MIAMI – Dwyane Wade came within a rebound of a triple-double, scoring a season-high 32 points to help the Miami Heat end the Philadelphia 76ers’ six-game winning streak with a 106-96 victory Friday night.
Wade had 10 assists, nine rebounds and a season-high six dunks. Teammate Antoine Walker scored a season-high 26 points off the bench, shooting 11-for-13, including a trio of 3-pointers.
Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson, the NBA scoring leader, played 48 minutes and scored 33 points but took only nine shots in the second half. Miami concluded a 4-0 homestand and took sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division. The Heat improved to 5-2 since Shaquille O’Neal was sidelined by a sprained right ankle.
Starting guard Jason Williams also sat out with a bruised right knee. Replacement Gary Payton, making his first start for the Heat, shot 3-for-10 and had eight turnovers.
Pacers 93, Bobcats 85
INDIANAPOLIS – Jermaine O’Neal had 29 points and 18 rebounds to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Charlotte Bobcats 93-85 on Friday night.
O’Neal was 9-of-17 from the field and 11-of-12 from the line for Indiana, which rebounded from a 122-90 loss in Charlotte on Wednesday night to snap a two-game losing streak.
Kareem Rush led Charlotte with 20 points. He scored a career-high 35 against the Pacers on Wednesday.
Hornets 95, Hawks 92
OKLAHOMA CITY – Rookie Chris Paul scored 25 points, including five late free throws, and the New Orleans Hornets held off Atlanta’s fourth-quarter rally to beat the winless Hawks 95-92 on Friday night.
Salim Stoudamire, who scored 30 points to lead Atlanta, missed a desperation 3-pointer from near half court that would have sent the game to overtime. Atlanta dropped to 0-9, the worst start in franchise history. Paul, who hit five free throws in the final 22.7 seconds, added a career-high 12 assists, and Chris Andersen had 10 points and 18 rebounds for the Hornets, who were playing without two starters and their top reserve.
The Hornets led 76-50 after Brandon Bass’ two-handed, fast-break dunk early in the fourth quarter before Stoudamire took over. The former Arizona standout scored 21 of the Hawks’ next 31 points to cut the deficit to eight, and Joe Johnson added two 3-pointers and a layup to get Atlanta to 90-89.
Suns 102, Jazz 94
PHOENIX – Eddie House made seven of 11 3-point attempts en route to a career-high 31 points and the Phoenix Suns handed the Utah Jazz their fourth straight loss, 102-94 on Friday night.
The Suns, winners at home for just the second time in six games, blew the game open with a 19-4 outburst late in the third quarter and into the fourth.
Nuggets 95, Knicks 86
DENVER – Carmelo Anthony took over the game in the third quarter and finished with 25 points to help the Denver Nuggets beat the New York Knicks 95-86 on Friday night in Larry Brown’s latest return to his first NBA coaching stop.
Stephon Marbury, who said he was upset with his role in Brown’s system after a four-point night in a loss to the Lakers this week, stayed at point guard for the Knicks. He finished with nine points and nine assists and spent the final 7 minutes of the competitive game on the bench with a towel draped over his head.
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