Rockets Pick Right Time to End Streak

It took them six tries, but the Houston Rockets finally got Rudy Tomjanovich his 300th coaching victory.

After a week of turmoil over trade rumors, the Rockets ended a five-game losing streak as Clyde Drexler scored 11 of his 23 points in the third quarter for a 112-87 victory over the San Antonio Spurs Saturday night at Houston.

“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” Tomjanovich said. “We’ve had some negative things recently but we came out and did a terrific job.”

The Rockets had to overcome the distractions of trade talks with Toronto that had Kevin Willis, Mario Elie and another player going to the Raptors.

The deal didn’t happen and the Rockets rallied as Tomjanovich (300-179) reached his milestone in 479 games, ninth fastest in NBA history.

The victory cooled off San Antonio, which had won 19 of its last 23 games.

“They really stepped up their game, we still don’t know what hit us,” Spur guard Avery Johnson said. “You knew the Rockets were going to come out of their funk and we were hoping it wasn’t going to be against us.”

Toronto 113, Minnesota 107--The Raptors, trailing by 18 points early in the fourth quarter at Toronto, used the shooting of Doug Christie and Damon Stoudamire to send the game into overtime and end the Timberwolves’ seven-game winning streak.

Christie, who scored 31 points, made all seven of his shots in the quarter. Stoudamire had four points in the final minute of regulation to tie the score, then made jump shot with 6.2 seconds left in overtime to clinch the victory.

Cleveland 111, Philadelphia 92--Brevin Knight tied the NBA season high with eight steals and shut down Allen Iverson as the Cavaliers won at Cleveland.

Iverson, who scored 50 points at Gund Arena late last season, was held to eight points on two-of-nine shooting.

Knight, a rookie from Stanford who leads the league in steals, badly hurt his shoulder while diving out of bounds with Iverson the last time the teams met in Philadelphia. This time, he picked apart Iverson and the 76ers. He also had eight points and 11 assists.

Washington 104, New Jersey 87--The Wizards took control with a 22-1 run in the first quarter at Washington as they moved over the .500 mark for the season.

Chris Webber, who scored 22 points, finished with 20 or more points for the 14th consecutive game, a streak unaffected by his arrest Tuesday on assault and marijuana possession charges.

The Nets were coming off an overtime loss at home to Chicago the night before. Perhaps showing the effects, they made only six of 20 shots in the first quarter.

New York 99, Detroit 92--The Knicks overcame a 35-point performance by Jerry Stackhouse to win at Auburn Hills, Mich.

New York led, 54-42, at halftime, then spent the third quarter trying to fight off Detroit’s comeback attempts. The Pistons got to within 71-63 late in the quarter on consecutive baskets by Stackhouse.

Stackhouse kept scoring, finishing with 13 in the fourth quarter, but got no help, and the Knicks ran out the clock.

Indiana 95, Boston 88--Reggie Miller scored 23 of his 32 points in the second half at Indianapolis as the Pacers overcame a 17-point deficit.

The Pacers, 28-12, didn’t record their 28th victory last season until March 2 in their 57th game. Their start is the best in the first half of the season since joining the NBA in 1976.

Charlotte 94, Dallas 92--Matt Geiger made a key block with nine seconds left enabling the Hornets to win at Dallas.

The Mavericks got to within 94-92 with one minute left and were in position to tie when Michael Finley worked inside for a layup in the closing seconds, but Geiger blocked the shot.

Portland 92, Atlanta 77--Isaiah Rider scored 28 points to help the Trail Blazers defeat the Hawks for the first time in more than three years.

Portland had lost six in a row to the Hawks since Jan. 3, 1995. The Trail Blazers have won five of their last six games.

Milwaukee 101, Sacramento 97--The Bucks scored 20 of the game’s final 26 points at Milwaukee as they handed the Kings their fifth consecutive loss.

Terrell Brandon had 23 points to lead the Bucks. The Kings’ Mitch Richmond scored 32 points.

Vancouver 107, Golden State 96--The Grizzlies won at Vancouver, giving them the first three-game winning streak in the franchise’s three-year history. The Warriors lost their 14th in a row.

NBA Notes

Larry Bird could earn the honor of coaching the East in the NBA All-Star game, but he still wasn’t ready to accept the assignment after his Indiana Pacers improved to 28-12 by beating Boston Saturday. They would have the best record in the conference if Chicago (30-12) loses to Utah today. “I’m not going to talk about the All-Star game. I’ve already said how I feel about it and that I have plans to go to Florida over the break,” he said.