NBA ROUNDUP : Rockets No Trouble for Unbeaten Heat

The Miami Heat needed only two games to achieve unprecedented success under Pat Riley.

Keith Askins made two free throws to break a tie with 1:02 left Wednesday at Miami and the Heat improved to 2-0 for the first time in their eight-year history by defeating two-time defending champion Houston, 89-82.

In another breakthrough with its new coach, the Heat broke an 11-game losing streak against the Rockets dating back to November 1989.

The Rockets, who fell to 3-1, scored six consecutive points to tie the score, 82-82, but failed to score in the final two minutes.

Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon began the game needing 30 points to become the 21st player to reach 20,000. He finished with 22 and failed to score in the fourth quarter against Alonzo Mourning, who missed 10 of 13 shots and scored 13 points.

Orlando 130, New Jersey 122--Anfernee Hardaway scored a career-high 42 points and Nick Anderson atoned for a poor shooting night with a pair of clutch three-pointers in the third overtime as the Magic beat the Nets at Orlando.

Dennis Scott had 32 for Orlando, which erased a 10-point deficit in the last four minutes of the fourth quarter and held leads in the closing seconds of regulation and the first and second overtime periods, only to see the Nets tie the score.

Washington 110, Charlotte 96--Gheorghe Muresan scored 13 of his career-high 31 points in the fourth quarter, and the Bullets overcame 38 points by Glen Rice to get the victory at Landover, Md.

Muresan, getting extended playing time in place of the injured Chris Webber, had nine points in a 12-2 run that enabled the Bullets to extend an 87-84 lead to a 13-point cushion.

The 7-foot-7 Muresan made 13 of 16 shots, had nine blocks and grabbed nine rebounds.

Sacramento 109, Toronto 90--Mitch Richmond scored 32 points as the Kings continued their best start in 35 years with a win at Toronto.

Richmond made eight of nine shots in the first half as the Kings improved to 4-0 for the third time in franchise history.

Tracy Murray led the Raptors with 22 points and Oliver Miller scored 16 as a reserve.

San Antonio 111, Vancouver 62--David Robinson scored 31 points and helped hold the Grizzlies to the fourth-lowest point total in NBA history at San Antonio.

The 62 points also established a new low for a San Antonio opponent.

Robinson put the game away by scoring 20 points in the third quarter. He scored 15 points in a row for the Spurs to push San Antonio to a 71-37 advantage with 1:13 to play.

Boston 113, Phoenix 109--Dino Radja and Dee Brown scored 21 points each as the Celtics got their first victory by outrunning the Suns at Boston.

The Celtics outscored Phoenix, 20-2, on fast breaks. Their last one, started by Rick Fox’s rebound and long pass and capped by Radja’s dunk with 1:08 left, gave them a 109-103 lead.

Seattle 122, Denver 117--Detlef Schrempf scored 35 points and had eight rebounds as the SuperSonics kept the Nuggets winless with a victory at Denver.

Shawn Kemp added 27 points and Gary Payton had 24 points and 10 assists for the SuperSonics.

Detroit 107, Portland 100--Joe Dumars, playing on a bad hamstring, scored 41 points in 42 minutes to lead the Pistons to an overtime victory at Auburn Hills, Mich.

Dumars missed 10 consecutive shots in one stretch but did enough to help Doug Collins get his first victory as the Pistons’ coach.

NBA Notes

Tyrone Hill of the Cleveland Cavaliers remained hospitalized after a car accident with injuries that left his right arm and right leg weakened. . . . Free-agent guard Gary Grant was signed by the New York Knicks.