Defensive Heat Burns Hornets

The Miami Heat didn’t have Alonzo Mourning or P.J. Brown, both of whom are injured. But as long as it has its defense, the Heat has a chance.

Miami proved that Saturday night when it shut down the Charlotte Hornets’ Glen Rice at Miami and won, 101-88.

Rice, entering the game as the league’s sixth-best scorer with a 22.5 per-game average, was held to only two points. Tim Hardaway scored 29 and handed out 10 assists for the Heat.

Rice, who had averaged 32 points in three wins over his former team this season, took only six shots and missed five of them.

“I think we stunned him offensively,” Heat Coach Pat Riley said. “We had . . . a few rules on Glen. You have to be right on him, you can’t help off him and you have to stunt blitz on him.”

The victory was Miami’s eighth in its last nine games and first over Charlotte this season.

Mark Strickland, filling in for Brown, scored 15 points. Duane Causwell, starting for Mourning, grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds.

San Antonio 88, Golden State 80--David Robinson had 24 points, 18 rebounds and seven blocks at San Antonio, where the Spurs recovered after blowing a 14-point fourth-quarter lead to win in overtime for their fifth straight victory.

Tim Duncan had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Spurs, who trail the Lakers by 2 1/2 games for the fourth playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Phoenix 90, Portland 83--Antonio McDyess scored 23 points at Portland and Jason Kidd sparked a late fourth-quarter run to help the Suns end a four-game home losing streak and win their fourth straight overall.

Isaiah Rider and Brian Grant each had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who have lost two of their last three games.

New Jersey 97, New York 94--Sam Cassell had 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Keith Van Horn added 25 points at East Rutherford, N.J., but the Nets still needed Kerry Kittles at the end. He blocked Charlie Ward’s three-point attempt as time ran out to preserve the victory.