A roundup of the sports information of the week
BASKETBALL—NBA: The Knicks continued 10 play almost flawlessly. When they beat Atlanta 128-104, Walt Frazier, their usual leader in assists, got none, but the team piled up 37, its high for the season. When they disposed of their next opponent, San Diego, 123-110, Frazier scored 43 points, his career high—14 of 22 field goals and 15 of 19 free throws. "I've never scored that many points even warming up." he said. Finally, though, Milwaukee and Lew Alcindor made New York work. The game's high scorer, with 36 points, Alcindor led the Bucks in a fourth-quarter rally that kept them in contention until the last four seconds, when Bill Bradley sank two foul shots for a 112-108 Knick victory. Los Angeles took over first place in the Western Division with a 129-125 win over Chicago in its only game. Wilt Chamberlain led the scoring with 37 and the rebounding with 19. Jerry West followed with 36 points and a fine defensive game. The Bulls picked up three wins in their other games, however, and ended the week in a tie for second with Atlanta. Clem Haskins was a hero in each of the three, scoring three points in the last six seconds of a 116-114 win over Seattle, leading a second-half charge that beat San Francisco 101-87 and hitting a career high of 38 points in the Bulls' 118-109 win over Baltimore.
ABA: Dallas won three of its five close games and kept its lead in the Western Division, a game and a half ahead of Los Angeles. The first was a 92-91 win over Washington, the Caps' first loss at home, in which Chaparral Forward Manny Leaks topped the scoring with 28 points. Washington returned the favor in the last game of the five when the Chaparrals went down to defeat 101-97, despite a late rally sparked by Glen Combs. It was their first loss at home. Indiana, leading in the East, was ahead of Pittsburgh 97-93 with 8:14 remaining when, in the space of four minutes, it scored 20 points to the Pipers' eight and won 129-113. Against Washington, Bob Netolicky hit an 18-foot jump shot in the final second for a 123-121 win, and against third-place Indiana, Netolicky and Mel Daniels combined for 63 points and a 114-109 win.
NBA—East: New York (3-0), Milwaukee (3-2), Philadelphia (1-2), Baltimore (1-3), Boston (3-0), Detroit (1-2), Cincinnati (0-3). West: Los Angeles (1-0), Chicago (3-1), Atlanta (2-1), San Francisco (1-1), Phoenix (1-1), Seattle (1-1).
ABA—East: Indiana (3-0), Kentucky (3-1), Pittsburgh (2-2), Carolina (2-2), New York (2-2), Miami (0-4). West: Dallas (3-2), Los Angeles (2-3), Washington (1-3), New Orleans (2-1), Denver (1-3).
BOXING—GEORGE FOREMAN, heavyweight gold medalist at the 1968 Olympics, won his eighth straight professional fight, by a unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden over Roberto Davila of Peru.
FOOTBALL—AFL: Cincinnati's Greg Cook and his sore rookie arm were back in action against Oakland after an absence of four weeks and three losses. Cook threw two touchdown passes to Chip Myers, while the Bengal defense pulled off five interceptions and a fumble recovery. The unbeaten Raiders were toppled 31-17, and Kansas City took over first place in the Western Division, beating Buffalo 29-7 as Jan Stenerud kicked field goals from 37, 47, 34, 44 and 16 yards. Sunday's biggest upset took place in Newton, Mass. Boston's Mike Taliaferro threw twice, from the 25 and 43, to No. 1 draft choice Ron Sellers from Florida State, for scores that helped produce a 24-0 upset of Houston. The win was the Pats' first this season, their first in nine straight games and their first under their new coach, Clive Rush.
NFL: Cleveland upset Dallas, leaving Los Angeles, which beat Atlanta, alone with its perfect record. Browns Quarterback Bill Nelsen threw five touchdown passes, taking advantage of three fumble recoveries and a pass interception for four of them, and the previously unbeaten Cowboys went down 42-10. Minnesota kept its six-game winning streak going and left hapless Chicago hapless 31-14. A rhubarb evolved when the Bears tied the score 7-7 in the second quarter. Viking Back Clint Jones, who received the kickoff, booted the ball into his own end zone, where it was recovered by Viking Cornerback Charlie West. Instead of awarding a two-point safety to the Bears, the officials penalized the Vikings 15 yards for kicking the ball, and the Bears kicked off again from the Minnesota 45. In a game in St. Louis that broke an NFL record for touchdown passes, New Orleans upset St. Louis 51-42 for its first victory of the season. While both defenses apparently took the day off, Bill Kilmer and Charlie Johnson, the opposing quarterbacks, threw 42 completions in 69 attempts between them for 712 yards and 12 touchdowns.
AFL—East: New York (6-2), Houston (4-4), Buffalo (2-6), Miami (1-6-1), Boston (1-7). West: Kansas City (7-1), Oakland (6-1-1), San Diego (4-4), Cincinnati (4-4), Denver (4-4).
NFL—East: Century—Cleveland (5-1-1), New York (3-4), St. Louis (2-4-1), Pittsburgh (1-6). Capitol—Dallas (6-1), Washington (4-2-1), Philadelphia (3-4), New Orleans (1-6). West: Central—Minnesota (6-1), Green Bay (5-2), Detroit (4-3), Chicago (0-7). Coastal—Los Angeles (7-0), Baltimore (4-3), Atlanta (2-5), San Francisco (1-5-1).
GOLF—Regulation play at the $140,000 Kaiser International in Napa, Calif. ended in a four-way tie—Jack Nicklaus, Billy Casper, George Archer and Don January with 15-under 273s. Sudden death ended on the second extra hole when Jack Nicklaus sank a 14-foot birdie for the win.
HARNESS RACING—In the $30,000 Kingmaker Pace at Liberty Bell Park in Philadelphia, 1968 Jug winner Rum Customer and 1969 Jug winner Laverne Hanover finished second and third, respectively, to OVERCALL ($2.60), driven by Del Insko and clocked at 1:58[4/5].
HOCKEY—NHL: Considering that the Canadiens ended up just where they were the week before—tied with the Rangers for second in the Eastern Division—they really knocked themselves out. They scored a total of 17 goals in their two wins, 8-3 over the Rangers and 9-2 over Boston. St. Louis and Oakland jockeyed for first in the West, with the Blues ending the week on top by two points. Against Philadelphia, Blues Goalie Jacques Plante recorded the 69th shutout of his 15-year career. Flyer Goalie Bernie Parent, however, had a shutout, too. The teams tied 0-0. Six days later Plante met Parent again. Jacques Plante got his 70th shutout, while Parent, having given up four goals by the Start of the third period, was replaced by Doug Favell, who gave up four more. Toronto Goalie Bruce Gamble also got a workout, in a 3-2 losing cause against the Rangers. He made 34 saves, 25 of them in the first period.
NHL—East: Boston (0-2-0), Montreal (2-1-1), New York (2-1-1), Detroit (2-0-0), Toronto (1-1-0), Chicago (1-1-0). West: St. Louis (1-0-2), Oakland (1-1-0), Minnesota (1-1-0), Philadelphia (0-1-2), Pittsburgh (1-1-0), Los Angeles (0-2-0).
HORSE RACING—Taking the lead at the final turn of the 1[1/16]-mile, $183,620 Pimlico-Laurel Futurity, Mrs. Ethel D. Jacobs' roan colt HIGH ECHELON ($8.60) pulled away from the field of eight and finished 1½ lengths ahead of Toasted.
Czar Alexander ($5.20), a 4-year-old Irish-bred bay ridden by Angel Cordero Jr., won the 1½-mile, $115,900 Oak Tree Stakes, the closing-day feature of the 20-day Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park. His time, 2:23[2/5] was the fastest for a mile and a half on grass in American thoroughbred racing history.
POLO—ARGENTINA, led by Juan Carlos Harriott, the world's only 10-goal player, beat the U.S. 12-6, 18-6 to win the Cup of the Americas.
MILEPOSTS—ACQUIRED: By the Philadelphia Phillies after being released by Los Angeles, 38-year-old righthander JIM BUNNING, who in 1964 pitched a perfect game for the Phillies against the Mets. This season he was 10-9 with Pittsburgh and 3-1 with the Dodgers.
NAMED: Commissioner of the American Basketball Association to replace George Mikan, CBS Television Executive JACK DOLPH. The new commissioner's first task: to land a TV contract.
TRADED: By Atlanta to the New York Giants for two draft choices, Running Back JUNIOR COFFEY, who was drafted seventh by Green Bay in 1965, sent to Atlanta in the 1966 expansion draft, missed the 1968 season with an injury and this season has gained 168 yards in 49 carries.
DIED: CHARLIE JAMIESON, 76, an 18-year major leaguer who played the outfield for the Cleveland Indians from 1919 until his retirement in 1932. His lifetime average was .303, his best, .359.
