Rockets Complete 4-0 West Coast Trip

Tracy McGrady had 20 points and the Houston Rockets wrapped up their unbeaten West Coast swing with a 97-94 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Monday night at Oakland.

Juwan Howard scored 18 points before leaving because of a sprained right knee late in Houston’s fifth consecutive victory.

The Rockets held off a remarkable rally.

Mickael Pietrus made consecutive three-point baskets to pull the Warriors to within five, 79-74, with 7:37 left. Zarko Cabarkapa then made consecutive three-pointers that got it to 87-83 with 4:49 left. Pietrus tied it with a four-point play at 2:56, but McGrady sank a jumper on the other end.

Yao Ming made two free throws with 49 seconds left, and David Wesley made two with 10 seconds remaining. Baron Davis made a layup moments later, then Wesley converted two more free throws. Pietrus missed a long three-point shot at the buzzer.

Cabarkapa had career highs of 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors.

Miami 110, Milwaukee 71 -- Dwyane Wade scored 29 points on 10-for-12 shooting, Shaquille O’Neal had 21 points and the Heat won its 13th in a row at home -- an effort that moved Miami into a virtual tie with San Antonio and Phoenix for the league’s top overall record.

It was the largest victory margin of the season for Miami (49-16), which has won a league-best nine in a row overall. San Antonio and Phoenix are 48-15. Miami has held leads of at least 17 points in each of its last eight games, and has won its last nine by an average of 17.6 points.

San Antonio 112, New Orleans 89 -- Tim Duncan had 18 points and 13 rebounds in his return to the Spurs’ lineup at San Antonio.

Duncan sat out the previous two games -- both losses -- because of a sprained right ankle and tightness in his back. While Duncan returned, point guard Tony Parker sat out his first game of the season because of a quadriceps injury and Manu Ginobili sat out because of a groin injury.

Detroit 114, Atlanta 108 -- Tayshaun Prince scored a career-high 31 points, and the Pistons bounced back from the lowest-scoring game in franchise history to end a four-game road losing streak in overtime.

Detroit on Sunday failed to make a field goal in the fourth quarter of a 64-62 victory over Utah.

Detroit played without Coach Larry Brown, who underwent additional surgery Monday related to a November operation. No timetable was given for his return. Assistant Gar Heard replaced him.

Boston 119, Charlotte 110 -- Antoine Walker finished with 25 points at Charlotte, N.C., to lead the Celtics to their fourth victory in a row. Boston has won eight of nine games since reacquiring Walker in a trade with Atlanta last month.

Memphis 104, Portland 83 -- Mike Miller scored 27 points at Memphis, Tenn., and the Grizzlies were never in trouble in the second half, leading by as many as 23 points. Meanwhile, Portland forward Zach Randolph will undergo season-ending surgery on his right knee next week.

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Carmelo Anthony, who had nine points on two-for-10 shooting, downplayed Denver Coach George Karl’s decision to bench him for the last 18 minutes of Sunday’s 106-101 loss to Phoenix.

“I watched the film just now and still couldn’t pinpoint it,” Anthony said Monday. “It’s not a big deal. Just because this happened doesn’t mean that something has been going on between me and Coach Karl.”