NBA ROUNDUP : Elie Fills In Nicely for Drexler

Mario Elie jumped into the void left when Clyde Drexler was carried off the court on a stretcher Tuesday night and scored seven of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to help lift the Rockets to a 103-96 victory over Phoenix at Houston.

“I just wanted to put an extra effort for him,” Elie said. “I felt real bad when Clyde got hurt because I made the pass to him when probably I shouldn’t have.”

Drexler was carried off the court on a stretcher early in the second period after colliding with Phoenix forward Charles Barkley. Drexler’s injury, which required a trip to a hospital, was diagnosed as a deep bruise and his playing status was listed as day-to-day.

For the injury-depleted Suns, the loss was the fourth in five games and sixth in their last seven road contests. Barkley, who had 22 points, missed two shots in the final seconds, a jumper with 22 seconds left and a three-point attempt with 8.5 seconds to go. Elliott Perry, playing in place of injured Kevin Johnson, also had 22 for Phoenix.

Hakeem Olajuwon had 31 points and 17 rebounds to lead Houston.

Chicago 114, Dallas 101--Michael Jordan scored 32 points, and the Bulls extended its winning streak to 11 games with a victory at Chicago.

Scottie Pippen played only 29 minutes and finished with 13 points, four rebounds and four assists.

“Scottie’s been carrying us lately and I’ve been playing a supporting role,” Jordan said. “Tonight, it was reversed. Scottie didn’t have his game, so I did what I had to do.”

Tony Dumas scored 24 points for the Mavericks, who have lost 14 of 16 since a 5-1 start.

Trying to challenge the NBA’s best team without top players Jamal Mashburn and Jason Kidd, the frustration set in for Dallas Coach Dick Motta, who was ejected for arguing with referee Dan Crawford with 6:32 to play. Motta had just returned after sitting out two games because of his father’s death.

Golden State 102, Charlotte 99--Rony Seikaly’s tip-in with 20 seconds left gave the Warriors a lead and his two free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining clinched the victory at Oakland.

Seikaly finished with 24 points and 19 rebounds, including a key rebound following Larry Johnson’s missed potential go-ahead jumper on Charlotte’s next-to-last possession.

Johnson led Charlotte with 23 points. The Hornets are 1-4 this season in games decided by five or fewer points.

It was the 300th career victory for Golden State Coach Rick Adelman.

Cleveland 100, Minnesota 95--Terrell Brandon scored a career-high 32 points, and the Cavaliers rallied in the fourth quarter to spoil Flip Saunders’ debut as coach of the Timberwolves at Cleveland.

Saunders, a two-time CBA coach of the year who grew up near Cleveland, was coaching his first NBA game since replacing the fired Bill Blair. Minnesota was 6-14 under Blair.

Detroit 94, Toronto 82--Grant Hill scored 26 points and collected 11 rebounds to lead the Pistons over the Raptors at Toronto.

After the Raptors pulled even, 72-72, on Damon Stoudamire’s field goal with 9:04 remaining, Hill followed with two free throws and Otis Thorpe, who scored 21 points before fouling out with just under two minutes to play, tipped in Hill’s miss and Detroit never looked back.

San Antonio 111, Portland 103--David Robinson scored 31 points, including 10 points and six rebounds in the final quarter, and Sean Elliott added 27 as the Spurs rallied to beat the Trail Blazers at San Antonio.

Portland, which lost its third in a row, shot 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Cliff Robinson scored 25 points to lead the Trail Blazers.

Vancouver 94, Seattle 93--Blue Edwards hit a three-point shot with 1:12 remaining and then made two free throws to give the Grizzlies an upset victory over the SuperSonics at Vancouver.

It was the expansion Grizzlies’ first victory over a team with a winning record and their second win in four games following a 19-game losing streak.

Seattle’s Sam Perkins, who held Vancouver center Bryant Reeves to one basket, missed a long three-point basket at the buzzer. Edwards led Vancouver with 22 points.