A roundup of the week April 25-May 2

BASKETBALL—Three of the four NBA division champs got off to quick starts in their best-of-seven quarterfinal series. The exception was Central Division winner Milwaukee. Playing without injured guards Quinn Buckner and Junior Bridgeman and with Sidney Moncrief hobbled by a sore knee, the Bucks fell behind Philadelphia three games to one. The 76ers got 31 points from hot reserve Andrew Toney as they won 120-108, and then Caldwell Jones scored a season-high 20 points in a 100-93 76er triumph on Sunday. San Antonio split two games at Seattle, winning the opener 95-93 on George Gervin's 18-footer with five seconds to play and losing 114-99 when Gus Williams erupted for 34 points. Then back at home the Spurs won two straight, by scores of 99-97 and 115-113. Los Angeles blew out Phoenix 115-96 and 117-98 at the Forum and then won the pivotal third game 114-106 in Phoenix as Jamaal Wilkes had 26 points. On Sunday, Wilkes pumped in 24 more and L.A. eliminated the Suns 112-107. Meanwhile, Boston took a commanding 3-1 lead over Washington (page 38).

BOXING—DAVEY MOORE successfully defended his WBA junior middleweight title with a fifth-round knockout of Charlie Weir in Johannesburg.

GOLF—BOB GILDER fired a 14-under-par 266 to win the $350,000 Byron Nelson Classic in Dallas by five strokes over Curtis Strange.

Scott Hoch shot a 10-under-par 206 over 54 holes to win the rain-shortened $300,000 New Orleans Open by two strokes over Tom Watson.

Beth Daniel shot a 13-under-par 203 to beat Patty Sheehan by four strokes and triumph in the $100,000 Birmingham (Ala.) Classic.

HOCKEY—Displaying familiar depth and balance, the New York Islanders took a three-game lead over Quebec in their best-of-seven Stanley Cup semifinal series. Employing a tight-checking defense that allowed Quebec only 28 shots on goal and getting pivotal scores from Denis Potvin and Bryan Trottier, the Islanders won the opener 4-1. In Game 2 it was Billy Smith's goaltending (35 saves), Mike Bossy's two goals and third-period insurance scores by Bob Bourne and Bobby Nystrom that were the highlights of a 5-2 Islander victory. Then, at Quebec, the Isles won 5-4 on an overtime goal by fourth-line Center Wayne Merrick. Meanwhile the Vancouver Canucks, who finished the regular season with a 30-33-17 record, continued to baffle the experts by running their playoff mark to 9-2. With a 4-3 home-ice victory, the Canucks also moved ahead of Chicago two games to one in their semifinal series. Stan Smyl scored the decisive goal on a third-period breakaway. Throughout the game most of the 16,413 fans at the Colisee waved white towels in a reenactment of the costly performance of Vancouver players and Coach Roger Neilson at the end of Game 2 in Chicago. The Canucks had been displeased by the refereeing of Bob Myers in that game, won 4-1 by Chicago. Four brawls broke out that night, and Myers and crew whistled 188 minutes in penalties, 106 of them against the Canucks. For their towel-waving, Neilson and his players were fined $11,000 by the NHL. In Game 1 the theatrics were on the ice, as Vancouver won 2-1 on Jim Nill's rebound goal at 8:58 of double OT.

HORSE RACING—GATO DEL SOL ($44.40), ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye, won the 108th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs by 2½ lengths over Laser Light. The 3-year-old colt was timed in 2:02[2/5] for the 1¼ miles (page 32).

MOTOR SPORTS—DARRELL WALTRIP drove his Buick to less than a car-length victory over Terry Labonte in a Buick to win the $398,000 Winston 500 at Talladega, Ala. Waltrip averaged 156.683 mph around the 2.6-mile oval.

INDOOR SOCCER—All seemed lost for three-time MISL champion New York, which was down by a game in its best-of-three quarterfinal series with Buffalo and trailed 4-2 in Game 2 with less than one and a half minutes to go. But then Steve Zungul scored at 1:20, Omar Gomez tied the game at the :44 mark and Dragan Simic won the game with a goal at 6:05 in sudden-death OT. The victory set up this week's series finale in New York. The Baltimore-Pittsburgh series also was deadlocked at 1-1, as the Blast lost the opener 3-1, but rebounded with a 6-5 victory on reserve Forward Miguel Filardo's goal in OT. St. Louis wiped out Denver as Carl Rose booted the decisive goal in a 4-2 victory at home and two goals in a 7-6 triumph at Denver. The win put St. Louis into a semifinal showdown with Wichita, which ousted Memphis, 6-3 and 12-3.

SOCCER—Fort Lauderdale raised its NASL record to 5-1 with a pair of victories over previously unbeaten teams. The Strikers' Teofilo Cubillas struck at 69:54 to beat the Cosmos 2-1 on a free kick that was deflected off the Cosmos' Carlos Alberto. Then the Strikers beat Toronto 4-3 in a shootout. Seattle, winless in its first four games of the season, edged Tulsa 4-3 on Ray Evans' penalty kick with no time left in a second OT. Later in the week the Sounders gave San Diego its first loss of 1982, 2-1 in a shootout. Defending Soccer Bowl champion Chicago also won for the first time this year, 3-2 over Tulsa.

TENNIS—IVAN LENDL beat John McEnroe 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to win the $300,000 WCT Finals at Dallas. It was Lendl's 78th win in his last 80 matches and fourth straight over McEnroe.

Guillermo Vilas beat Ivan Lendl 6-7, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-3 to win the $200,000 Madrid Open.

Martina Navratilova defeated Wendy Turnbull 6-3, 7-5 to win the $200,000 Tournament of Champions in Grenelefe, Fla.

MILEPOSTS—FIRED: As MISL coaches, PETER WALL, 37, who guided Phoenix to a 17-22 record in 1981-82; and EDDIE McCREADIE, 42, who had a 36-48 mark in his two seasons at Cleveland.

TRADED: By the Cleveland Browns to Oakland, Defensive End LYLE ALZADO, 33, for an eighth-round draft pick in last week's draft, and Running Back GREG PRUITT, 30, for future considerations, and to Denver, Linebacker ROBERT L. JACKSON, 27, for a sixth-round pick; by the Detroit Lions, Defensive Back LUTHER BRADLEY, 27, to Houston for a seventh-rounder; by the Houston Oilers, Tight End MIKE BARBER, 28, and two draft choices to Los Angeles for Tight End LEWIS GILBERT Jr., 25, and two draft choices; by the New England Patriots, Defensive Back TIM FOX, 28, to San Diego for a second-round pick in 1982 and a third-rounder in 1983, Tight End RUSS FRANCIS, 29, and a second-round selection to San Francisco for a first-rounder, two second-rounders and a fourth-rounder, and Linebacker ROD SHOATE, 29, to Chicago for a 1983 fifth-round draft pick; by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Linebacker DENNIS WINSTON, 26, to New Orleans for a sixth-round pick; by the Washington Redskins, Cornerback LEMAR PARRISH, 34, to Buffalo for a fifth-round choice; and by the Baltimore Colts, Quarterback BERT JONES, 30, to Los Angeles for the Rams' first- and second-round selections (page 46).

By the Baltimore Orioles, Catcher JOSE MORALES, 37, to Los Angeles for a minor-leaguer.

WAIVED: By the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pitcher DAVE GOLTZ, 32, who had a 10-season, major league record of 105-97. He was in the third year of a guaranteed six-year contract worth $3 million.

DIED: ELMER RIPLEY, 90, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame who played for 11 professional teams from 1908 to 1930; in Staten Island, N.Y.

Willie Ritola, 86, a Finnish distance runner who won five Olympic gold medals in the 1920s; of natural causes; in Helsinki.

Ernest Maynor, 47, a stock-car driver from Bay Shore, N.Y.; of injuries suffered in a crash at Islip (N.Y.) Speedway.