The Nets led by 10 points late in the third quarter. They still had an 89-86 lead with 6:28 to play.

But, as he has done so many times, Larry Bird took charge. He had four points, two assists and a steal to lead a 19-2 run that enabled the Celtics to improve their record to 4-1.

The Nets scored only one basket in the last seven minutes.

A jump shot by Brian Shaw gave the Celtics a 90-89 lead with 5:58 left. With the Nets unable to score, it soon became a rout.

Chicago 105, Charlotte 86--After losing two in a row at home, the Bulls finally found a team they could handle at Chicago.

Michael Jordan, still recovering from flu, played 36 minutes and contributed 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

The Bulls’ defense held the Hornets to 38 points in the first half.

Chicago Coach Phil Jackson is glad he was able to give his bench adequate work. Reserves had 37 points and 18 rebounds.

“I want to give the second unit some kind of identity,” Jackson said. “It’s nice to have a three-game winning streak to take out on the road.”

Miami 120, Indiana 105--Kevin Edwards had 13 of his 30 points in the third quarter at Miami to help the Heat win handily.

The Heat led, 58-56, at halftime, but they scored the first 11 points of the second half, five by Edwards.

Reggie Miller, who finished with 29 points, got the Pacers to within six in the fourth quarter, but no closer.

Golden State 117, Seattle 100--With the SuperSonics’ experiment of playing a home game at Tacoma backfiring, Portland is now the only unbeaten team in the league.

Chris Mullin and Tim Hardaway each scored 27 points and sparked a 14-2 run in the third quarter that put the Warriors (4-2) in control.

New York 93, Sacramento 88--Patrick Ewing scored 24 points at Sacramento as the Knicks warmed up for tonight’s game against the Lakers.

The Kings, 0-5 this season, have lost 11 in a row since April 10.