European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 22, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday april 22, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 23 cars in sonics near playoffs by the associated press Seattle a while the Cleveland Cavaliers were nailing it Down in the East Dale Ellis was filling it up in the West. A i Felt very confident when i shot the Ball i knew it was going in the Basket a Ellis said after setting an Aba record with nine 3-pointers As the Seattle supersonics beat the los Angeles clippers 121-99 Friday night and closed in on a playoff berth. Ellis who set a club record with seven 3-pointers in an overtime Victory in Sacramento the previous night finished with 36 Points in Seattle a regular season Home finale. He made nine of 11 3-Point shots and 13 of 16 shots Overall. With the Victory the sonics moved into sole Possession of the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western conference. The Houston rockets dropped out of a tie with the sonics when they lost 121-120 to the Dallas Mavericks. The sonics 41-40 can wrap up their playoff berth Over Houston 40-41 with a Victory at Golden state on sunday in their final regular season game. If the sonics lose and Houston takes its regular season finale at Home against Utah the rockets will go to the playoffs instead of the sonics because of a tiebreaker based on conference record. The playoff picture in the East was cleared up when the Cavaliers secured the final berth with a Victory Over Orlando. The cars nosed out Atlanta. Mavericks 121, rockets 120 Dallas a Rolando Blackman scored six straight Points in the final two minutes and James Donaldson added two decisive free throws with 13 seconds left As Dallas beat Houston. Donaldson a two free throws put the Mavericks ahead 121-117 with 13 seconds to play but the rockets scored a Fluke 3-Pointer with seven seconds remaining when sleepy Floyd a shot from the left Comer was tipped in accidentally by Dallas Roy Tarpley. Derek Harper led the Mavericks with 26 Points. Floyd paced the rockets with 35. Cavaliers 118, magic 104 Orlando a. A Mark Price scored 19 Points and Craig Ehlo keyed a crucial fourth Quarter burst that enabled Cleveland to clinched its playoff berth. Ehlo finished with 19 Points eight during a 13-4 spurt that opened a 16-Point Lead after the magic Cut a 23-Point deficit to seven. The Victory was the fifth straight for Cleveland which has won 16 of 20 games to overcome a rash of Early season injuries and beat out Atlanta for the last Post season spot in the East. A we can to be Happy just to make the playoffs a said Larry Nance one of three Cleveland regulars who were injured Whenn a Roundup the cars stood 11-16 Early in the season. A a we re in the playoffs now we be got to do something in the  Hawks 126, kicks 112 new York a Dominique Wilkins scored 14 of his 32 Points in the third Quarter As Atlanta Defeated new York an hour after they were eliminated from the playoffs. The Hawks whose last Chance for a Post season berth ended when Cleveland beat Orlando expanded a six Point halftime Lead to 90-74 late in the third Quarter. Patrick Ewing who set a season kicks record with his fourth Point of the game led new York with 24 before fouling out with 6 06 left. With one game remaining he has 2,324 Points for the season 20 More than Richie Guerin scored in 1961 -62. Heat 117, bullets 112 Miami a Miami hit its final 11 free throws including six by Sherman Douglas to beat Washington. The free throw barrage offset Ledell Eackles late run of four 3-pointers. The heat ended a nine game losing Streak and improved to 18-63. That a a half game ahead of new Jersey and one game ahead of Orlando in the race to avoid the a bad a worst record. Kevin Edwards led Miami with 28 Points. Eackles had 23 Points for the bullets. Celtics 120, bulls 116 Boston a Reggie Lewis scored 28 Points and Reserve de Pinckney added a season High 19 As Boston withstood a 45-Point Blitz by Michael Jordan. Playing without ailing starters Larry Bird and Dennis Johnson the celtics won their 11th straight at Home where they finished the regular season 30-11. With playoff berths assured for both teams the celtics led 106-92 with six minutes remaining. But the bulls battled Back closing to one Point four times in the last 71 seconds before losing for just the third time in the last 14 games. Pistons 121, pacers 115, of Indianapolis a Mark Aquirre scored 25 Points As Detroit Defeated Indiana setting up a possible rematch in the first round of the playoffs. The loss dropped the pacers into a tie for seventh place in the Eastern conference playoff race with Cleveland with one game remaining for each team. The pacers need a win sunday at Washington and a Cleveland loss to new York to retain the seventh seed. If the pacers finish eighth they play the Central division Champion pistons. Spurs 112, nuggets 108 Denver a David Robinson scored Al bulls Michael Jordan scores 45in loss to celtics 26 Points and san Antonio used a big advantage in free throws to win at Denver for the first time in 10 games. Terry Cummings had 24 Points for the spurs who hit 28 of 39 foul shots compared to 16 of 21 for the nuggets. The Victory enabled the spurs to remain tied with Utah for the Lead in the Midwest division. If the jazz and spurs finish tied the spurs will win the division because they won the season series. Jazz 97, Timber wolves 89 Salt Lake City a Karl Malone scored 25 of his 36 Points in the second half As Utah came from behind to beat Minnesota. John Stockton added 17 Points and 18 assists for Utah. Tony Campbell led the wolves with 23 Points and Tod Murphy had 21. Minnesota led most of the Way and took a 74-70 Lead into the fourth Quarter before the jazz rallied behind Malone who scored 10 Points in a 19-7 run. Suns 123, warriors 106 Phoenix a Jeff Hornacek scored 29 Points As Phoenix completed a season sweep of the injury riddled warriors. The 5-0 sweep was the first for the suns in their 22-year series against the warriors and kept Phoenix alive in the Battle for the no. 4 seed in the Western conference playoffs. Golden state eliminated from the playoff race last saturday played without starting guard Mitch Richmond Back Strain plus backups Tom Tolbert strained lower Back and Sarunas Marciulionis bruised left knee and sprained right wrist. From Page 21 a two run Lead that time and we wound up losing the game. A from that Point on 1 vowed id never do that again. They get so hyper out there. You have to do something. A Holman began the ninth inning by striking out Pinch hitter Felix Jose. Walt Weiss then hit a routine grounder to second and Phelps batted for Gall go. Phelps led american league Pinch hitters last season with 11 hits and three Home runs. Bob Welch 2-1 took the loss. The mariners scored twice with two outs in the fifth on triples by Mike Brumley and Harold Reynolds and a double by Greg Briley. Holman 2-1 was traded from Montreal to Seattle last May 25 in a 3-for-l Deal that sent Langston to the expos. Cincinnati a Tom Browning pitched the last perfect game in the majors beating los Angeles on sept. 16, 1988. Holman a 25-year-old right hander struck out seven and went to three Ball counts just three times against Oakland. Rangers 6, Yankees 5 Arlington Texas a Nolan Ryan got his 292nd career Victory giving up three hits a two of them Home runs a in seven innings for Texas. Ryan struck out nine in joining Bostons Roger Clemens and Oakland a Dave Stewart As a three game Winner. Mel Hall homered off Ryan in the second inning the Yankees first Home run of the season. They had gone seven games without connecting their longest drought at the Start of the season since 1918. Blue jays 17, royals 6 Toronto a George Belles three run Homer in the first inning off Bret Saberhagen got the Blue jays started and they finished with their highest scoring game since april 1 1, 1988, when they beat the Yankees 17-9. Fred Mcgriff and Kelly Gruber hit two run homers in a seven run fifth inning. Brewers 5, red sox 0 Milwaukee a Rob Deer hit a three run Homer and Milwaukee a staff extended its scoreless Streak to 20 innings. Tom Filer 1-1 gave up three hits in six innings. Tony Fossas and Chuck Crim who got his first save finished with one hit Relief. Twins 13, Angels 1 Minneapolis a Kevin Tapani pitched eight shutout innings and Kent Hrbek a two run single sparked a nine run fifth As Minnesota won its Home opener. The twins were the last team to play at Home. Their first two scheduled series at the metronome were postponed because of the lockout and Minnesota started the season with 10 games on the Road. Orioles 6, tigers 0 Baltimore a Bob Milacki combined with two relievers on a three hitter and the orioles again took advantage of Detroit a wildness. Milacki 1-0 held the tigers witless fir five innings. He allowed three hits in seven plus innings and Kevin Hickey and Brian Holton finished. Clark Powers padres past Reuschel giants by the associated press san Diego a with Rick Reuschel on the Mound san Diego a Jack Clark was thinking about taking the night off. Instead he dragged his .127 lifetime average against Thesan Francisco Pitcher to the plate for a confrontation he wont soon forget. Neither will giants manager Roger Craig who decided to walk Tony Gwynn a a .340 career hitter against Reuschel a to get at Clark. The result was a three no Homer that helped the padres to a 92 Victory Friday night. A i was beginning to feel like i should ask for a Day off a Clark said recalling that former manager Whitey Herzog had permitted him to sit much of the time against Reuschel when Clark played for St. Louis. Instead Clark answered the  Roundup a any time they walk the Guy in front of you and you done to come through its awfully disappointing a he said. He a gotten me a few times. It was Good to get him  Clarks Homer off Reuschel 1-1 highlighted a five run inning that backed de Whitson 1-0who allowed nine hits walked none and struck out three while throwing just 87 pitches in san Diego a first Complete game. Astros 4, dodgers 2 los Angeles a Jim Deshaies allowed six hits in eight innings and former dodger Franklin Stubbs hit a two run Homer As Houston beat los Angeles ending Tim Belchers eight game winning Streak. Phillies 3, cardinals 0 St. Louis a Philadelphia a Dennis Cook maintained his Mastery Over punch less St. Louis. The left hander 2-0 struck out two and walked three in his third career shutout. Five of his 11 major league victories have been against St. Louis. The cardinals scoreless in their last 17 innings have managed just six runs while losing three of their last four games. John Kruk and Charlie Hayes singled Home second inning runs for the Phillies who beat Bryn Smith 1-2. Von Hayes hit his second Home run in the eighth. Expos 2, mets 1 new York a Montreal a Zane Smith beat impotent new York for the second time this week doubling his Victory total of last season. Smith 1-13 in 1989 for Atlanta and the expos had snapped a personal 10-game losing Streak by beating the mets 31 sunday night. Rookie Larry Walker led off the second with his first major league Home run a drive deep Over the right Field Fence off Ron Darling 0-2. Pirates 9, cubs 4 Chicago a Bobby Bonilla playing third base for the first time this season hit two homers to drive in three runs for Pittsburgh in a rain shortened game. The Start was delayed 2 hours 5 minutes by showers that continued to drench 15,171 at Wrigley Field until the game was called following a delay of 1 15 in the seventh inning. Rookie Mike Roesler won his first major league decision by pitching one inning in Relief of Walt Terrell