Rodman Helps Pistons Pin Another Loss on Clippers

PONTIAC, Mich. —  Forward Dennis Rodman of the Detroit Pistons got his chance to crack the starting lineup when Adrian Dantley sprained his right ankle last month.

Rodman is playing so well that Dantley, who has won two National Basketball Assn. scoring titles in 11 seasons, may have trouble regaining his job.

Rodman scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Pistons won their sixth straight game, beating the short-handed Clippers, 103-90, Wednesday night at the Silverdome.

The Pistons have won 12 of 14 games since Rodman became a starter. He has averaged 16.4 points during that span.

“My confidence has been boosted since I became a starter,” Rodman said. “Being a starter adds a lot to my game.”

Detroit Coach Chuck Daly said that the Pistons almost bypassed Rodman in the 1986 draft.

“We were going to take (Portland center) Kevin Duckworth,” Daly said. “But we saw Rodman at (an NBA rookie tryout camp in Hawaii), and we liked him.”

The emergence of Rodman is one reason that the Pistons (37-18) are challenging the Boston Celtics (39-19) for the best record in the Eastern Conference. Detroit, which beat Boston here Sunday, 106-101, moved closer to the Celtics, who were upset by the New Jersey Nets, 117-107, at Boston.

The Pistons came within one victory of reaching the NBA final last season, losing to the Celtics in the seventh game of the Eastern Conference championship series at the Boston Garden.

“The home-court advantage is important,” Rodman said. “If we had had the home-court advantage, we would have beaten Boston in the playoffs last year.’

Said Daly: “Boston is in great shape because they have more home games (to play) than us. We play them twice there. And we haven’t won in Boston since the beginning of the 19th Century. Of course, we’d like the home-court advantage because we know what it was like last year in the seventh game when it was 90 degrees at the (Boston) Garden. But I think we have a remote chance (to overtake the Celtics) because of our schedule.”

The Pistons, however, don’t stand a chance to take the Eastern Conference title away from the Celtics if they don’t play better than they did against the Clippers (12-41), the NBA’s worst team.

The Pistons were booed off the court at the end of the first half when they led by only two points, 43-41.

The Clippers, who have lost 20 straight road games, had just nine healthy players. Three Clippers were sidelined--forwards Michael Cage (flu) and Joe Wolf (knee injury) and guard Quintin Dailey (groin injury).

However, the Pistons misfired in the second quarter and were outscored, 23-16.

Thomas, who had just two points in the opening half, got the Pistons running in the second half, scoring 14 points as they outscored the Clippers, 38-19, in the third quarter to take command of the game.

“We didn’t like the way we were playing,” Thomas said. “We played a good first quarter, but in the second quarter we didn’t play well at all. Chuck was upset with us, and we were upset with ourselves. In the second half we came out and played the type of basketball we’re capable of playing.”

Joe Dumars led the Pistons with 21 points, and Thomas added 19 points and passed off for 11 assists.

Clipper Coach Gene Shue said the “Pistons shifted into a different gear in the second half.

“We played a very good first half and kept it close,” Shue said. “But there was just too big of a difference when they started hitting the open shots.

“I think this might be the Pistons’ year.”

Center Benoit Benjamin led the Clippers with 15 points, and Mike Woodson added 14. Guard Darnell Valentine came off the bench to score 13 points.

Forwards Earl Cureton and Ken Norman had 11 points apiece. Cureton, who started in place of Cage, grabbed 13 rebounds.

Clipper Notes

The Clippers play the Celtics Friday night at the Boston Garden and end the trip Saturday at Chicago. . . . Forward Joe Wolf flew back to Los Angeles to be examined by Dr. Tony Daly after injuring his right knee in Tuesday night’s loss at New Jersey. Daly estimated that Wolf will be out two to three weeks with a sprained right knee.