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A roundup of the week April 21-27

PRO BASKETBALL—In Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff action, Boston thrashed Chicago 122-104 for a three-game sweep of the Bulls. The Celtics held Michael Jordan—who averaged 56 points in the previous two games—to 19 points. Jordan's 131 points broke Wilt Chamberlain's 26-year-old playoff record of 116 points for a three-game series. Detroit, down 2-0, held Dominique Wilkins to 21 points and won Game 3 106-97 to stay alive in its best-of-five series with Atlanta. But Wilkins came back to score 38 points in Game 4, and Spud Webb sank a pair of free throws with three seconds on the clock to give the Hawks a series-clinching 114-113 win. Boston beat Atlanta 103-91 to take the lead in their best-of-seven semifinal opener. New Jersey, leading Milwaukee at the half after scoring 73 points, blew the lead (18 points), the game (118-113) and the series (3-0). Philadelphia, tied 1-1 with Washington at the start of the week, topped the Bullets 91-86, but the return of Jeff Ruland, who had been out since mid-March after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, lifted Washington to a 116-111 series-tying victory. The Sixers then took the series, trouncing the Bullets 134-109 in the final game (page 50). Rookie Terry Catledge, subbing at center for Moses Malone, who will be out the rest of the season, scored 27 points. Philadelphia will face Milwaukee in an Eastern Conference semifinal. In the West, the Lakers wrapped up their quarterfinal series in three straight by defeating San Antonio in the clincher 114-94. Magic Johnson set a new three-game playoff record with 48 assists for Los Angeles, which achieved its victories by an average margin of 32 points. The Lakers then met up with Dallas, which had eliminated Utah in four games, and in their semifinal opener in L.A. on Sunday beat the Mavericks 130-116. Denver won twice and ousted Portland three games to one. Houston's Ralph Sampson and Lewis Lloyd each scored 25 points in a 113-98 win over Sacramento to eliminate the Kings in three straight. The Rockets won their semifinal series opener against the Nuggets 126-119, thanks to Akeem Olajuwon's 38 points and 16 rebounds.

The TAMPA BAY THRILLERS defeated the La Crosse (Wis.) Catbirds 110-108 to win the best-of-seven Continental Basketball Association championship four games to one.

BOWLING—MARSHALL HOLMAN defeated Mark Baker 233-211 to win his 20th career PBA title, at the Tournament of Champions in Akron, Ohio.

GOLF—CURTIS STRANGE sank a 20-foot birdie putt on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff to beat Calvin Peete and win the Houston Open and $90,000. Both players completed regulation play tied at 274, 14 under par.

Pat Bradley defeated Janet Coles by one stroke after sinking a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to win an LPGA event in St. Petersburg, Fla. Bradley, whose $30,000 first-prize check boosted her career earnings to $1,996,921, shot a 72-hole total 16-under-par 272.

HOCKEY—While Edmonton battled surprising Calgary in the Smythe Division final series, the Rangers were winning their third straight game, 2-1, to upset Washington and win the Patrick Division title four games to two (page 14). Hartford evened its Adams Division series with Montreal at three games apiece with a 1-0 victory over the Canadiens. Goaltender Mike Liut stopped 32 shots and right wing Kevin Dineen scored the lone goal to force a seventh game. Toronto went up two games to one in its Norris Division final against St. Louis, but the Blues rallied with two straight wins. St. Louis center Rick Meagher scored his first two playoff goals ever in a series-tying 7-4 win, and left wing Mark Reeds's overtime goal gave the Blues a 4-3 victory in Game 5.

The SOVIET UNION edged Sweden 3-2 to win the gold medal at the World Hockey Championships in Moscow, while Canada topped Finland 4-3 for the bronze. Earlier, the U.S.S.R. beat Canada 7-4 and Finland 8-0, and Sweden tied Finland 4-4 and edged Canada 6-5.

HORSE RACING—BACHELOR BEAU ($41.80), with Larry Melancon in the saddle, defeated Bolshoi Boy by three-quarters of a length to win the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. The 3-year-old gelding, who ran the 1‚⅛ miles in 1:51⅕ won $171,290, which included a $16,200 Breeders' Cup premium.

Savings ($29.40), ridden by Patrick Johnson, won the Derby Trial Stakes at Churchill Downs by 6½ lengths over Trobio. The 3-year-old colt covered the mile in 1:35[3/5] to win $38,187.

INDOOR SOCCER—Branko Segota had two goals and five assists as defending champion San Diego defeated Tacoma 10-4 in the first game of their best-of-five Western Division final series. Cleveland opened with a 5-2 win against Minnesota in their Eastern Division championship showdown, but Minnesota struck back 6-2 to tie the series at one game apiece. Alan Willey booted in three goals for the Strikers in Game 2.

MOTOR SPORTS—RICKY RUDD drove his Thunderbird to victory in a NASCAR race in Martinsville, Va., averaging 76.882 mph for 500 laps over the .526-mile oval. He crossed the finish line 24 seconds ahead of runner-up Joe Ruttman, who drove a Buick LeSabre.

Alain Prost, in a McLaren-TAG, defeated Nelson Piquet, in a Williams-Honda, by 7.64 seconds to win the Grand Prix of San Marino. The winner averaged 121.92 mph for 60 laps over the 3.132-mile course.

ROAD RUNNING—JOAN BENOIT SAMUELSON finished first among the women, in 53:18, in New York City's Trevira Twosome 10-miler, and she and her partner, JEFF DRENTH, had a race-winning combined time of 1:41:06.

TENNIS—JOAKIM NYSTROM beat Yannick Noah 6-3, 6-2 to win the Monte Carlo Open and $58,500.

Elise Burgin defeated Tine Scheuer-Larsen 6-1, 6-3 to win her first professional tournament, in Isle of Palms, S.C.

TRACK & FIELD—JOE DIAL cleared 19'4½" at the Sooner Invitational in Norman, Okla. to break his week-old U.S. pole vault mark by one inch.

At the the Mount San Antonio College Relays in Walnut, Calif., three other American records fell: JUD LOGAN broke his own one-year-old mark of 253'5" in the hammer throw with a distance of 265'4"; JACKIE JOYNER amassed 6,910 points to break Jane Frederick's two-year-old heptathlon record by 107 points; and JOHNNY GRAY, JAMES ROBINSON, DAVID MACK and EARL JONES of the Santa Monica Track Club ran the 4 X 800-meter relay in 7:06.50, bettering Arizona State's two-year-old mark of 7:08.96.

MILEPOSTS—NAMED: As basketball coach at Stanford, MIKE MONTGOMERY, 39, who had a 154-77 record in eight years at Montana.

SUSPENDED: By PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman, pro golfer MAC O'GRADY, for six PGA Tour events for his criticism of the tour, its sponsors, fellow players and the commissioner's office. O'Grady, who was also fined $5,000 and given one year of probation, has commented that he will appeal the penalties.