Johnson Could Return On Tuesday

NBA

Magic Johnson, considering a return to the NBA, could be back in uniform by Tuesday, a Los Angeles Lakers player said Saturday night.

“Tuesday’s the day, all indications prove that,” Cedric Ceballos said prior to the Lakers game at New Jersey. “He’s trying to sell his percentage. He’s bought about a 100-something tickets for the game. I know he wants to play in that game and warm himself up for Michael Jordan.”

Johnson, 36, retired from the NBA for a second time prior to the 1992-93 season because some players opposed his playing because he was HIV-positive.

However, he has practiced with the Lakers the past two weeks and wants to play again.

The Lakers are wrapping up a three-game road trip and will play Golden State at home on Tuesday, followed by Chicago on Friday.

Karl Malone, one of a few NBA players who suggested it was a good idea when Johnson retired for a second time before the 1992-93 season, was non-committal about the comeback.

“It’s great for him if he wants to do it,” Malone said. “And it’s great for basketball. That’s all I’m going to say.”

If Johnson returns, he likely would play power forward.

Lakers guard Sedale Threatt said adding Magic to the Lakers’ lineup would make them a contender.

“I mean he adds so much. He can play five positions,” Threatt said. “I think teams will have to concentrate on him and, with the nucleus we already have, it will make us the best team in the West.”

Currently, the Sonics lead the Western Conference Pacific Division.

“We don’t respect Seattle,” Threatt said Friday night in Philadelphia. “I’ve said all along that if Earvin comes back, it blows the West wide open.”

Heat 102, Cavaliers 85

Cleveland

Rex Chapman, left alone while Cleveland’s defense focused on Alonzo Mourning inside, scored a season-high 29 points Saturday night as Miami beat Cleveland.

Miami (102) - Owens 8-10 1-1 17, Askins 3-7 0-0 7, Mourning 8-11 7-9 23, Chapman 11-21 0-0 29, Coles 6-11 2-2 14, Gamble 3-7 0-0 6, Willis 1-2 0-0 2, Thomas 2-6 0-0 4, Rencher 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 42-75 10-12 102.

Cleveland (85) - Mills 6-12 4-4 18, Ferry 2-8 1-1 5, Cage 2-2 0-0 4, Phills 7-13 0-0 16, Brandon 3-11 5-6 11, Majerle 4-8 3-4 14, Sura 4-9 1-2 10, Hill 2-4 1-4 5, Crotty 0-3 1-2 1, Miner 0-1 0-0 0, Marshall 0-2 0-0 0, Lang 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 30-73 17-25 85.

Miami 24 23 27 28 - 102

Cleveland 19 18 23 25 - 85

3-Point goals-Mia 8-18 (Chapman 7-13, Askins 1-4, Gamble 0-1), Cle 8-17 (Majerle 3-6, Mills 2-2, Phills 2-3, Sura 1-2, Crotty 0-2, Brandon 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Mia 49 (Mourning 14), Cle 37 (Mills 6). Assists-Mia 33 (Askins, Coles 7), Cle 24 (Brandon 8). Total fouls-Mia 20, Cle 16. Technical-Mia illegal defense. A-20,562 (20,562).

Knicks 104, Timberwolves 95

New York

Patrick Ewing scored 12 of his 28 points in the final 3 minutes as New York pulled away from Minnesota.

Minnesota (95) - Gugliotta 6-11 7-7 19, Mitchell 6-11 8-8 20, Laettner 5-18 7-7 17, Rider 4-11 5-6 14, Porter 1-1 1-2 3, Martin 1-7 3-3 5, Garnett 0-5 0-0 0, West 3-4 1-4 7, Rooks 3-7 2-2 8, Bragg 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 30-76 34-39 95.

New York (104) - Mason 2-5 1-2 5, Oakley 7-16 4-5 19, Ewing 12-21 4-4 28, Starks 1-8 0-0 3, Harper 5-11 5-7 16, Smith 7-11 1-1 15, Ward 2-7 0-0 5, Davis 4-4 3-3 13, Christie 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 40-83 18-22 104.

Minnesota 23 25 26 21 - 95

New York 30 25 27 22 - 104

3-Point goals-Min 1-6 (Rider 1-4, Martin 0-2), NY 6-15 (Davis 2-2, Ward 1-2, Oakley 1-2, Harper 1-4, Starks 1-5). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Min 47 (Laettner 8), NY 51 (Mason, Oakley, Ewing 10). Assists-Min 21 (Martin 6), NY 27 (Ward 5). Total fouls-Min 22, NY 25. Technicals- Oakley, NY coach Nelson. A19,763 (19,763).

Lakers 100, Nets 98

East Rutherford, N.J.

Elden Campbell put in a rebound with a tenth of a second remaining to give Los Angeles a win over New Jersey.

L.A. Lakers (100) - Ceballos 14-25 1-2 29, Campbell 7-10 6-6 20, Divac 7-18 2-2 16, Jones 6-9 0-0 13, Van Exel 4-11 4-7 12, Strong 1-1 0-0 2, Peeler 3-8 0-0 8, Lynch 0-3 0-0 0, Threatt 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 42-86 13-17 100.

New Jersey (98) - Brown 6-10 2-2 14, Gilliam 6-20 4-6 16, Bradley 9-21 1-1 19, Gill 3-14 6-6 13, Fleming 3-7 2-3 8, Williams 7-15 0-2 14, Graham 3-3 2-2 8, Mahorn 0-1 0-0 0, Perry 2-4 0-0 4, Dare 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 40-96 17-22 98.

L.A. Lakers 31 18 27 24 - 100

New Jersey 22 16 28 32 - 98

3-Point goals-LA 3-9 (Peeler 2-5, Jones 1-3, Van Exel 0-1), NJ 1-2 (Gill 1-1, Fleming 0-1). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-LA 46 (Campbell 13), NJ 63 (Gilliam 12). Assists-LA 29 (Van Exel 13), NJ 24 (Fleming 7). Total fouls-LA 25, NJ 18. Technicals-NJ illegal defense. A-20,049 (20,029).

Rockets 105, Pistons 85

Houston

Clyde Drexler had a triple-double and Houston tied a season-high with 14 3-pointers.

Detroit (85) - Hill 9-18 8-9 26, Thorpe 4-12 6-8 14, Reid 6-10 0-0 12, Houston 7-11 3-4 19, Hunter 1-11 1-4 4, Macon 0-0 0-0 0, West 1-1 0-0 2, Dumars 0-4 0-0 0, Mills 2-10 1-1 5, Leckner 0-0 1-2 1, Roe 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 31-79 20-28 85.

Houston (105) - Horry 4-10 1-2 12, Brown 1-5 2-4 4, Olajuwon 8-15 1-2 17, Drexler 8-17 6-6 24, Recasner 6-9 0-0 17, Cassell 7-12 2-4 20, Bryant 3-5 1-1 7, Chilcutt 1-3 0-0 2, James 0-2 2-2 2, Breaux 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 38-79 15-21 105.

Detroit 19 19 21 26 - 85

Houston 19 23 33 30 - 105

3-Point goals-Detroit 3-15 (Houston 2-4, Hunter 1-6, Hill 0-1, Dumars 0-2, Mills 0-2), Houston 14-27 (Recasner 5-6, Cassell 4-5, Horry 3-7, Drexler 2-6, Chilcutt 0-1, James 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Detroit 49 (Hill 12), Houston 54 (Olajuwon 11). Assists-Detroit 14 (Hunter 5), Houston 25 (Drexler 10). Total fouls-Detroit 25, Houston 19. Technicals-Cassell, Olajuwon. A-16,285 (16,285).

Trail Blazers 112, Mavericks 103

Dallas

Clifford Robinson scored 29 points, 22 in the first half, and Portland survived a late charge by Dallas.

Portland (112) - C.Robinson 10-16 5-8 29, Grant 6-10 0-0 12, Dudley 0-3 3-8 3, Strickland 7-19 4-9 19, McKie 4-6 2-2 10, J.Robinson 4-7 0-0 10, Trent 3-6 3-3 9, R.Robinson 1-2 0-0 2, Sabonis 8-14 0-1 16, Williams 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 44-85 17-31 112.

Dallas (103) - McCloud 6-14 3-3 19, Jones 7-11 0-0 14, Meyer 3-6 0-2 6, Kidd 2-11 2-2 7, Jackson 7-20 7-13 23, Parks 1-7 0-0 2, Hodge 4-7 0-0 8, Brooks 0-2 2-2 2, Dumas 8-15 3-4 22. Totals 38-93 17-26 103.

Portland 38 30 25 19 - 112

Dallas 28 23 23 29 - 103

3-Point goals-Por 7-12 (C.Robinson 4-5, J.Robinson 2-4, Strickland 1-2, Sabonis 0-1), Dal 10-27 (McCloud 4-10, Dumas 3-6, Jackson 2-5, Kidd 1-5, Jones 0-1). Fouled out- None. Rebounds-Por 70 (Sabonis 13), Dal 49 (Jones 11). Assists-Por 26 (Strickland 13), Dal 25 (Kidd 13). Total fouls-Por 21, Dal 24. A-17,502 (17,502).

Hornets 110, 76ers 105

Charlotte, N.C.

Kenny Anderson had 22 points and 14 assists and Matt Geiger had a career-high 21 rebounds as Charlotte beat Philadelphia.

Philadelphia (105) - Weatherspoon 6-11 6-6 18, Stackhouse 5-13 5-11 17, Alston 5-9 1-2 11, Maxwell 5-14 1-4 12, Ruffin 6-12 6-6 21, Sutton 3-7 2-2 10, Higgins 6-12 0-0 16, Thompson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 36-79 21-31 105.

Charlotte (110) - Johnson 4-8 4-10 12, Curry 10-17 0-0 24, Geiger 6-10 1-1 13, Rice 6-17 7-9 21, Anderson 5-13 12-14 22, Hancock 2-3 2-4 6, Addison 3-5 0-0 6, Goldwire 1-4 2-2 4, Zidek 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 38-80 28-40 110.

Philadelphia 30 24 19 32 - 105

Charlotte 37 22 20 31 - 110

3-Point goals-Phi 12-31 (Higgins 4-8, Ruffin 3-6, Stackhouse 2-4, Sutton 2-5, Maxwell 1-8), Cha 6-16 (Curry 4-9, Rice 2-5, Anderson 0-1, Goldwire 0-1). Fouled out- Higgins, Curry. Rebounds-Phi 47 (Weatherspoon 13), Cha 60 (Geiger 21). Assists-Phi 23 (Maxwell 11), Cha 27 (Anderson 14). Total fouls-Phi 28, Cha 23. Technicals- Maxwell, Rice, Cha illegal defense 4. A-24,042 (23,698).

Pacers 102, Magic 79

Indianapolis

Rik Smits returned from a three-game absence and scored 18 points as Indiana beat Orlando, matching a franchise record with its 14th straight home win.

Orlando (79) - Scott 3-8 0-0 7, Wolf 0-3 0-0 0, O’Neal 9-19 5-9 23, Anderson 2-8 1-2 5, Hardaway 7-16 6-7 21, Turner 1-3 0-0 3, Vaughn 0-4 0-2 0, Shaw 1-7 1-1 4, Bowie 4-9 2-2 11, Royal 1-4 3-3 5, Armstrong 0-0 0-0 0, Thompson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-81 18-26 79.

Indiana (102) - McKey 2-3 6-6 10, D.Davis 1-5 1-2 3, Smits 7-12 4-5 18, Miller 4-10 2-3 13, Jackson 2-2 0-0 5, A.Davis 3-7 3-5 9, Workman 2-4 1-3 5, Best 1-5 4-4 6, Pierce 7-12 3-4 18, Johnson 3-9 1-2 7, Ferrell 1-1 0-0 2, Caldwell 2-2 2-4 6. Totals 35-72 27-38 102.

Orlando 16 23 19 21 - 79

Indiana 32 31 16 23 - 102

3-Point goals-Orl 5-22 (Bowie 1-2, Turner 1-3, Shaw 1-4, Scott 1-5, Hardaway 1-5, Anderson 0-3), Ind 5-14 (Miller 3-7, Jackson 1-1, Pierce 1-3, Workman 0-1, Best 0-1, Johnson 0-1). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Orl 54 (O’Neal 13), Ind 55 (D.Davis, A.Davis 8). Assists-Orl 17 (Scott, Shaw 4), Ind 23 (Miller, Workman 4). Total fouls-Orl 24, Ind 24. Technicals-O’Neal 2, Orl coach Hill, A.Davis, Ind coach Brown. Ejection-O’Neal. A-16,746 (16,530).

Nuggets 93, Raptors 82

Denver

Dikembe Mutombo came within one blocked shot of a triple-double and Denver snapped a six-game losing streak.

Toronto (82) - Massenburg 3-13 1-2 7, Murray 4-15 1-2 11, Miller 3-11 1-1 7, Robertson 5-10 1-1 11, Stoudamire 9-22 3-3 23, Tabak 2-9 0-0 4, Anderson 2-8 2-2 6, Rogers 0-1 0-0 0, Pinckney 4-6 3-4 11, King 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 33-98 12-15 82.

Denver (93) - D.Ellis 4-14 0-0 8, McDyess 5-12 1-2 11, Mutombo 3-5 5-7 11, Abdul-Rauf 8-17 2-2 21, Stith 3-6 7-10 13, Rose 3-6 2-4 8, L.Ellis 5-9 1-2 11, Williams 4-7 0-0 8, Overton 0-1 0-0 0, Hammonds 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 36-78 18-27 93.

Toronto 16 21 19 26 - 82

Denver 13 24 28 28 - 93

3-Point goals-Tor 4-17 (Stoudamire 2-4, Murray 2-6, Anderson 0-1, King 0-2, Robertson 0-4), Den 3-12 (AbdulRauf 3-7, Stith 0-1, Williams 0-1, D.Ellis 0-3). Fouled out- None. Rebounds-Tor 64 (Massenburg 11), Den 55 (L.Ellis 11). Assists-Tor 18 (Stoudamire 5), Den 27 (Abdul-Rauf 9). Total fouls-Tor 17, Den 16. A-16,635 (17,171).

Utah 108, Golden State 9

Salt Lake City

Karl Malone scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Antoine Carr added 15 points as Utah won for the fifth time in its past six games.

Golden State (91) - Kersey 2-7 0-2 4, Smith 4-8 3-5 11, Seikaly 4-9 0-0 9, Sprewell 6-16 8-10 21, Armstrong 2-4 2-2 7, Gatling 3-8 2-2 8, Hardaway 2-5 0-0 6, Mullin 4-5 0-0 10, Marshall 2-5 1-1 5, Barry 3-6 0-0 7, DeClercq 1-1 1-1 3, Rozier 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-74 17-23 91.

Utah (108) - Benoit 6-10 0-0 14, Malone 11-23 3-7 25, Spencer 6-8 1-1 13, Hornacek 4-9 2-2 11, Stockton 4-11 1-2 10, Eisley 2-8 5-5 9, Keefe 1-2 2-2 4, Carr 6-9 3-5 15, Foster 1-3 2-2 4, Russell 0-2 1-2 1, Ostertag 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 42-86 20-28 108.

Golden State 23 28 21 19 - 91

Utah 19 28 37 24 - 108

3-Point goals-GS 8-18 (Hardaway 2-3, Mullin 2-3, Seikaly 1-1, Armstrong 1-3, Barry 1-3, Sprewell 1-4, Marshall 0-1), Utah 4-13 (Benoit 2-4, Hornacek 1-2, Stockton 1-3, Malone 0-1, Eisley 0-3). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-GS 39 (Gatling 7), Utah 60 (Malone 12). Assists-GS 23 (Armstrong 7), Utah 31 (Stockton 10). Total fouls-GS 22, Utah 20. Technicals-Hardaway 2. Ejection-Hardaway. A-19,911 (19,911).

Bullets 102, Grizzlies 77

Landover, Md.

Gheorghe Muresan scored 10 of his 22 points in the decisive third quarter as Washington matched its victory total of last season by beating Vancouver.

Vancouver (77) - King 3-6 2-3 9, Avent 6-10 0-2 12, Reeves 6-11 1-2 13, B.Edwards 4-12 0-0 9, Anthony 3-14 4-5 10, Scott 2-7 1-2 6, D.Edwards 0-5 0-0 0, Murdock 1-9 0-0 2, Mobley 3-6 0-1 6, Moten 2-5 1-2 6, Manning 2-2 0-0 4, Amaya 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-87 9-17 77.

Washington (102) - Howard 11-17 2-2 24, Wallace 6-12 0-0 12, Muresan 11-12 0-0 22, Cheaney 10-18 0-0 23, B.Price 3-9 0-0 7, McIlvaine 0-1 2-2 2, Eackles 0-2 0-0 0, Legler 3-6 0-0 9, Butler 0-3 1-2 1, McCann 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 45-82 5-6 102.

Vancouver 23 22 18 14 - 77

Washington 27 22 32 21 - 102

3-Point goals-Van 4-12 (B.Edwards 1-1, Moten 1-1, King 1-2, Scott 1-3, Murdock 0-1, Anthony 0-4), Was 7-16 (Legler 3-4, Cheaney 3-5, B.Price 1-2, Howard 0-1, Eackles 0-1, Butler 0-1, Wallace 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Van 50 (D.Edwards 7), Was 51 (Howard 12). Assists-Van 17 (Anthony 8), Was 25 (B.Price 13). Total fouls-Van 12, Was 18. A-18,756 (18,756).