A roundup of the week Oct. 9-15

BASKETBALL—YUGOSLAVIA won the world amateur title, beating the defending champion U.S.S.R. 82-81 in the final game. The U.S. finished fifth.

PRO BASKETBALL—NBA: Two teams that finished at the bottom of their divisions last year were the only ones to win two games during the first week this season. Led by Guard John Williamson's 35 points, New Jersey overcame a 38-point performance by Bob Lanier to edge Detroit 107-105 in the first basketball game played in the Pontiac Silverdome. The next night the Nets held off Los Angeles' fourth-quarter rally for a 102-100 win. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had only 12 points, was on the bench during the Laker comeback. Houston got a total of 56 points from Moses Malone and 55 from Calvin Murphy in victories over New York and Boston. Newly acquired Rick Barry, who sank two free throws with 10 seconds remaining to clinch the win against the Knicks, sat out the Celtic game with a sprained ankle. San Antonio took up where it left off last season as the league's second-highest-scoring team. The Spurs got 38 points from Larry Kenon in a 118-117 loss to Denver, which was followed by a 153-111 rout of Milwaukee. George Gervin, last year's scoring leader, had 37 points in only 29 minutes against the Bucks.

CHESS—Challenger Viktor Korchnoi, in an astonishing comeback, won his third consecutive game at the world championship in Baguio City, the Philippines, and evened the score at 5-5 when world champion Anatoly Karpov resigned on the 71st move of the 31st game. Whoever wins six games takes the match.

PRO FOOTBALL—Rapidly improving Philadelphia upset Washington 17-10, reducing the number of unbeatens to two—Los Angeles and Pittsburgh. Defensive Tackle Dennis Harrison, an Eagle rookie, had two sacks, knocked down a pass, forced a fumble and led a defense that held the Redskins to 273 total yards. Philadelphia's Wilbert Montgomery gained 125 yards on 25 carries and took over the league rushing lead as Dallas' Tony Dorsett was held to 24 yards on 12 carries in the Cowboys' 24-21 overtime defeat of winless St. Louis. Roger Staubach was 23 for 40 for 289 yards and three touchdowns, and Rafael Septien kicked a 47-yard field goal with 3:28 gone in overtime. Oakland's Ken Stabler also had a superb day, completing 12 of his first 13 passes, including a 49-yard throw to Fred Biletnikoff, to pace the Raiders to a 28-6 victory over Kansas City. Pittsburgh opened a three-game lead in the AFC Central as it beat Cleveland for the second time, 34-14. Steeler rookie Larry Anderson returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, and Lynn Swann caught five passes for 76 yards. The Steelers' conference-leading defense forced three fumbles and intercepted two passes. Green Bay also was helped by a 95-yard kickoff return and a tenacious defense as it took a 28-0 first-quarter lead over Seattle and then coasted to a 45-28 win. Terdell Middleton rushed for 121 yards and four touchdowns, and the defense, led by the "Gang Green" front four, forced seven turnovers. Sam Cunningham swept three yards around left end with 6:56 remaining to lift New England over Cincinnati by 10-3. The win kept the Patriots in a first-place tie with Miami in the AFC East. The Dolphins beat San Diego 28-14 as Bob Griese, who was in for only eight plays in Miami's 21-0 Monday-night win over Cincinnati, played the entire second half and was eight for 11 and threw for a touchdown. Baltimore's Bert Jones also saw action for the first time this season, but not for long. He reinjured his right shoulder in the first quarter, and the Jets went on to beat the Colts 33-10. The Rams defeated the Vikings 34-17 for their first win at Bloomington since 1968. Linebacker Harry Carson's fourth-quarter interception and fumble recovery set up touchdowns and the Giants overcame a 14-3 deficit to beat Tampa Bay 17-14. Houston rallied to defeat Buffalo 17-10 as Earl Campbell rushed for 105 yards, the fourth time this season he has exceeded 100. Aided by six 49er turnovers, New Orleans beat San Francisco 14-7, and Atlanta defeated Detroit 14-0, its first home-field shutout.

HOCKEY—NHL: It was no surprise that Stanley Cup champion Montreal won its first two games. But it was a shock that Vancouver did. The Canucks scored eight goals on successive nights in wins over Colorado and St. Louis. The Blues' left wing Brian Sutter had three goals in that game and two more in a 6-2 loss to Los Angeles. Last season's goal-scoring leader, Guy Lafleur, scored twice and had an assist to lead the Canadiens to a 5-2 victory over Colorado. In its opener, Montreal beat Minnesota by the same score. Toronto, the only other 2-0 team, edged Pittsburgh 3-2, snapping a string of eight consecutive opening-night wins for the Penguins. In the Maple Leafs' 10-7 defeat of the Islanders, Toronto Winger Darryl Sittler and New York Defenseman Denis Potvin each had a hat trick. The Islanders had to settle for a 2-2 tie against Buffalo in their first game, as Sabre Left Wing Derek Smith scored the tying goal with 2:50 left. Goaltender Don Edwards had 42 saves in Buffalo's second game, a 5-2 win over Minnesota. Bobby Orr made his first regular-season start since Jan. 27, 1977 in a 4-4 tie with Atlanta and said his left knee had given him no trouble. Boston's 8-2 victory over Pittsburgh was costly; Defenseman Brad Park, the Bruins' best player, hurt his knee and had an operation that will keep him out for at least a month.

WHA: Winnipeg opened defense of its championship with a 5-4 win over Birmingham. Jets Left Wing Morris Lukowich scored the game-tying goal with six seconds remaining, and Right Wing Bill Lesuk got the game-winner at 3:34 of overtime. Nineteen-year-old Birmingham Goaltender Pat Riggin had 38 saves. Winnipeg also defeated Indianapolis 6-3 as Jet Center Peter Sullivan scored two goals and Center Kent Nelson had three assists and a goal. In the only other game, Edmonton beat Cincinnati 3-2, on a goal by Right Wing Bill Goldsworthy.

HORSE RACING—EXCELLER ($9.60), Bill Shoemaker up, won the $321,800 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont by a nose over Seattle Slew. The 5-year-old covered the 1½ miles in a stakes-record 2:27[1/5] (page 88).

TENNIS—CHRIS EVERT defeated Virginia Wade 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 to win the $100,000 U.S. Women's Indoor Championship in Bloomington, Minn.

MILEPOSTS—FIRED: TOMMY McVIE, 43, as coach of the NHL Washington Capitals, two days before the season opener. In his 2½ years with the Capitals, McVie had a 49-122-33 record. He has been replaced by DANNY BELISLE, 41, formerly general manager and coach of the AHL Philadelphia Firebirds.

DIED: RALPH H. METCALFE, 68, former track star and U.S. Representative from Illinois; of a heart attack; in Chicago. Co-holder of the 100-meter record three times and the 200-meter record once, Metcalfe, who won a total of 14 NCAA and AAU championships, was the "World's Fastest Human" in 1934-35. He was a gold medalist as a member of the U.S. 400-meter relay team in the 1936 Olympics, in which he also finished second to Jesse Owens in the 100.

DIED: JUDY JOHNSON, 75, the first female to be licensed as a jockey and the second to receive a trainer's license; in Olney, Md. Johnson rode in steeplechase races on the hunt-meet circuit for several years before getting a mount at a recognized track, in Maryland, in 1943. She won seven races and retired the next year.