NBA ROUNDUP : Houston Slows Down Orlando, 97-85

The Orlando Magic’s run at first place in the Eastern Division stalled in Houston on Tuesday night as Shaquille O’Neal was no match for Hakeem Olajuwon.

Olajuwon scored 26 points and Sam Cassell got all his 16 points in the second half as the Rockets ended the Magic’s seven-game winning streak, 97-85.

Cassell did not score until 1:19 remained in the third quarter. Then he equaled a season high as the Rockets ended a two-game losing streak.

Olajuwon helped hold O’Neal, the league’s leading scorer, to 19 points on eight-for-19 shooting. Olajuwon was aided by Otis Thorpe’s 19 rebounds.

“They really came out and swarmed on defense against Shaq, and it was tough to get him one-on-one,” said Coach Brian Hill of Orlando.

Seattle 112, Charlotte 96--Kendall Gill and Gary Payton broke loose in the second half and finished with 21 and 20 points, respectively, as the SuperSonics rallied in the fourth quarter at Seattle.

Atlanta 102, Minnesota 99--Danny Manning, in his home debut for the Hawks, made a 12-foot jumper with eight seconds left, salvaging a victory. Manning scored 21 points on eight-for-13 shooting and Stacey Augmon had 21 points. Christian Laettner scored 21 points for Minnesota, which has lost 11 in a row on the road.

Indiana 106, Portland 94--Rik Smits had 24 points and 13 rebounds, his fifth consecutive game with more than 10 in each category, as the Pacers ended the Trail Blazers’ six-game winning streak in a game at Indianapolis.

New Jersey 108, Detroit 98--Chris Morris continued his tear from three-point range by making a team-record six as the Nets overcame a slow start at East Rutherford, N.J.

Washington 109, Philadelphia 103--Pervis Ellison had season highs of 25 points and 12 rebounds as the Bullets ended a six-game losing streak and extended the 76ers’ losing streak to 10 at Philadelphia.

Miami 110, Milwaukee 102--Glen Rice scored 25 points, including 16 in the first quarter at Milwaukee, and Grant Long had a season-high 22 as the Heat went five games above the .500 mark for the first time in franchise history.

New York 100, Sacramento 88--Patrick Ewing scored 28 points and had a season-high 21 rebounds as the Knicks ended a four-game losing streak with the win at Sacramento. Greg Anthony scored 18 points and John Starks had 16.