A roundup of the sports information of the week
BASKETBALL—NBA: BALTIMORE (17-6) held a narrow Eastern lead by winning three out of four. Substitute Jack Marin scored 18 and had 16 rebounds in a win over Atlanta. Bailey Howell of BOSTON (15-6) scored five points in the last 18 seconds in a 117-113 win over PHILADELPHIA (12-6). The 76ers, in splitting four games, beat Phoenix 126-119 as Wally Jones had a career high of 34 points. CINCINNATI (13-8) lost two of three, beating Detroit 122-112 as Oscar Robertson hit 14 points in the final period and 40 for the game, his season high (page 26). DETROIT (10-12), dividing four, downed Phoenix 125-111 as Dave DeBusschere scored 32 with 22 rebounds. Walt Bellamy of NEW YORK (10-14) got 10 of 12 Knick points to spark a last-quarter spurt that beat the Pistons. MILWAUKEE (6-15) won at San Francisco to break a 10-game losing streak on the road. LOS ANGELES (15-7) held its Western lead, dividing four and beating Boston 93-92 after trailing 58-44 at the half. SAN FRANCISCO'S (11-11) only win was a 140-119 pointiest with Milwaukee. Warrior Clyde Lee hit a career high of 35 points. ATLANTA (12-12) moved into a second-place tie with San Francisco by splitting four. Coach Richie Guerin came off the bench and made 13 assists in a 94-91 win over Cincinnati. SAN DIEGO (10-12) also divided four, snapping a seven-game Philadelphia streak with six straight points in overtime, CHICAGO (10-15) won three but needed two Bob Boozer free throws in the last seven seconds in one of them. SEATTLE (10-17) won four and moved out of the cellar. PHOENIX (5-15) fell to last, losing its 10th straight.
ABA: OAKLAND (16-2) continued its Western massacre, winning four games. Rick Barry began his week by scoring 25 at Houston, one of his lowest totals in three seasons as a pro, but got 129 in three more victories. LOS ANGELES (8-8) won two out of five, getting nine points from Larry Miller in overtime to beat Houston 117-109. NEW ORLEANS (8-8) rose to a three-way tie for second. Red Robbins' six overtime points beat DENVER (8-8), which got 70 points from Lonnie Wright in two triumphs. DALLAS (6-7) had its first good week, winning three of four; the Chaparrals beat the Bucs I 16-113, with 22 points and 28 rebounds by 7-footer John Smith. HOUSTON (3-9) lost three straight. MINNESOTA (11-4) opened up a wide Eastern lead with four straight wins. Connie Hawkins had 155 points, breaking the league record with 57 in a 110-101 victory over the Nets. MIAMI (7-8) lost three out of four but rose to second because KENTUCKY (8-10) lost four straight. Tom Bowens of NEW YORK (7-10) scored 14 third-period points in the Nets' only win, 91-84 over Kentucky. INDIANA (5-13) beat Los Angeles in the last three minutes 108-103, but also lost two.
FOOTBALL—NFL: The toe rivaled the arm as an offensive weapon; in five close games 13 field goals were kicked by the winners. Mike Clark of DALLAS (10-2) kicked his second of the night with his team behind 20-19 in the last period. The Cowboys clinched the Capitol Division title by downing third-place Washington (4-8) 29-20. Sam Baker of PHILADELPHIA (1-11) scored all his team's points with four field goals, one in each period, in a 12-0 shutout of Detroit (3-7-2). BALTIMORE (11-1), atop the Coastal Division, scored its third shutout in five games, a 44-0 annihilation of Atlanta (2-10), the Coastal doormat. Earl Morrall threw two touchdown passes. LOS ANGELES (10-1-1) got three Roman Gabriel-to-Wendell Tucker scoring combinations in a 31-3 win over Minnesota (6-6), knocking the Vikings back to a Central Division tie. Tommy Davis of SAN FRANCISCO (6-5-1) kicked two field goals to assure an upset 27-20 win over Green Bay (5-6-1), now half a game out of the Central Division lead. Mac Percival of CHICAGO (6-6) kicked three field goals and the Bears beat New Orleans (3-8-1) 23-17 to tie Minnesota for the Central Division lead. CLEVELAND (9-3) get four touchdowns from Leroy Kelly, the NFL's leading rusher, and knocked New York (7-5) out of the Capitol Division race, 45-10. Jim Bakken of ST. LOUIS (7-4-1) broke a 10-10 tie in the fourth quarter with his second field goal, and the Cards were ahead to stay in a 20-10 victory over stubborn Pittsburgh (2-9-1).
AFL: NEW YORK (9-3) clinched the Eastern Division title watching TV and eating turkey as second-place Houston (5-7) lost to Kansas City on Thanks-giving Day 24-10. Three days later reserve Quarterback Babe Parilli threw two touchdown passes to Don Maynard in the fourth quarter to secure a 35-17 comeback win over third-place Miami (4-7-1). Joe Namath stayed loose, playing only the first half but throwing two touchdown passes. BOSTON (4-8) got three touchdown passes from rookie Quarterback Tom Sherman, and the Pats ended a five-game losing streak with a 33-14 win over Cincinnati (3-10), last in the West. KANSAS CITY (10-2) held its tie in the Western Division with its victory over Houston. Quarterback Len Dawson hit Frank Pitts with two second-half touchdown passes. Dawson also had an earlier scoring pass. OAKLAND (10-2) stayed even with Kansas City, winning 13-10 on Thanksgiving Day over Buffalo (1-11-1), last in the East. Rookie Cornerback George Atkinson intercepted two passes, which led to nine points, and ended late rallies by forcing a fumble and batting down two passes. John Hadl of SAN DIEGO (9-3) threw three early touchdowns to Lance Alworth in a 47-23 rout of Denver (5-7). He later set a club record with a fifth TD pass in the last period, also to Alworth.
HARNESS RACING—NEVELE PRIDE was named Harness Horse of the Year for the second straight time by the U.S. Trotting Association.
HOCKEY—NHL: MONTREAL (13-5-3) beat Los Angeles 4-2, then had its four-game win streak stopped by Oakland. Les Canadiens held a one-point East Division lead over NEW YORK (14-7), which won twice, putting a halt to a five-game undefeated streak by BOSTON (12-6-3). The Bruins had gotten a hat trick from Phil Esposito to beat Toronto 7-4 before tying St. Louis in the last game of their streak. CHICAGO (11-9-1) stayed in fourth after beating Minnesota 6-0 on Dave Dryden's second shutout in three games. TORONTO (9-6-5) was winless. DETROIT (8-8-3) stayed in the cellar but beat Philadelphia 5-2 on two goals and an assist from Gordie Howe (page 22). ST. LOUIS (11-6-5) added to its West Division lead by winning two and drawing one. Western scoring leader Red Berenson had two goals in a 3-1 win at Detroit. He scored another in Glenn Hall's second shutout of the season, 1-0 over the Flyers. LOS ANGELES (7-12-2) lost two but won its first game in 10 on the road, 3-1 at Philadelphia. OAKLAND (6-13-4) won, tied and lost. Jean-Paul Parise of MINNESOTA (6-11-4) scored twice in a tie at Toronto, but the North Stars were winless. PHILADELPHIA (6-13-2) lost three games and fell to a last-place tie with PITTSBURGH (5-12-4), which had a good week, winning two and tying one.
HORSE RACING—Tartan Stable's DR. FAGER was the unanimous choice as Horse of the Year in the poll conducted by The Morning Telegraph and Daily Racing Form. He also was named Best Handicap Horse, Best Sprinter and Best Grass Horse.
TRACK & FIELD—CROSS-COUNTRY: JOHN MASON, of Fort Hays Kansas State College, won the AAU championship. VILLANOVA won the team title, its second of the week, having already won the NCAA championship. The individual NCAA winner was MIKE RYAN of the Air Force Academy. TARRY HARRISON, of Colorado State University, won the USTFF championship. All three meets were held at Van Cortlandt Park in New York City. In Frederick, Md., MRS. DORIS BROWN of Seattle's Falcon Track Club won the AAU women's championship.
MILEPOSTS—NAMED: As 1968 winner of the Heisman Memorial Trophy, awarded to the season's outstanding college football player. ORENTHAL JAMES (O.J.) SIMPSON, University of Southern California running back (page 18).
