Hornets are near elimination

Yao Ming scored 30 points, Tracy McGrady got 11 of his 25 points in the final five minutes and the Houston Rockets ended a three-game home losing streak with a 123-112 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday night at Houston.

Rafer Alston had 21 points and a season-high 13 assists for the Rockets, who have a two-game lead over Utah in the race for home court in their first-round playoff series. The Jazz lost, 126-98, to Phoenix.

“You don’t want to squander that opportunity,” Alston said of securing home court. “I know how important it is, because you never know. If it comes down to that last game, you would much rather it be on your court with your fans.”

David West matched his season high with 33 points and Chris Paul had 20 points and 15 assists for the Hornets, who are all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. They are 2 1/2 games behind Golden State and the Clippers in the race for the No. 8 playoff spot in the West.

New Orleans center Tyson Chandler sat out his fifth consecutive game because of an injured left big toe.

The 7-foot-1 Chandler defended Yao well in two previous matchups this season. Without him, the Hornets struggled to stop the 7-foot-6 Yao, who made 11 of his 16 shots. Yao reached 30 points for the sixth time since returning from a broken right leg.

Phoenix 126, Utah 98 -- The Suns moved one step closer to clinching the No. 2 seeding in the Western Conference by routing the Jazz at Salt Lake City.

The Suns won their fifth in a row and need to win one of their last two or have San Antonio lose once in its final three games to lock up the second-best record in the NBA. Phoenix (61-19) is one off the franchise record for wins.

The Jazz lost for the sixth time in seven games and fell two games behind Houston in the race for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Orlando 104, Philadelphia 87 -- Dwight Howard was perfect for a half and dominant the whole game at Philadelphia, scoring a career-high 35 points to help the Magic eliminate the 76ers from the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Orlando strengthened its hold on eighth place, moving two games ahead of Indiana. Howard made all 10 shots in the first half and passed his previous high of 32 points with a free throw late in the fourth quarter. He scored 18 in the first quarter.

Cleveland 110, Atlanta 76 -- The Cavaliers’ 48th -- and most lopsided win -- this season kept them on pace with Chicago (48-32) for the No. 2 seeding in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Both teams have two games left, with the Bulls holding the tiebreaker because of a better record in the division.

The host Cavaliers built a 28-point lead by halftime over the overmatched Hawks, playing without several key players because of injuries.

Charlotte 113, Milwaukee 92 -- Rookie Walter Herrmann scored a season-high 30 points at Milwaukee and the Bobcats used long-range shooting (nine of 17 three-point baskets) to beat the Bucks. Herrmann’s previous season high was 23, also against the Bucks on March 30.

Memphis 133, Denver 118 -- Former Laker Chucky Atkins had 28 points and 12 assists and Tarence Kinsey scored a career-high 28 at Memphis, Tenn., to help the Grizzlies end the Nuggets’ season-best eight-game winning streak.

Portland 108, Seattle 102 -- Jarrett Jack scored 25 points to help the Trail Blazers win at Portland and leave the SuperSonics alone in the Northwest Division cellar.