Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!maytag!looking!clarinews From: clarinews@clarinet.com (JEFF SHAIN, UPI Sports Writer) Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball,clari.sports.top Subject: NBA Roundup Keywords: basketball, men's professional Message-ID: Date: 12 Jan 90 07:46:15 GMT Lines: 64 Approved: clarinews@clarinet.com ACategory: sports Slugword: bkp-nbarup Priority: major Format: summary ANPA: Wc: 693; Id: s0402; Sel: ns--s; Adate: 1-12-245aes; Ver: sked Codes: yskpmxx. The Portland Trail Blazers won their sixth straight game Thursday night despite hitting just nine shots from the floor in the second half. Terry Porter hit two free throws with 14 seconds remaining, lifting the Trail Blazers to an 82-80 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game marred by poor field-goal shooting on both sides. The Blazers, 24-10, shot just 34 percent from the floor on the night, including a 9-for-40 performance after halftime. The Timberwolves were no better, shooting an erratic 31 percent. ``I guess that's what makes a good team,'' Porter said. ``Some teams are good enough to win even when they're not playing well, and we definitely were that tonight. Minnesota did a good job on defense. They didn't let us get our fast break going, and that's not when we're at our best.'' The Timberwolves tied the score 80-80 on Tony Campbell's three-point play with 2:16 remaining. But neither team scored the rest of the way until Porter drove the lane, was fouled, and hit the free throws. Minnesota failed on its final possession when Scott Roth's 18-foot shot misfired at the buzzer. ``We did everything we wanted to do but make our shots,'' Minnesota's Tod Murphy said. ``It's not often you hold a team as good as Portland to 34 percent shooting.'' Campbell's 26 points and Portland's Clyde Drexler, with 18, were the lone players to score more than 12 points. Minnesota, which lost its 15th game in its last 17 tries to drop to 7-27, outrebounded the taller Trail Blazers 56-53. Jerome Kersey had 15 rebounds for Portland while Randy Breuer, acquired last week in a trade with Milwaukee, had 11 rebounds in his home-court debut with Minnesota. The Trail Blazers won largely without the guidance of Coach Rick Adelman. Assistant John Wetzel directed the team after Adelman was ejected near the end of the first period while protesting a foul call. ``I was shocked,'' Adelman said. ``That's the first time I've ever been thrown out. I think they should add a fourth official to appeal to. I'm just very happy we won the game.'' Elsewhere in the NBA Thursday night, Washington routed Miami 100-89, New Jersey topped Charlotte 109-101, Denver overwhelmed Orlando 141-105, Seattle beat Dallas 98-87 and Houston held off Sacramento 90-87. _B_u_l_l_e_t_s_ _1_0_0_,_ _H_e_a_t_ _8_9 At Miami, Jeff Malone tossed in his 10,000th career point in the first half and then dropped in 22 of his 39 points in the third quarter to lead the Bullets. The Heat lost their 12th straight game, the second longest losing streak in the team's two-year history. _N_e_t_s_ _1_0_9_,_ _H_o_r_n_e_t_s_ _1_0_1 At East Rutherford, N.J., Purvis Short scored 29 points to lead the Nets to their first three-game winning streak in three years. Short, making his second start of the year, hit on 13 of 24 shots as New Jersey handed the Hornets their third straight loss. _N_u_g_g_e_t_s_ _1_4_1_,_ _M_a_g_i_c_ _1_0_5 At Denver, Fat Lever scored a season-high 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Nuggets handed Orlando its 13th consecutive road loss. Denver, which had suffered a 31-point loss at Utah Wednesday, broke its three-game losing streak. _S_o_n_i_c_s_ _9_8_,_ _M_a_v_e_r_i_c_k_s_ _8_7 At Seattle, Dale Ellis scored 29 points, including 11 during a decisive 26-7 run in the fourth quarter, to lead the SuperSonics. Ellis hit 7 of 10 shots from the floor in the second half to help snap Seattle out of a slump in which they had lost four of their last six games. _R_o_c_k_e_t_s_ _9_0_,_ _K_i_n_g_s_ _8_7 At Sacramento, Calif., Akeem Olajuwon scored 10 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter as the Rockets ended a 10-game road losing streak. Houston rallied from a 16-point defict late in the third quarter for the victory.