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Philadelphia spoils Kobe's return

The Miami Heat's Shaquille O'Neal, right, looks for an open lane against the Minnesota Timberwolves' Mark Blount in Miami on Friday. PHOTO: REUTERS

Andre Iguodala scored 31 points and the Philadelphia 76ers spoiled the return of Kobe Bryant with their sixth straight victory, 108-92 over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.

Andre Miller scored 23 points, Kyle Korver had 18 and the Sixers scored 16 straight points in a 20-3 run to cap a perfect homestand (6-0) and win their seventh straight at home in front of their first sellout crowd of the season. The Sixers are making a late playoff push, one reason team president Billy King said before the game that coach Maurice Cheeks would return next season.

Bryant cooled in the second half after scoring 21 points in the first. He finished with 30 points after serving a one-game suspension for striking a player in the face.

Heat 105, Timberwolves 91

At Miami, Shaquille O'Neal made his first seven shots and scored a season-high 32 points, Jason Williams added 20 points and surging Miami beat Minnesota.

O'Neal finished 13-of-16 from the field and added nine rebounds. Williams shot 9-for-13 and Eddie Jones had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat.

Celtics 118, SuperSonics 103

At Boston, Al Jefferson had 31 points and 16 rebounds, Paul Pierce added 21 points, and Boston rallied to beat Seattle.

Rajon Rondo, starting in place of the injured Delonte West, scored 20 points and Gerald Green had 19 for the Celtics.

Hawks 106, Grizzlies 105

Josh Smith scored 20 points, including the go-ahead three-point play with 11.5 seconds left, as Atlanta handed lowly Memphis its sixth straight loss.

It was Atlanta's second consecutive win after losing six in a row. Memphis has lost nine of 10 and has the worst record in the NBA at 15-48, including the poorest mark on the road, falling to 4-28.

Rockets 112, Nets 91

At Houston, Tracy McGrady scored 34 points and Yao Ming had 24 points and 13 rebounds in his first home game since returning from a leg injury, leading Houston over New Jersey.

McGrady topped 30 points for the 18th time this season and also had five assists and four rebounds. He led the Rockets to a 20-12 record during Yao's absence and carried them again on Friday, even with Yao resembling his old self.

Suns 104, Hornets 103

At Phoenix, Amare Stoudemire had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Phoenix withstood a last-minute surge by New Orleans to hand the Hornets their fourth loss in a row.

The Suns improved to 9-1 since the All-Star break, but as has been the case lately, it was a struggle.

Pistons 95, Nuggets 82

At Denver, Chris Webber scored 20 points, Rasheed Wallace had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Detroit beat Denver to snap a two-game losing streak.

Chauncey Billups added 16 points and Richard Hamilton had 14 points.

Warriors 99, Clippers 89

At Oakland, California, Baron Davis had 25 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and Golden State gained valuable ground on Los Angeles in the playoff chase.
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