Rockets pick up pace in Indiana

Bob Sura scored 17 points and the Houston Rockets won their sixth straight game, holding the Indiana Pacers to a single point in the final seven minutes in a 91-83 victory last night in Indianapolis.

After trailing by 15 points, Indiana rallied to tie it at 82, with Reggie Miller hitting two 3-pointers. But the Pacers missed their final 12 shots as the Rockets pulled away.

Indiana still had a chance after Jeff Foster hit one of two free throws with 2:51 to go, but Houston clinched the game with a free throw by Tracy McGrady and two foul shots by David Wesley.

Spurs 101, Nets 91 -- Bruce Bowen and San Antonio couldn't get Vince Carter off his game, so they did the next best thing -- they got him kicked out.

Tony Parker scored 17 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, and the Spurs took over after Bowen got Carter so angry that he picked a second technical foul with 9:45 to go in the Nets' loss in East Rutherford, N.J.

Carter, who scored 43 points on 14-of-24 shooting, became so enraged after tangling legs with Bowen after missing a jumper that he screamed at the Spurs' forward and walked menacingly toward him with 9:45 left.

Heat 97, Bobcats 87 -- At Charlotte, N.C., Shaquille O'Neal had 32 points and 12 rebounds to lead Miami to its fifth straight victory. Emeka Okafor returned for Charlotte after missing five games with a sprained left ankle, only to aggravate the injury and hobble off the court with 5:41 remaining. The expansion Bobcats lost their fifth straight.

SuperSonics 113, Suns 105 -- Ray Allen climbed out of an awful shooting night with 14 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and Seattle had seven players in double figures to beat host Phoenix in a showdown of division leaders.

Wizards 94, Clippers 91 -- Gilbert Arenas scored 14 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, and Antawn Jamison hit a big 3-pointer in the final minute, leading host Washington over Los Angeles.

76ers 106, Raptors 91 -- Allen Iverson scored 30 points to help visiting Philadelphia beat struggling Toronto, which has lost four straight. Kenny Thomas added 21 points and 8 rebounds, and rookie Andre Iguodala had 16 points and 8 rebounds.

Jazz 100, Timberwolves 82 -- Carlos Boozer answered criticism from team owner Larry Miller with 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Andrei Kirilenko had 20 points and 10 rebounds in Utah's victory over Minnesota in Salt Lake City.

Hornets 111, Warriors 108 -- Rodney Rogers scored 20 points and Bostjan Nachbar had 19, leading host New Orleans over Golden State.

Nuggets 106, Cavaliers 101 -- Earl Boykins scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half to overshadow another Carmelo Anthony-LeBron James matchup, leading visiting Denver. The sophomore showdown was onesided: James had 35 points, Anthony just 14.

Grizzlies 88, Trail Blazers 82 -- Stromile Swift scored 23 points, and Mike Miller added 22 in sluggish Memphis's victory over visiting Portland.

Mavericks 115, Kings 113 -- Jason Terry's driving 3-point play with 12.6 seconds to go gave visiting Dallas the lead and Sacramento took its fourth loss in a row for the first time since the end of the 1999-2000 season.