NBA ROUNDUP : O’Neal, Hardaway Blast Rockets

Shaquille O’Neal scored 30 points and Anfernee Hardaway had 29 points, nine rebounds and a career-high seven steals Wednesday night to lead the Orlando Magic to a 117-94 victory over the defending NBA champion Houston Rockets at Orlando.

The victory was the fifth in a row for the Magic. The Rockets lost for the second consecutive night after opening the season with nine victories in a row.

“We try and make a statement every night, against every team,” Orlando’s Nick Anderson said after the Magic improved to 5-0 at home. “We try and protect our home court, but we want to go out and play every team like they are the champs--not just when we play Houston.”

Hakeem Olajuwon led the Rockets with 27 points and 10 rebounds.

Utah 113, Seattle 103--Jeff Hornacek made all eight of his three-point shots, breaking an NBA record, and scored a career-high 40 points to lead the Jazz at Salt Lake City.

Denver 113, Chicago 111--Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf made a three-point shot with 2.2 seconds to play to lift the Nuggets at Denver.

B.J. Armstrong’s 16-foot jumper had given the Bulls a 111-110 lead with 4.6 seconds to play.

Miami 100, Cleveland 87--Glen Rice scored 30 points and sparked a third-quarter rally at Miami to help the Heat end a three-game losing streak.

Bimbo Coles added 19 points and 10 assists for the Heat.

Boston 98, Charlotte 91--Dee Brown scored 24 points and the Celtics held on after leading by 26 late in the third quarter at Boston.

Boston overcame an outstanding performance by Alonzo Mourning, who had 36 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks and helped the Hornets cut into the Celtics’ lead.

Detroit 113, Milwaukee 108--Terry Mills had 24 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Pistons at Auburn Hills, Mich.

Atlanta 89, Minnesota 77--Steve Smith scored 18 of his 28 points in the second half and the Hawks survived a six-point second quarter at Minneapolis.

Atlanta won consecutive games for the first time this season.

San Antonio 110, Portland 105--Chuck Person of the Spurs made a three-point shot from the left corner with 1:36 to play and teammate Sean Elliott beat the shot clock with another three-pointer with less than a minute remaining at San Antonio.

New Jersey 103, Sacramento 98--Armon Gilliam had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Derrick Coleman added 21 points and 12 rebounds at Sacramento as the Nets won on the road for the first time this season.