NBA ROUNDUP : Shaq Helps Magic Improve Home Record

Defending home turf, Shaquille O’Neal insisted, was more important to him and the Orlando Magic than the personal satisfaction he got from finally beating David Robinson.

“We just wanted to come in and get a win,” O’Neal said after the Magic’s 110-104 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at Orlando, Fla., improved the Magic’s NBA-best record to 48-14. The team is 32-1 at Orlando Arena.

The Spurs were the only team the Magic hadn’t beaten since O’Neal entered the NBA three seasons ago. Robinson holds the statistical edge in six meetings between the All-Star centers and had 34 points and 12 rebounds to O’Neal’s 28 points and 13 rebounds in the latest matchup.

“I thought it was a great battle,” Robinson said. “You couldn’t get much more hype for a game, but it worked out. It was well-played for the most part. They made some big shots down the stretch.”

Anfernee Hardaway led the Magic with 31 points, 20 of them in the second half. Nick Anderson scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter when Orlando, playing without injured starter Horace Grant (bruised hip), pulled away from a 90-90 tie in the final 5:52.

Hardaway and Anderson carried the Magic until O’Neal, who struggled much of the fourth quarter, delivered a highlight-film dunk and two free throws in the final minute.

The victory was Orlando’s 11th in a row at home.

Utah 96, Miami 86--Despite an 18-point lead over the Heat going into the final quarter, the Jazz needed some big plays by John Stockton down the stretch to win at Miami.

Stockton had two layups, two steals and a big assist to help make up for a scoring drought that lasted almost six minutes. While Utah went scoreless, the Heat closed the gap to five points.

“They made a run, but we didn’t panic,” said Stockton, who had 15 points and 12 assists. “We made a couple of stops and then we made some plays on our end and got control again.”

Karl Malone had 28 points and 10 rebounds to pace Utah, which set a club record with its 21st road victory.

Miami was paced by Glen Rice with 25 points.

Atlanta 104, Boston 98--With high-scoring Stacey Augmon sidelined because of a sprained ankle, Ken Norman took charge of the Hawks’ offense at Boston and led the team over the .500 mark for the first time this season.

Norman scored a season-high 34 points, including 13 in the fourth period. He made 13 of 22 shots, including five of 10 from three-point range.

“He was terrific, he kept us in the game,” Coach Lenny Wilkens of the former Clipper.

The victory improved the Hawks’ record to 31-30.

Denver 109, Milwaukee 93--Rodney Rogers scored 21 points to lead a balanced attack for the Nuggets at Milwaukee.

The Nuggets, in the hunt for the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference, won for the sixth time in seven games to improve to 29-32.

Cleveland 92, Philadelphia 72--In this victory at Philadelphia, the Cavaliers demonstrated once again why they are leading the NBA in defense. For the ninth time this year, Cleveland held an opponent under 80 points. Meanwhile, six Cavalier players scored in double figures.

Golden State 124, Phoenix 117--Tim Hardaway, his heavily taped left wrist awaiting surgery, had 31 points and 15 assists as the Warriors defeated the injury-riddled Suns in overtime at Phoenix. Charles Barkley had 36 points and 16 rebounds for the Suns, who lost their second in a row at home.

Seattle 134, Detroit 94--Shawn Kemp had 25 points and 16 rebounds in only three quarters to lead the SuperSonics over the Pistons at Auburn Hills, Mich. The loss was the third-worst home defeat in Piston history.

Portland 102, Minnesota 88--Buck Williams had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Otis Thorpe had 20 points and six rebounds, as the Trail Blazers beat the Timberwolves at Minneapolis.

NBA Notes

The Houston Rockets activated Carl Herrera off the injured list. Herrera suffered a strained left hamstring against Denver on Jan. 31.