Portland Streak Hits 10

Portland didn’t wait for the Charlotte Hornets to give up their 12-game home winning streak. Instead, the Trail Blazers went in and took it away with a dominating fourth quarter.

Portland used its usual stellar defense and dominated the boards Thursday night to pick up its 10th consecutive victory, 83-70, over the Hornets at Charlotte, N.C.

The Trail Blazers earned a season sweep over the Hornets for the second consecutive year.

“We came in knowing they had a long winning streak here, and no one would have lost any sleep if we had lost to them,” Portland guard Greg Anthony said.

“But we went out and grabbed the game in the fourth quarter, and by doing so, we showed we have a lot of pride and we want to the best.”

With 27 victories, Portland is the best team in the NBA--at least in the win column.

“We feel pretty good right now, like we can make a run at it this year,” said Steve Smith, who scored nine of his 16 points in the deciding fourth quarter.

“We are playing defense, sharing the ball, enjoying the game and really playing with consistency.”

The Hornets, who rallied from a 17-point deficit in the first quarter and led by nine late in the third, were booed as they left the floor. They were held to a season-low 12 fourth-quarter points and allowed Portland to grab a season-high 55 rebounds compared to Charlotte’s 40.

Houston 76, New York 75--A horrible offensive collapse ruined a record-setting defensive accomplishment for the Knicks, who failed to score over the final 3:20 and lost to the Rockets at New York.

Cuttino Mobley drove around Latrell Sprewell for a layup with 8.7 seconds left to complete a game-ending 7-0 run for the Rockets. The Knicks got the final shot, but Larry Johnson missed an 18-foot jumper.

The Knicks held their opponent under 100 points for the 29th consecutive time, breaking the record set by the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1954, but it was of little consolation as they had their winning streak snapped at seven games.

Atlanta 107, Golden State 96--Dikembe Mutombo scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds to lead the Hawks over the Warriors at Atlanta.

Mutombo, one of five Hawks to score in double figures, had his best point total since March 28, 1999, when he had 24 in a victory over Denver. Roshown McLeod added 18 points, and Jason Terry and Lorenzen Wright each scored 17 for Atlanta.

Orlando 101, New Jersey 87--Tracy McGrady put on a fourth-quarter show by scoring 11 of his 36 points to lead the Magic over the Nets at East Rutherford, N.J.

Darrell Armstrong added 20 points and 14 assists, and Mike Miller added 17 points as Orlando ended a four-game losing streak by holding New Jersey to seven field goals in the second half.

Milwaukee 102, Dallas 94--Sam Cassell scored 21 points and had nine assists to lead the Bucks to their eighth consecutive victory at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

Glenn Robinson added 20 points, and Ray Allen and Tim Thomas each scored 18 for the Bucks, who improved to 20-15 and are one game behind Charlotte in the Central Division.

Phoenix 93, Indiana 85--Shawn Marion scored a career-high 27 points and had 17 rebounds as the Suns pulled away at the finish to defeat the Pacers at Phoenix.