Heat Feels Sting, Thanks to Hornets

Desmond Mason scored 24 points, and the New Orleans Hornets overcame Dwyane Wade’s second triple-double for a 107-92 victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night before a record crowd of 19,326 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.

Hornet Coach Byron Scott also won his sixth straight game against Pat Riley, Scott’s coach from 1983 to 1990 with the Lakers.

Against Riley, his team scored a season high in points, including 16 on fastbreaks.

“It always feels good, but it feels good just to see him back out there,” Scott said. “I’m just glad to see him back on the sidelines.”

The Heat, which trailed 72-50 after Chris Paul set up Mason for a two-handed alley-oop jam with 7:58 to play in the third quarter, pulled to within 11 with nine consecutive points spanning the third and fourth quarters but could get no closer.

Wade had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He nearly had a dubious quadruple-double, finishing with eight turnovers.

“For the most part, I thought he saw a Hornet and a half or two every time he had the ball, and that was the key,” Scott said.

“We talked about playing five against two tonight, starting with Shaq [O’Neal] and Dwyane Wade.

“We did a real good job of making those guys give the ball up and then closing out the other guys.”

O’Neal finished with 19 points and nine rebounds in the first game of a seven-game trip.

Cleveland 91, Milwaukee 84 -- LeBron James had 17 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 11 rebounds, 11 assists and five steals to help the Cavaliers end a seven-game losing streak at Milwaukee.

Michael Redd scored 28 for the Bucks, whose bench failed to score.

Minnesota 91, Dallas 78 -- Kevin Garnett had 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists at Minneapolis to help the Timberwolves get a victory for only the third time in their last 11 games.

Dirk Nowitzki had 23 points for the Mavericks, who were held to a season low in scoring.

Toronto 121, Orlando 97 -- Rookie Charlie Villanueva scored 24 points at Toronto, and the Raptors shot a franchise-record 63% (46 of 73) from the field to win four in a row for the first time since December 2003.

Jameer Nelson had a career-high 31 points for the Magic, which had a franchise-low 21 rebounds.

Denver 106, Indiana 86 -- Earl Boykins and Carmelo Anthony each scored 23 points, with Boykins scoring 12 in a pivotal 13-2 second-quarter run at Denver. Stephen Jackson had 21 points for the Pacers, playing without Jermaine O’Neal (pneumonia).

Phoenix 105, Philadelphia 85 -- Steve Nash scored 24 points and sat out the fourth quarter at Phoenix as the Suns won for the fifth time in their last six games.

Samuel Dalembert had 14 points and a career-high 22 rebounds for Philadelphia, playing without Chris Webber (strained back).

San Antonio 106, Portland 75 -- Tim Duncan and Tony Parker each scored 18 points, and the Spurs held the Trail Blazers to three field goals in the fourth quarter at San Antonio.

Zach Randolph, Portland’s top scorer, was held to five points on one-for-14 shooting.

Boston 109, Charlotte 106 -- Paul Pierce had 31 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, and the Celtics shot 57% (40 of 70) at Boston. Primoz Brezec scored 19 for Charlotte.

Seattle 101, Chicago 97 -- Rashard Lewis scored 21 points to help lift the SuperSonics in Bob Hill’s debut as the team’s coach in handing the Bulls their eighth straight loss. Ben Gordon scored 21 for Chicago.

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Cleveland guard Larry Hughes will sit out six to eight weeks because of a broken finger. The team did not say when he was injured.... Orlando forward Grant Hillwas put on the inactive list because of a strained groin.... Chicago center Tyson Chandler is expected to sit out one week because of a sprained right ankle, suffered Monday against Milwaukee.... Guard Mateen Cleaves was waived by Seattle.