Mashburn Is Key for Heat

Tim Hardaway couldn’t wait to return and Jamal Mashburn was happy to stay.

Hardaway returned to the lineup Friday night after sitting out 26 games but it was Mashburn, the subject of trade talks, who keyed the Miami Heat’s 101-79 victory over the slumping Atlanta Hawks at Miami.

Mashburn, playing in his first game since learning he was nearly dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers for Larry Hughes, Billy Owens, Bruce Bowen and Nazr Mohammed, scored 28 points. Hardaway scored only two points on one-of-six shooting but dished out 11 assists in 26 minutes. It was his first game since injuring his right knee Dec. 1.

“I knew Mash would rise to the occasion,” said Hardaway, who had no turnovers. “He’s like I am. He likes a little confusion, controversy out there on the basketball court. Coach told us he’s not making the move and he’ll stick with us. Mash showed us he wants to stay.”

Phoenix 101 Denver 99--Tom Gugliotta had 21 points and 15 rebounds at Phoenix in his best game since suffering a seizure in mid-December.

Gugliotta, the Suns’ leading scorer last season, had averaged only 9.4 points in the previous seven games following his return from the scary episode.

Washington 123, Indiana 113--Juwan Howard scored a season-high 36 points and fueled a fourth-quarter comeback at Washington as the Wizards ended a five-game losing streak.

Howard, coming off a miserable two-for-nine shooting performance against the Dallas Mavericks two nights earlier, connected on 16 of 26 shots. He scored 12 in the fourth quarter, which began with the Wizards trailing, 93-87.

Boston 111, Seattle 86--Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce each scored 21 points at Boston as the Celtics won their fourth consecutive game and ended the SuperSonics’ seven-game winning streak.

Golden State 115, Cleveland 103--Antawn Jamison scored a career-high 37 points and had a season-high 18 rebounds at Oakland.

Around the League

The Vancouver Grizzlies were back on the block after prospective buyer Bill Laurie ended a four-month courtship, paying an undisclosed sum to walk away from a deal. Stan McCammon, deputy chairman of Orca Bay, the parent company that owns the Grizzlies, wouldn’t indicate how much the franchise received from Laurie, who had agreed to buy the team last September for $200 million. . . . Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the 7-foot-3 Cleveland Cavalier center sidelined because of a broken left foot since last February, will have surgery Wednesday after pain flared up again during a workout. Ilgauskas will have screws inserted into his foot and possibly a bone graft in an operation at the Cleveland Clinic and will be sidelined for the season. . . . The New Jersey Nets activated 7-7 center Gheorghe Muresan after a six-week stint on the disabled list. The Nets also placed center Michael Cage on the injured list because of a sprained toe and said guard Sherman Douglas underwent surgery on an ankle injury. . . . Houston Rocket forward Carlos Rogers will be sidelined four to six weeks following surgery Thursday to repair a torn ligament in his right hand. . . . The Golden State Warriors signed guard Sam Jacobson to a second 10-day contract after he averaged six points and 2.5 rebounds in four games.