- Publish date:
A roundup of the sports information of the week
BASKETBALL—NBA: Wilt Chamberlain had 21 assists in one game, a record for a PHILADELPHIA (40-15) player and the most by anyone in the league this season. Chamberlain also scored 22 points in that game—a 131-121 win over the Pistons—as the 76ers put together a 3-1 week. BOSTON (37-17), winner of four of five, still trailed the 76ers in the East by 2½ games. Dave Bing of DETROIT (27-29) continued to lead the league in total points (1,499), although his 105 for the week could not keep the Pistons from losing three times. CINCINNATI (26-28) moved to within one percentage point of third place, winning two and losing two. Oscar Robertson scored 35, 38, 40 and 42 points to build his league lead in points per game to 30.6. Cazzie Russell of NEW YORK (27-31) scored on a jumper at the buzzer to defeat the Royals in overtime, 128-126. Overall, the Knicks were 3-2. Rookie Earl Monroe of BALTIMORE (22-33) was the week's high scorer with 169 points, but the last-place Bullets still lost three of five. Monroe scored in the 30s in the first three games—making it seven consecutive games in which he had at least 30 points. After being limited to 14 by the Celtics in the next game, Monroe tossed in 45 against the 76ers. Western leader ST. LOUIS (42-16) had its five-game win streak ended when it lost twice to the Lakers—128-113 and 110-102. The Hawks then won their next two games. Rudy LaRusso averaged 32.5 points as SAN FRANCISCO (35-22) won three of four and advanced to within 6½ games of the top. LOS ANGELES (31-24) won four of five. Jerry West, playing despite a broken nose suffered a week earlier, averaged 24 points in the first four games and then, when Elgin Baylor was sidelined, West heaved in 42 as the Lakers beat the Rockets 133-122. CHICAGO (18-38) lost four straight, while SEATTLE (16-40) split four and SAN DIEGO (14-42) lost all three games.
ABA: Chico Vaughn of Pittsburgh (36-17) scored 33 points in a 123-122 win over New Jersey. Charlie Williams had 28 in a 121-112 victory over Minnesota and Art Heyman put in 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter as the Pipers beat Dallas 112-105. At week's end the Pipers, who also lost once, held a 1½ game lead in the East over MINNESOTA (35-19), which split four games. INDIANA (27-29) won twice and moved up to third place. The Pacers out-rebounded the Pipers 80-51 and got 31 points from Fred Lewis in a 119-113 triumph. Lewis scored another 31 in a 113-103 victory over NEW JERSEY (25-30). In the lone win for the Americans in four games, they outscored Dallas 16-1 during one span in the final period and ended a four-game losing streak with a 119-111 victory. KENTUCKY (21-33) lost three, then stunned Minnesota with a 120-84 setback in which the Colonels overwhelmed the Muskies 73-36 in the second half. Doug Moe averaged 29 points for NEW ORLEANS (34-19), which won three of four and opened up a 2½-game lead over DENVER (31-21) in the West. The Rockets lost two of three, including a 110-107 overtime game against DALLAS (29-22), which lost three of five. Barry Leibowitz of OAKLAND (19-30), recently acquired from New Jersey to serve as a playmaking guard, did some scoring of his own—usually at just the right time. He put in 22 points in a 108-98 win over Kentucky and later, in a 131 124 upset of New Orleans, scored seven points in the final three minutes. In a 119-111 overtime victory over Houston, Leibowitz. wrapped up the game with three foul shots. ANAHEIM (18-36) lost two of three, as did last-place HOUSTON (17-36).
BOXING—JERRY QUARRY floored Thad Spencer twice and gained a TKO just three seconds from the end of their 12-round WBA heavyweight elimination bout in Oakland, Calif. (page 16).
FOOTBALL—A total of 462 players were picked at the second combined AFL-NFL draft in New York City. Among the most prominent of those chosen were RON YARY, USC offensive tackle, Minnesota; BOB JOHNSON, Tennessee center, Cincinnati; FRED CARR, Texas at El Paso linebacker, Green Bay; KEVIN HARDY, Notre Dame defensive end, New Orleans; LARRY CSONKA, Syracuse fullback, KIM HAMMOND, Florida State quarterback and JIM HINES, Texas Southern sprinter and coholder of the world 100-yard dash record of 9.1, Miami; EARL McCULLOUCH, USC flanker, Detroit; Quarterbacks ELDRIDGE DICKEY, Tennessee A&I, and KEN STABLER, Alabama, Oakland; and Heisman Trophy winner GARY BEBAN, UCLA quarterback, who was not taken until the 30th pick, Los Angeles. Several trades were also made: TIM BROWN, fifth on the NFL total offense list with 12,049 yards, was sent by Philadelphia to Baltimore for ALVIN HAYMOND, a defensive back; New Orleans traded Quarterback GARY CUOZZO to Minnesota, which then sent Quarterback RON VANDERKELEN to Atlanta.
GOLF—ARNOLD PALMER beat Deane Beman in a sudden-death playoff to win the Bob Hope Desert Classic in Palm Springs, Calif. (page 44).
HOCKEY—NHL: Swiftly, methodically, convincingly—that was the way MONTREAL (26-14-9) continued to play as it won three times and extended its streak to a dozen victories in a row (two short of the league record) and 16 games without a defeat. In boosting their Eastern lead to five points, the Canadiens beat the Maple Leafs 3-0, the Rangers 5-2 and the Kings 5-1. During their streak the Canadiens became more and more dominant, outscoring their foes 22-11 in the first five games and 29-7 in the past seven. Dennis Hull fired in two goals in a 3-2 CHICAGO (22-16-13) win over the Rangers and two more—one in the closing minute—to tie BOSTON (24-18-8) 4-4. The Black Hawks were 1-2-1 for the week, the Bruins 0-1-2. Two goals by Pete Stemkowski gave TORONTO (23-17-9) a 3-1 win over the Black Hawks, and another pair by Frank Mahovlich tied the Penguins 3-3. Thus the Maple Leafs, 1-1-1 last week, moved to within one point of the Bruins and slaved two ahead of NEW YORK (22-18-9), which was 1-1-2. DETROIT (20-22-8) remained in the cellar, losing two of three, one an 8-6 loss to the Kings in spite of four goals by Floyd Smith. PHILADELPHIA (22-19-8) had a win, a loss and a tie and had its lead in the West reduced to five points. Four goals by Ray Cullen helped MINNESOTA (19-21-9) take two of three games, one a 6-1 win over the Kings in which Goalie Cesare Maniago's shutout streak against LOS ANGELES (21-25-4) was ended at 223 minutes and 2 seconds. Terry Sawchuk of the Kings blanked the Flyers 2-0, and Bill Flett scored a hat trick in the win over the Red Wings. The Kings were 2-2-0 for the week and ST. LOUIS (19-22-8) won two of three. Goalie Les Binkley of PITTSBURGH (18-24-8) stopped the Bruins 1-0 and the Blues 2-0, giving him five shutouts this season. In other games, Binkley was bombed 9-4 by the Blues, but later he held the Maple Leafs to a 3-3 tie, a game witnessed by 12,563—the largest crowd ever to see a hockey game in Pittsburgh. For last-place OAKLAND (10-30-11), the only solace in three games was a 3-3 tie with the Flyers.
MOTOR SPORTS—Porsches finished 1-2-3 in The Twenty-Four Hours of Daytona endurance race, with VIC ELFORD, JOCHEN NEERPASCH and ROLF STOMMELEN driving the winning car at Daytona Beach, Fla. (page 58).
TENNIS—BILLIE JEAN KING defeated Margaret Smith Court 6-1, 6-2 to earn the Australian women's national singles title in Melbourne, the first of four world championships that comprise the grand slam. The men's title went to Aussie BILL BOWREY, who beat Juan Gisbert 7-5, 2-6, 9-7, 6-4.
TRACK & FIELD—Australians KERRY PEARCE and RALPH DOUBELL were the most impressive winners at the week's indoor meets. Pearce, running in the San Diego Games, set a world indoor mark by winning the two-mile event in 8:27.2. Doubell won twice, taking the 880-yard races at the Knights of Columbus meet in New York in 1:51.5 and at the Philadelphia Classic in 1:53.3.
MILEPOSTS—SELECTED: As winner of the S. Rae Hickok Professional Athlete of the Year Award (a $10,000 diamond-studded belt), CARL YASTRZEMSKI, 28, of the Boston Red Sox.
TRADED: By the Cincinnati Royals, HAPPY HAIRSTON, a 6'7" forward with a 17.7 scoring average this season, and JIM FOX, a 6'10" center, to the Detroit Pistons for JOHN TRESVANT, a 6'7" forward with a 13.4 average, and TOM VAN ARSDALE, a 6'5" guard-forward.
RESIGNED: As coach of the Green Bay Packers, VINCE LOMBARDI, 54, whose teams won five National Football League championships in seven years and took both Super Bowl games played so far. Lombardi, who will remain as general manager, turned over the coaching duties to Phil Bengtson, 54, his defensive coach for the past 9 seasons.
DIED: LAWSON LITTLE, 57, who scored consecutive "grand slams" in amateur golf by winning both the U.S. and British titles in 1934 and 1935 and later, as a professional, won the U.S. Open in 1940; of a heart ailment, in Carmel, Calif.
