Tracy McGrady scored 31 points and Bob Sura had 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists Thursday on his 32nd birthday, leading the Houston Rockets over the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-80.
Mike James had 15 points off the bench and Yao Ming added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Rockets, who were particularly crisp following an impressive win over league-leading Miami on Tuesday.
"Every time I face a guy like LeBron James, Kobe [Bryant] and those guys, you have to bring your A-game," said McGrady. "You just have to up your level of intensity and focus and be ready to match their intensity as well."
Houston shot 48 percent, outrebounded Cleveland by 11 and never trailed after the early minutes of the second quarter.
"We got into a rhythm," Mike James said. "All of a sudden, it started getting into a flow."
The Cavaliers turned in another woeful performance on the road after winning in Brendan Malone's coaching debut against Detroit on Tuesday. Cleveland has lost 10 straight away from home, with its last win coming Jan. 22 at Golden State.
Bobcats 108, Magic 94
In Orlando, Gerald Wallace scored 22 points and rookie Emeka Okafor registered his 36th double-double of the season with 23 points and 10 rebounds as Charlotte beat Orlando.
The expansion Bobcats beat the Magic for the second time in four days and won on the road for just the third time. Orlando has lost nine of 10.
Brevin Knight had 15 points, 15 assists and eight steals, and Primoz Brezec added 20 points for Charlotte, which snapped an 11-game road losing streak.
The Bobcats led 83-82 with just over eight minutes left before going on a 12-2 run that decided the game. Orlando, which began the night one game behind Philadelphia for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, dropped another half-game behind the 76ers.
Grizzlies 105, Nets 96
In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Lorenzen Wright and Jason Williams each scored 20 points and Memphis shot 70 percent in the first half to end New Jersey's five-game winning streak.
James Posey added 12, Bonzi Wells had 11 and Earl Watson and Pau Gasol each had 10 as Memphis won for the ninth time in 12 games.
Vince Carter led the Nets with 22, Nenad Krstic had 21 and Rodney Buford 15. Jason Kidd had 12 points and 12 assists.
Watson hit a 3-pointer with 6:04 remaining to make it 88-84, Cliff Robinson missed a 3-point heave on New Jersey's next possession and the Nets sagged. Gasol hit consecutive baskets on a layup and a hook shot as the Grizzlies ran off 10 straight points for a 95-84 lead.
Nuggets 117, Lakers 96
In Denver, DerMarr Johnson had 20 points and helped slow Kobe Bryant in the second half to lead Denver to a rout of the Los Angeles Lakers to give them their longest losing streak in 11 years.
Bryant had always played well in Colorado, where he was charged with sexual assault two summers ago. Bryant no longer has to deal with the allegations -- the criminal case was dismissed and a civil suit was dropped earlier this month -- but his team is in disarray.
The Lakers have lost seven straight and dropped 5 games behind Denver for the Western Conference's final playoff spot with 14 games left.
Wizards 85, Jazz 84
In Salt Lake City, Larry Hughes hit a shot from the top of the key to put Washington ahead with 46.4 seconds left in the game to give the Wizards their first win in Utah since 1997. Utah's Keith McLeod missed a layup at the buzzer to concede the game.
Gilbert Arenas scored 29 points and Hughes finished with 25, including what proved to be the game-winner.
Matt Harpring had 18 points and six assists off the bench for Utah, which lost forward Andrei Kirilenko for the season when he broke his left wrist early in the first quarter. Raja Bell had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz.
Kings 109, Mavericks 101
In Sacramento, California, Peja Stojakovic hit six 3-pointers on the way to a season-high 38 points, and an energized Sacramento avoided a regular-season sweep by Dallas.
Mike Bibby had 17 points and eight assists, while Kenny Thomas scored 15 points and teamed with Darius Songaila to hold Dirk Nowitzki to nine of his 35 points in the fourth quarter.
For the first time in several weeks, Stojakovic played a full game with the same confidence and flair that made him the NBA's second-leading scorer last season. The inconsistent Serbian forward had just his third 30-point game of the season while grabbing nine rebounds and making all 14 of his free throws.
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