NBA ROUNDUP : Rockets Soar to 11-0 With Win Over Jazz

On the verge of losing their first game, Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets found a way to win their 11th in a row Wednesday night.

“When we concentrate on defense, offense takes care of itself,” the 7-foot center said after the Rockets held off the Utah Jazz, 95-93, in overtime at Salt Lake City to become only the sixth team in NBA history to begin a season 11-0.

Washington holds the record with its 15-0 start in 1948-49.

Houston’s Mario Elie scored 17 points, Sam Cassell 15 and Vernon Maxwell finished with 11--including a three-pointer that put the Rockets ahead for good with 2:15 left in overtime. John Stockton led Utah with 24 points and 10 assists. Jeff Malone, who missed a 17-footer as time in overtime expired, finished with 21.

Karl Malone had 20 points and 18 rebounds for the Jazz.

Phoenix 130, Denver 97--Charles Barkley scored 21 points and played the key role in a 17-2 second-quarter spurt at Phoenix.

It was the Suns’ fourth consecutive victory.

Barkley scored 11 points in the second quarter, seven of them during the 17-2 run that put the Suns in front, 54-26, with 7:25 left in the half.

LaPhonso Ellis led Denver with 14 points. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, averaging 23.7 points, managed only 11.

Dan Majerle scored 20 points and A.C. Green finished with 18 for Phoenix.

Minnesota 107, New Jersey 106--Chuck Person’s 18-foot jumper with 3.7 seconds left capped his season-high 21-point game at Minneapolis.

The Nets lost for the third time in four games--all in the final minute--despite a season-high 36 points and 15 rebounds from Derrick Coleman.

Coleman was both the hero and goat. In the final 1 1/2 minutes, he turned the ball over twice, missed two free throws and a 17-foot jumper at the buzzer as the Timberwolves scored the last seven points.

San Antonio 109, Chicago 84--The Spurs got 21 points from Willie Anderson and outscored the Bulls, 31-14, in the third quarter at San Antonio.

The defending NBA-champion Bulls, led by Horace Grant’s 18 points, lost their third consecutive game and sixth of seven. Chicago (4-7) is off to its worst start since 1985-86.

The Spurs used the big third quarter to build a 85-63 lead going into the final 12 minutes.

Anderson and Dale Ellis, who scored 17 points, combined to hit 16 of 23 shots.

Atlanta 89, Milwaukee 85--The Hawks, behind Craig Ehlo’s 21 points at Milwaukee, won their sixth consecutive game and handed the Bucks their ninth defeat in a row.

Blue Edwards scored 28 points for the Bucks, whose 1-9 start is their worst since opening the 1974-75 season with a 1-13 record.

Todd Day added 23 points and Eric Murdock 13 for Milwaukee, which is 0-5 at home and 1-4 on the road.

Boston 118, Detroit 103--The Celtics, held to 71 points in their previous game, hit 20 consecutive shots from late in the first half until early in the fourth quarter, and got 20 points from Robert Parish at Auburn Hills.

The Celtics, who shot only 38% from the field Monday night in a 102-71 loss to Indiana, connected on 65% against the Pistons, including the 16-minute streak without a miss from the floor.

Cleveland 113, Washington 107--Mark Price had 28 points and 12 assists at Richfield, Ohio, as the Cavaliers returned from their longest road trip of the season.

The Cavaliers improved to 2-2 at home after going 2-4 on their six-game western trip. The Bullets, who lost for only the second time in six games, have lost six straight at Richfield Coliseum.

Philadelphia 108, Indiana 97--Reserves Dana Barros and Tim Perry scored season highs of 22 and 20 points to rally the 76ers at Indianapolis.

The Sixers scored 100 points for only the second time in 11 games this season and beat the Pacers despite 25 points from Rik Smits.

Pooh Richardson had 16 points and 10 assists and Dale Davis 11 points and 16 rebounds for the Pacers. Hornacek scored 19 points for Philadelphia.

Golden State 108, Miami 102--Latrell Sprewell scored 10 of his 27 points in the final 2:20 as the Warriors overcame a 17-point deficit at Miami.

The seventh and final lead change of the fourth quarter came when Sprewell hit a three-pointer to put the Warriors ahead, 97-95, with 2:20 left.

The Warriors’ Chris Webber finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds.

Seattle 120, Sacramento 93--The SuperSonics kept their perfect season intact as Gary Payton scored 23 points at Sacramento.

Ricky Pierce had 13 of his 21 points in the second half and Detlef Schrempf finished with 18 points for the SuperSonics, who are 9-0. Seattle also won its third consecutive road game, the team’s best road start since the 1982-83 season.

The SuperSonics’ nine straight victories match the third-best consecutive victory record in franchise history.