European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 14, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday april 14, 1992 the stars and stripes b Page 25blazers rip spurs Clinch title Detroit defense holds kicks to 61 Points by United press International the Chicago bulls Are favored to win their second straight Aba championship but the Portland Trail blazers from the West and perhaps the Detroit pistons in the East appear capable of giving the bulls a Battle. A Portland is the Best team out Here a said san Antonio coach Bob Bass whose spurs were dusted 123-97 by the Trail blazers on sunday. A a they re certainly the team to beat in the West. They re deeper than anybody  playing without All Star guard Clyde Drexler the Trail blazers received 28 Points and 10 assists from Terry Porter and 23 Points and 12 rebounds from Kevin Duckworth to Clinch their second straight Pacific division title and the Best record in the Western conference. Portland is guaranteed Home court advantage through the conference finals. The pistons May not have the Home court advantage for any of their playoff series but that May not matter the Way they Are playing defense. Detroit Defeated new York 72-61 in the second lowest Aba scoring game since do the inception of the 24-second clock. A we Are playing the Best defense since in be been Here a Detroit coach Chuck Daly said. A a we re aggressive. We be got Good mobility. Its just awesome. We done to have to depend on anyone making a  Joe Dumars scored 20 Points and Dennis Rodman added 20 rebounds and 13 Points As the pistons established a team record for fewest Points allowed while holding the kicks to their lowest total Ever. The 24-second clock was instituted before the 1954-55 season. Later that season the Boston celtics beat the Milwaukee Hawks 62-57 in the lowest scoring game of the modern Era. A they just handcuffed us. They did a great Job a Knick coach Pat Riley said. A it was a very frustrating  the kicks who had three quarters of 17 Points or fewer have lost four of five and Lead the Atlantic division by just one game Over Boston. Detroit has won five straight and is one game behind the celtics in the Eastern conference playoff race. Duckworth helped get Portland off to the races. Taking advantage of the absence of Spur All Star Center David Robinson Duckworth scored 8 Points in the first four minutes to give the blazers a 13-9 Lead they did not relinquish. The blazers got 18 Points from Cliff Robinson and 17 from Danny Ainge who started in place of Drexler. Porter matched a team record with six 3-pointers As Portland opened a 30-Point Lead in the fourth Quarter. In other games sunday celtics 128, hornets 102 Charlotte . Reggie Lewis scored 35 Points and Kevin Gamble added 26 sunday to Lead surging Boston to its fifth straight Victory in the race for the Atlantic division title. The celtics trailed the first place new York kicks by five games on april 4. But the celtics have not lost since then while the kicks have lost four of five. Boston bolted to a 71-44 halftime Lead despite the absence of Star Forward Larry Bird and guard Dee Brown. Bird is out with recurring Back spasms and Brown has the flu. Lewis was 15 of 19 from the Field and Gamble 11 of 18 As the celtics shot a sizzling 60.9 percent 56 of 92 from the  94,76ers 90 Philadelphia Brad Lohaus scored a season High 24 Points and Milwaukee snapped its 11-game losing Streak and club record 24-game Road losing Streak. The Bucks won on the Road for the first time since beating Minnesota on Jan. 2. The 76ers played without All Star Forward Charles Barkley out with a Dislo Portland a Buck Williams looks for two against the spurs Terry Cummings sunday. Rated left Middle Finger. Ron Anderson had a season High 34 Points for the 76ers, who Are virtually eliminated from the playoff race. The Only Way Philadelphia can make it is by winning its final four games and Atlanta and Miami losing All of their remaining  126, Timber wolves 116 Seattle a Ricky Pierce scored 21 Points to help the supersonics win their sixth game in the last seven and move past san Antonio into the fifth playoff spot in the Western conference. Shawn Kemp added 18 Points and a team High 16 rebounds for Seattle. Michael Cage also scored 18 and Derrick Mckey and Dana Barros 14 added each. Pooh Richardson led Minnesota with 25 Points and Sam Mitchell and Tony Campbell added 20 Points each off the  114, bullets 91 Richfield Ohio a Brad Daugherty scored 20 Points and pulled Down 14 rebounds to Lead Cleveland past Washington. The Cavaliers went on a 15-2 run to take a 54-47 halftime Lead. Daugherty had 10 Points and Steve Kerr 9 to spark a 35-Point third Quarter As the Cavaliers opened up an 89-71 Lead. Kerr had 19 Points and Mark Price added 18 for Cleveland. Greg Foster came off the Bench to score a season High 17 Points for the bullets who played without Center Pervis Ellison suffering from a pulled Groin  return with tie make playoffs by the associated press Bloomington Minn. The Minnesota North stars made the playoffs in their first game after the he strike even though they let Brett Hull score his l00th career goal to lift the St. Louis blues into a 1-1 in sunday night. Minnesota which upset three teams to reach the 991 Stanley cup finals became one of 1992�?Ts last Post Eason qualifiers. Hull got no. 300 in his 377th nil game at 18 37 of he first period when he scored shorthanded for his >8th of the season. In other games sunday islanders 6, Maple Leafs 2 Toronto a the smallest crowd of the season showed up at Maple Leaf gardens to see Toronto locked out of the playoff race in its first Post strike ame. Pierre Turgeon and Derek King each hit the 40-goal Nark and Benoit Hogue Steve Thomas Adam Creigh on and Marty Mclnnis also scored for the  4, flames 3 Calgary Alberta a Calgary was eliminated from he playoffs for the first time since 1975 when a late comeback Wasny to enough to overtake Winnipeg. The jets locked up the last smythe division playoff Erth and a first round meeting with Vancouver ased Muczyk scored twice while Keith Tkachuk and Aaron Broten had one each to take a 4-0  hockey league ruins 1, Nordques 1 Boston a the Bruins smallest Home crowd in four seasons watched Adam Oates third period goal give them a tie with Quebec. Oates 20th goal of the season at 4 14 of the third period offset Alexei Gusarov a fifth for Quebec with 4 21 left in the  4, devils 3 East Rutherford . Washington a Peter Bondra Slid a puck into an open net 2 15 into overtime to give the capitals a Victory Over new Jersey. The game winning goal was set up when John Druce poked the puck away from Devil defens Eman Eric Weinrich at the Blue line. Druce fed Michal Pivonka who found Bondra All alone in front for his 28th goal of the  3, Canad Lens 1 Buffalo . A Dave Andreychuk scored his 40th and 41st goals of the season and Dale Hawer Chuk had three assists As the sabres won a penalty filled game that took 3 hours and 20 minutes to Complete. All three Buffalo goals came on the Power play As referee Dan Marou Elu called 301 minutes in penalties. Ollars 6, Sharks 4 Edmonton Alberta a the line of Joe Murphy Vince Damphousse and Bemie Nicholls accounted for 11 Points As Edmonton beat san Jose. Murphy had a pair of goals and two assists Damp Housse a goal and three assists and Nicholls a goal and two assists As the oilers held off the no la a newest and weakest  wings 2, Black Hawks 1 Chicago a Ray Sheppard and Steve Yzerman scored first period goals As Detroit beat the Black Hawks in a game played before about 2,000 empty seats at normally full Chicago stadium. Sheppard scored just 57 seconds into the game and Yzerman got his 42nd at 9 50. After a scoreless fight marred second period Stephane Matteau put Chicago on the Board with a Power play goal at 7 04 of the  4, flyers 2 Hartford Conn. A playing in an emptier than usual Hartford civic Center the whalers beat Philadelphia As Yvon Corriveau scored twice. The announced crowd on sunday night was 10,456 a which is the number of tickets sold. The crowd appeared to be More in the Range of 6,500.Kings 6, canucks 1 Vancouver British Columbia a the Kings got four assists from Wayne Gretzky and Brilliant goal tending by Kelly Hrudney As they dismantled Vancouver. Luc Robitaille led the Kings with two goals giving him 44 for the season. Mike Donnelly Rob Blake Bob Kudelski and Robitaille also scored As the Kings out muscled Vancouver