Tracy McGrady scored 22 points, Shane Battier added 20, and the Rockets tied a franchise record with their 15th straight win, a 103-89 victory over the Denver Nuggets last night in Houston.
The winning streak is the longest in the NBA this season and matches the longest in franchise history, reached twice, with the last one coming in their championship season of 1993-94. It was Houston's third straight win since losing All-Star center Yao Ming for the season with a stress fracture in his left foot and its 19th win in the last 20 games.
Houston trailed by 7 before taking the lead with about a minute left in the first quarter on a dunk by McGrady after a turnover by Allen Iverson. The Rockets didn't trail after that and led by double digits for most of the game.
Iverson had a tough night, going 7 for 22 and finishing with a 17 points.
Dikembe Mutombo started the third straight game in place of Yao and had 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 points in 24 minutes.
Lakers 108, Mavericks 104 - Kobe Bryant took charge late in the game, scoring 22 points in the fourth quarter and 8 in overtime to finish with 52, sparking host Los Angeles past Dallas in overtime.
Bryant hit the 50-point mark for the 22d time in his career and first time this season. He went 15 of 27 from the floor and, constantly driving and drawing fouls, was 20 of 27 from the line. He was perfect shooting free throws in the fourth quarter, making 13, and converted the two he took in overtime.
Dirk Nowitzki had 30 points for Dallas, including a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining in regulation to tie it at 93.
Wizards 101, Hornets 84 - Antawn Jamison had 28 points and nine rebounds and led the decisive run as host Washington beat New Orleans for its fourth win in five games and its second over the Hornets in a week.
Leading, 80-79, with 6:40 to play, the Wizards blew the game apart with a 19-0 run. Jamison started it with two free throws and a 3-pointer, then his block of Peja Stojakovic's layup led to a 3-pointer by DeShawn Stevenson that pushed the lead to 9. The Hornets didn't score again until a 3-pointer by Rasual Butler in the final minute.
Stojakovic scored 17 points and Chris Paul had 16 to lead the Hornets, who had won two straight since a 95-92 home loss to Washington last Monday.
Warriors 110, Trail Blazers 104 - Stephen Jackson hit six 3-pointers while scoring 29 points, Monta Ellis added 22 points, and host Golden State beat Portland for its seventh win in nine games.
Baron Davis had 18 points for the Warriors, who beat Portland for the first time in three tries this season.
Brandon Roy scored 26 points and Travis Outlaw added 17 for the Blazers, who have lost nine of 12. Roy scored 17 points in the second half, but his teammates couldn't hit several key shots late in an uptempo game.
Cavaliers 95, Bulls 86 - LeBron James scored 37 points and took over down the stretch to lead host Cleveland over Chicago.
With the game tied at 83, James scored 6 straight points, including a thunderous dunk.
Former Cavalier Larry Hughes led the Bulls with 23 points, making 8 of 20 shots from the field. Another former Cavalier, Drew Gooden, added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Spurs 93, Nets 83 - Tony Parker had 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, and visiting San Antonio downed New Jersey to win its season-high ninth straight game.
Tim Duncan added 13 points and 14 rebounds, and Manu Ginobili had 17 points as the Spurs beat the Nets for the 10th straight time. New Jersey has not beaten San Antonio since November 2002.
Bobcats 110, Raptors 98 - Jason Richardson scored 30 points and former Boston College standout Jared Dudley added a career-high 17 points and 10 rebounds as host Charlotte took advantage of Chris Bosh's absence to beat Toronto and snap a five-game losing streak.
With Bosh sidelined for perhaps a week with a sore right knee, the Raptors lost their second straight and looked listless in the second half against one of the NBA's worst teams.
Kings 120, Heat 109 - Ron Artest scored 32 points, Kevin Martin added 29, and host Sacramento overcame a 21-point deficit in the second half to beat Miami.
The victory was sweet revenge for Sacramento, which lost by 21 points last week in Miami when the Heat snapped an 11-game losing streak with their most lopsided victory of the season. Dwyane Wade had 26 points and seven assists for Miami, which beat Seattle Friday night and was seeking only its second win streak all season.
Sonics 111, Timberwolves 108 - Kevin Durant scored 25 points and visiting Seattle snapped its four-game losing streak by beating Minnesota in overtime.
Al Jefferson led Minnesota with 30 points and 12 rebounds. Pacers 128, Bucks 106 - Mike Dunleavy tied his career high of 36 points for the second straight game, lifting host Indiana.
