Cuttino Mobley and Steve Francis scored 18 points each and both made big 3-pointers down the stretch Wednesday as the Houston Rockets rallied for an 89-85 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Francis made four free throws in the final 16 seconds for the Rockets, who used a late 12-0 spurt to make up a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
"We've all felt every loss we've had in the last three games," said Francis, who added nine assists in 45 minutes. "We showed more spirit and will as far as guys not wanting to lose."
Maurice Taylor added 14 points as Houston snapped a three-game losing streak.
"When it was 78-71, we were just thinking positive," Mobley said. "Think positive, that's all we had to do. And play hard."
Cavs rookie LeBron James won the matchup of the NBA's last two No. 1 overall draft picks, outscoring Yao Ming 17-12. Cleveland has lost 12 of 14.
76ers 87, Heat 76
In Philadelphia, Aaron McKie scored 20 points and Glenn Robinson had 19 in Philadelphia's victory over Miami.
The Sixers, playing without Allen Iverson, snapped a two-game losing streak. Iverson has missed three of four games with a swollen right knee, an injury that could keep him sidelined even longer.
Dwyane Wade scored 22 points and Eddie Jones added 20 for the Heat, who had a four-game winning streak snapped. The Heat, who started 0-7, had the longest winning streak in the Eastern Conference, but their momentum stalled on the road where they are only 2-12.
Warriors 98, Hawks 85
In Atlanta, Mike Dunleavy made five of Golden State's season-high 10 3-pointers, scored 25 points, and grabbed 14 rebounds to overcome Atlanta.
Jason Richardson added 22 points for the Warriors, who were 10-for-21 on 3-pointers and outscored the Hawks 30-0 from 3-point range. Atlanta was 0-for-5 from behind the arc.
Golden State has won consecutive road games for the first time this season.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored 16 points for the Hawks, who have lost five straight and 11 of 13.
Atlanta coach Terry Stotts benched starters Jason Terry and Theo Ratliff for the start of both halves after they were late for a pregame walkthrough.
Magic 94, Pacers 90
In Indianapolis, Rod Strickland's jump shot with 14.4 seconds left lifted Orlando over Indiana.
Al Harrington missed a wide-open jumper from the left wing with seven seconds remaining that would have given Indiana the lead.
Tracy McGrady scored 21 points and had 11 assists to lead five Orlando players in double figures. Juwan Howard had 19 points and seven rebounds and Keith Bogans had 15 and 12 for the Magic.
Jermaine O'Neal had 24 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks for the Pacers.
Pistons 77, Bulls 73
In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Richard Hamilton scored eight of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to help Detroit end a four-game losing streak with a win over Chicago. The win was Larry Brown's 1,300th as a coach -- 894 in the NBA, 229 in the ABA and 177 in college.
The Bulls had just nine available players. Eddy Curry and Corie Blount weren't in uniform because of knee injuries, and Eddie Robinson sat out with an ankle problem.
Chauncey Billups scored 14 for Detroit, and Ben Wallace had 15 rebounds and eight blocks. Jamal Crawford led the Bulls with 22 points.
Nets 87, Jazz 74
In East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Nets improved to .500 by beating Utah.
Kenyon Martin had 22 points and 11 rebounds and Jason Kidd had 19 points, eight assists and eight rebounds. The Nets (12-12) held Utah to just nine points in the first quarter, forced 21 turnovers and kept the Jazz behind by double digits throughout the second half.
RSS