Barkley Is Back, but the Suns Are Too Hot

Charles Barkley made a surprise return, but it didn’t help the Rockets much Wednesday night at Phoenix.

Kevin Johnson had 30 points and 11 assists for the Suns, who won their seventh game in a row, 109-96, over Houston.

Wesley Person added 21 points and Hot Rod Williams added 16 points and a season-high 16 rebounds for the Suns, who have won 13 of their last 15 games, including two wins each over Seattle and Houston.

Phoenix is within five wins of .500 after starting the season 0-13.

Hakeem Olajuwon had 31 points and Clyde Drexler 20 for the Rockets, whose four-game winning streak was stopped.

Barkley, playing for the first time since suffering a hip injury March 1, grabbed 16 rebounds but missed 12 of 14 shots and finished with six points in 26 minutes.

“I don’t care about missing shots right now. I’m just glad to be back out there after such a long time,” said Barkley, who has missed 29 of Houston’s 71 games. “I felt like I could jump well. My legs got fatigued and that’s were the problem is right now, more with the groin area than the pelvis.

“Our goal is to win an NBA championship, and we have to get our players healthy for the run. I’ve got three weeks to get back in shape and work on my shot. If I can get 16 rebounds a night a make a few shots here and there, we’ll be fine.”

Utah 118, Sacramento 87--Karl Malone scored 23 points and Bryon Russell added 19 for the Jazz, which opened a 39-point halftime lead and rolled past the Kings at Salt Lake City for its 10th win in a row.

The Jazz won for the 15th time in 16 games and improved the NBA’s second-best home record to 32-3.

The Kings lost their fifth game in a row and dropped to 2 1/2 games behind the Clippers for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Minnesota 94, New Jersey 89--Stephon Marbury made six of his first seven three-point shots and scored 21 points for the Timberwolves in a win at Minneapolis.

Tom Gugliotta added 21 points and Kevin Garnett scored 24 for Minnesota, including an off-balance bank shot from the top of the key to beat the 24-second clock and give the Timberwolves a 91-86 lead with 1:06 remaining.

Charlotte 95, Atlanta 84--Glen Rice shook off the flu and scored 38 points for the injury-plagued Hornets, who ended Atlanta’s winning streak at seven games by winning at Charlotte.

Rice, held out of practice for two days, led all players with 42 minutes and made 10 of 21 shots and 16 of 18 free throws. He scored 35 of Charlotte’s final 73 points.

Detroit 99, San Antonio 92--Grant Hill scored 31 points and Joe Dumars made two key three-point baskets in the fourth quarter for the Pistons, who won at San Antonio.

Detroit held a 69-68 lead, and Dumars hit his two three-pointers in a 15-4 run over the first four minutes of the fourth quarter that gave the Pistons an 84-72 lead.

Cleveland 96, Boston 87--Terrell Brandon scored 19 points--including the first five of a fourth quarter-opening 11-0 run--to lead the Cavaliers, who moved half a game ahead of Washington in the race for the final Eastern Conference race with a win at Boston.

Toronto 112, Philadelphia 90--Doug Christie had 29 points and 15 rebounds for the Raptors, and his two three-point baskets ignited an 11-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter that put them in charge of a game at Philadelphia.