PHOENIX – Amare Stoudemire scored a career-high 50 points, including nine straight during a decisive 12-2 Phoenix run early in the fourth quarter, and the Suns beat the Portland Trail Blazers 117-98 Sunday night.

The Suns have the NBA’s best record at 26-4 and have won 22 of their last 24 games, including eight straight at home.

Quentin Richardson added 20 points, capping the key fourth-quarter burst with a 3-pointer, and Shawn Marion and Joe Johnson each scored 15.

Stoudemire, who had 20 points in the final period, shot 20-of-27 from the field and 10-of-17 from the foul line in amassing the highest point total by a Phoenix player since Tony Delk scored 53 against Sacramento in a 121-117 overtime loss Feb. 2, 2001.

Clippers 89, 76ers 83

LOS ANGELES – Elton Brand had 26 points and 12 rebounds, Corey Maggette added 26 points and the Los Angeles Clippers overcame 28 turnovers to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 89-83 on Sunday.

Chris Kaman had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers, who had lost eight of their last 10 games and five of six against Philadelphia.

Allen Iverson scored 35 points while playing at least 40 minutes for the 10th straight game. He shot 16-for-30, while the 76ers’ other starters were a combined 4-for-20 from the field.

None of the Clippers’ reserves made a field goal, but it hardly mattered after they built a 69-45 lead with a 15-4 run that was capped by Brand’s three-point play with 2:49 left in the third quarter.

Wizards 104, Hawks 101

WASHINGTON – Reserve guard Juan Dixon scored all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter Sunday to lead the Washington Wizards to a 104-101 victory over Atlanta for the Hawks’ fourth straight loss.

Larry Hughes led the Wizards with 26 points while Antawn Jamison added 19 and Gilbert Arenas 17 for Washington, which had lost its previous two games.

Antoine Walker, who finished with 18 points, hit a 3-pointer to pull the Hawks to 102-101 with 3.1 seconds left. Jamison’s two free throws with 2.2 seconds remaining sealed the victory.

Kings 86, Spurs 81

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Peja Stojakovic hit a season-high six 3-pointers, and Mike Bibby scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half of the Sacramento Kings’ 86-81 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Stojakovic scored 28 points and Chris Webber had 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Kings, who snapped the Spurs’ five-game winning streak. Sacramento also avoided its first three-game home losing streak since April 2000 with a gritty fourth-quarter performance.

Mavericks 123, Bucks 104

DALLAS – Dirk Nowitzki scored 39 points and Josh Howard scored 11 of his 25 in the fourth quarter in the Dallas Mavericks’ 123-104 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Nowitzki, who scored 21 points in the first half, hit 14 of 25 shots from the floor for his 11th 30-point game of the season.

The Mavericks shot 53 percent from the floor (47-of-89) and equaled their season-high point total.

Rockets 99, Jazz 80

HOUSTON – Tracy McGrady scored 25 points to help the Houston Rockets to their third straight victory, 99-80 over the Utah Jazz.

Bob Sura tied season-highs with 24 points, 10 rebounds and five steals for the Rockets.

, who won for the 10th time in their last 14 games.

Early in the third quarter, Houston went on an 23-4 run that included four three-point plays, two by Yao Ming and one each by Sura and Juwan Howard.

Gordon Giricek had 15 points to lead five double-figure scorers for the Jazz, who lost their fifth straight.

After six lead changes and seven ties the first quarter, Houston went on an 8-0 run at the end of the period to finish with a 26-23 lead. McGrady had 10, including a 3 at the buzzer.

Utah scored the first seven points of the second quarter, but Sura brought the Rockets back by scoring seven points in a 9-2 run to take a 35-32 lead.

Giricek scored 11 in the first half to stake the Jazz to a 46-44 halftime lead.

The win put Houston over the .500 mark (16-15) for only the second time this season. The first was at 3-2 on Nov. 9.

Notes: Maurice Taylor and Curtis Borchardt each were assessed a technical foul with 10:53 left in the game, after they pushed each other. Taylor was ejected because it was his second technical. … The Rockets placed forward Clarence Weatherspoon on the injured list with a right calf strain and activated guard Andre Barrett and forward Ryan Bowen Sunday off of IR. … The Jazz are 3-14 since Andrei Kirilenko went on the injured list.

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