Basketball
NBA Today: Iverson's 45 Cool Off Heat
By Sports Network
Jan 26, 2005, 18:41

Also: Bulls Hammer Hawks, Blazers Trip Spurs
76ers 106, Heat 98
PHILADELPHIA -- Allen Iverson poured in 45 points and handed out 11 assists, as the Philadelphia 76ers earned a 106-98 victory over the Miami Heat at the Wachovia Center. Iverson made 13-of-30 shots from the field for the Sixers, who won for the third time in four games. The Sixers' star guard also had four steals, committed just one turnover and connected on 18-of-19 foul shots. Samuel Dalembert finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds for Philadelphia, while Kyle Korver collected 14 points, six boards and six assists. Corliss Williamson added 12 points in the victory. Shaquille O'Neal recorded 24 points to lead the Heat, who lost for the third time in five games. Miami fell to 21-4 within the Eastern Conference this season.

Bulls 107, Hawks 82
ATLANTA -- Eddy Curry scored 19 points to lead six Bulls in double figures, as Chicago routed the Atlanta Hawks, 107-82, at Philips Arena. Othello Harrington had 18 and Ben Gordon added 15 for the Bulls, who are over .500 (20-19) for the first time since opening the 2002-03 campaign with back- to-back wins. Chris Duhon, who hit four three-pointers in the first half, finished with 14 points, Luol Deng chipped in with 13 and Kirk Hinrich ended with 11 for the red-hot Bulls, who have won 10 of their last 11 games. Al Harrington scored 18 points to lead the Hawks, who have lost four of their last five games.

Trail Blazers 107, Spurs 99
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Damon Stoudamire scored 23 points with nine assists and Darius Miles added 21, as Portland ended a six-game losing streak with a 107-99 victory over the San Antonio Spurs at the Rose Garden. Joel Przybilla had 17 points and 16 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who ended a seven-game losing streak in the series with the Spurs. Ruben Patterson contributed for Portland with 15 points and eight rebounds. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 24 points, 11 boards and three blocks. Tony Parker and Devin Brown each had 20 for San Antonio, which had its four-game winning streak halted.

Wizards 106, Cavaliers 97
CLEVELAND -- Gilbert Arenas had 30 points and Anthony Peeler scored all of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, as the Washington Wizards recorded a come-from-behind, 106-97, win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Gund Arena. Arenas had 19 points in the second half for Washington, which shot just 14 percent in the first quarter only to rally in the second half and stake claim to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference with a 25-15 mark. Antawn Jamison added 16 points and Brendan Haywood tallied 15 for the Wizards, who trail the conference's best squad the Miami Heat by 3 1/2 games in the Southeast Division. LeBron James scored 31 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out eight assists for the Cavaliers, who returned from a 3-3 road trip and looked jet lagged.

Timberwolves 86, Pistons 83
MINNEAPOLIS -- Kevin Garnett had 22 points and nine rebounds as Minnesota held off slumping Detroit, 86-83, at the Target Center. Wally Szczerbiak added 15 points while Eddie Griffin compiled 14 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots off the bench to help the Timberwolves to their third straight win. Chauncey Billups compiled 22 points and nine rebounds for the Pistons, who have lost four in a row following a six-game win streak. Rasheed Wallace finished with 16 points and Ben Wallace had 11 along with 13 boards in defeat.

Rockets 89, Magic 78
HOUSTON -- Yao Ming finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds as the Houston Rockets downed the Orlando Magic, 89-78, at the Toyota Center. Jon Barry added a season-high 19 points for the Rockets, while Bob Sura collected 15 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. David Wesley and Juwan Howard added 10 points apiece as Houston won its third straight contest. The Rockets were without guard Tracy McGrady, who missed Monday's game due to a medical emergency in his family. McGrady had spent the previous four seasons in Orlando before being traded in a six- player deal in the offseason that sent Steve Francis to the Magic. Meanwhile, Francis returned to Houston for the first time since the trade and finished with a game-high 23 points to go with 10 rebounds and seven assists. Francis played the first five seasons of his NBA career with the Rockets.

Clippers 97, Mavericks 87
LOS ANGELES -- Elton Brand posted 23 points and 12 rebounds, as the Los Angeles Clippers pounded the Dallas Mavericks, 97-87, at the Staples Center. Bobby Simmons recorded 21 points for the Clippers, who snapped a five-game losing streak to pick up their first win since posting a double overtime victory over the Miami Heat on January 14. Dirk Nowitzki posted 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Mavericks, who had a five- game winning streak halted and lost for just the third time in 13 games. Jerry Stackhouse added 18 points in the loss and Erick Dampier registered 13 points and a game-high 14 boards.

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