European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 21, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday april 21, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 21 Spinks decisions Holmes by de Schuyler or. Las vegas Nev. A Michael Spinks came on after a slow Start then escaped serious trouble in the final two rounds saturday night and retained the International boxing federation heavyweight championship with a 15-round split decision Over Larry Holmes. Spinks almost went Down from a right hand in the 14th round but fought Back with a flurry of his own at the Bell. In the 15th round both fighters were on the Point of exhaustion throwing every thing they had to the head and body. With 50 seconds to go Holmes crashed a right to the head that buckled Spinks Knees. But Holmes was too tired to follow up just As he was in the 14th round. It was a much better fight than the first bout Between the two. Spinks won the if title and handed Holmes his first defeat in 49 fights when he scored a unanimous Deci Sion in Las vegas last sept. 21. Judge Frank Brunette scored it 144-141 and judge Jerry Roth 144-142, both for Spinks. Judge Joe Cortez favored Holmes 144-141. The a card favored Holmes 143-142. Holmes was taken to Valley Hospital for treatment of a broken right thumb moments after the fight. Dick Lovell a spokesman for Holmes said that the former Champion s right hand was a Rayed and then placed in a splint. Holmes broke the same thumb on nov. 9, 1984, when he knocked out James to Nec rusher Smith in the 12th round of an if title defense. Spinks had himself to blame for the closeness of the decision. The 29-year-old Champion now unbeaten in 29 fights did Little in the first four rounds As Holmes controlled the action with his left Jab and occasional rights to the head. But Spinks who weighed 205 to 223 for Holmes got Back into the fight in the fifth and sixth rounds when he scored Well to the body and was effective with left Hooks to the head. As the fight progressed Spinks would move in throw flurries and move away As Holmes doggedly pursued him. As the fight Drew to a close Spinks had an ally in the ring with him. Father time seemed to have caught up with the 36-year old Holmes or the former Champion might have carried out his prediction of scoring a knockout in the last two rounds. With a full House crowd at the 8,350-seat convention Hall in the Las vegas Hilton Roar ing Spinks scored with a series of jabs and head punches in the first half of the 14th round. Holmes then suddenly Hurt Spinks badly with a right High to the head. Spinks Bent at the knee and almost went Down but he straightened up and went into the ropes. Holmes plodded after him landed a couple of punches but could not get in the finisher. As the round Drew to a close Spinks seemingly still Hurt threw a series of head shots that backed Holmes across the ring. In the final round both men threw numerous barrages of punches to the body and head missing As Many As they landed. The Best punch was the right that buckled Spinks Knees and sent him to the ropes his eyes Glassy. Again Holmes who was badly battered about both eyes could not put away the Champion. I fight Well under pressure Spinks said and he did. You Back me into the Corner and i will fight out of that  All three judges gave the 14th round to Holmes. Although Spinks was Hurt in the final round. Roth and Brunette scored the 15th for Spinks. Cortez called it even. The Tough Victory kept Spinks in an Hob series of fights to determine a single heavyweight Champion next year. The end of the Road seems to have been reached by Holmes who now has lost two straight after 48 consecutive victories 21 of them in championship bouts. Holmes first won the wac title on june 9, 1978, with a 15-round split decision Over Ken Norton and defended it 17 times be fore relinquishing it. He then made three successful defences As if Champion before losing to Spinks. Holmes was trying to become the third Man to regain the heavyweight championship in a rematch. Floyd Patterson won it Back from Ingemar Johannsen on a fifth round knockout on june 20, 1960. Muhammad Ali who was at ringside saturday regained the Aba title from Spinks older brother Leon with a 15-round unanimous decision on sept. 15,1978. In the first half of the fight it appeared Holmes might join Ali and Patterson and regain the title but Spinks would not be denied. A photo if world heavyweight Champ Michael Spinks left. Thrown to mat by Larry Holmes in first round Holmes co Nermen entered the ring with jackets that said i am  and in the Early going it looked like Holmes might indeed be Back. Spinks who has 19 knockouts among his 29 victories earned $2 million in the Tough est fight of his pro career which began on april 17, 1977, about eight months after he won an olympic Gold medal at 165 pounds in Montreal. Spinks the former undisputed Light heavyweight Champion showed he does belong in the ring with boxing s big boys. Holmes earned $1.125 million. Lakers fake 2-0 Lead Over san Antonio from press dispatches Inglewood Calif. When the de fending Aba Champion los Angeles Lak ers appeared to be in trouble it suddenly became magic time. Earvin magic Johnson taking control of what had been a tight game scored 10 Points in the closing 4 /2 minutes of the first half saturday afternoon and the lakers wept on to a 122-94 playoff Victory Over the san Antonio spurs. The win gave the lakers a 2-0 Lead in the Best of five series. They can end the first round matchup with a Victory at san Anto Nio wednesday night. I just realized it was my time to get involved and i took it upon myself to Gen Erate offence Johnson said. The Laker ral lied from a six Point deficit Midway through the second Quarter. San Antonio was More aggressive than we were until then and the game turned around when we became the aggressors said Johnson. He finished with 30 Points and 13 assists. We started doing to them what they d been doing to us. We started just giving them one shot  set up our fast  the important thing was that we did get frustrated in the first half coach Pat no playoffs Riley said. We made sure we did t get so far Down we d have trouble coming  i have to give the lakers credit they came out smoking in the second half and they got a Little help from their friends spurs coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said. Unfortunately their friends turned out to be us. We came out and played like we wanted to in the first half controlled the Tempo. But we started making mistakes and magic took  los Angeles then took Complete control in the third Quarter As Byron Scott scored 14 Points and the lakers rolled up an 86-67 pad by the end of the period. James worthy added 24 Points for the lakers and Scott had 20. Wes Matthews led san Antonio with 30 Points and David Greenwood had 14. In other games saturday Hawks 137, pistons 125 Atlanta Dominique Wilkins scored 50 Points and Randy Wittman had a career High 35 As Atlanta pulled away in the final Quarter and downed Detroit in a first round playoff game. The Victory gave the Hawks a 2-0 Lead in the Best of five series that resumes in de troit tuesday night. The Hawks were trailing 94-93 with just under two minutes remaining in the third period when they went on a 12-2 run that created a 105-96 Lead with 10 42 remaining in the game. The pistons never got closer than seven Points the rest of the Way the last time at 118-111 with 6 01 to go on a free throw by Vinnie Johnson. Atlanta had its biggest Lead in the final minute 137-121, before the pistons scored twice in the closing seconds. Wilkins 50 Points tied the club s single game playoff record set in 1958 by Bob Pettit when the franchise was located in St. Louis. Wilkins who had 41 Points after three quarters became Only the 15th player to score 50 or More in playoff Competition. Elgin Baylor has the All time playoff Mark of 61, set in 1962. The pistons had one stretch in the third and fourth quarters where they got 28 consecutive Points from their guards. Isiah Thomas led Detroit with 36 Points Johnson had 23 and Bill Laimbeer added 21. Spud Webb the 5-foot-7 guard contributed 19 Points for the Hawks one More than he had in the playoff opener thursday night. Rockets 111, Kings 103 Houston Houston s Robert Reid scored 29 Points including two crucial baskets in the closing minutes As the rockets blew a 24-Point third Quarter Lead but held on to defeat Sacramento in their first round playoff game. The Victory gave the rockets a 2-0 Lead in the Best of five playoff series which moves to Sacramento for the third game tuesday night. Trailing by 24 Points with 6 26 to go in the third Quarter the Kings battled Back in the closing minutes of the fourth Quarter on the shooting of Reggie Theus and Eddie Johnson. Houston led 100-96 with 4 22 to play after a three Point play by Johnson. Reid hit a Basket at 3 19 and another with 1 29 to go to help the rockets stay ahead in the final minutes. Johnson held to six Points in the first game scored 17 Points for the Kings. Larry Drew returned from a thursday neck injury to score 20 Points. Houston s Akeem Olajuwon and Lewis Lloyd played much of the fourth Quarter with five fouls. Olajuwon had 17 Points and Ralph Sampson contributed 20 for the rockets