NBA: Clippers defeat winless Hawks, 102-95
ATLANTA (AP) – Elton Brand scored 23 points and Sam Cassell added 21 as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the winless Atlanta Hawks 102-95 Thursday night for their best start after six games in 20 years. The Clippers, in first place in the Pacific Division, are 5-1 for the first time since the 1985-86 season.
The Hawks, meanwhile, have lost their first five games for the first time since the 2000-01 season, when they started 0-7.
The Clippers also beat the Hawks 92-77 Saturday in Los Angeles and have six straight wins in the series.
Corey Maggette, playing in his second game since returning from a strained left hamstring, added 17 points in only 25 minutes for the Clippers.
The Hawks were held to 41 percent shooting from the field, including 1-for-9 on 3-point attempts. The Clippers made 48 percent of their shots.
Heat 88, Rockets 84
MIAMI – Dwyane Wade scored 25 points and Jason Williams had eight of his 13 in the final quarter as the Miami Heat rallied from a late eight-point deficit to beat the Houston Rockets.
Wade added eight rebounds and seven assists for Miami, which also got 13 points and nine rebounds from Alonzo Mourning and 12 points from Gary Payton.
Yao Ming had 24 points and 14 rebounds for Houston, but scored only two points in the game’s final 20:04. Derek Anderson scored 20 points, Stromile Swift had 12 and Juwan Howard 11 for the Rockets, who’ve dropped three of four to open the season and play their next four on the road.
The win gave Heat coach Stan Van Gundy a 3-2 lead in the sibling series against his brother, the Rockets’ Jeff Van Gundy. Neither brother had his full complement of superstars: The Heat are still without Shaquille O’Neal (sprained right ankle) and the Rockets didn’t have Tracy McGrady (strained back muscle).
Miami trailed 71-63 with 10:17 remaining, but erased the deficit with a 20-6 run over the next 9:05. Williams scored eight of those points, and his 3-pointer with 2:16 left gave the Heat an 81-77 lead. Mourning hit a jumper with 1:12 left to push the margin to six, and Miami held on.
The Heat survived many stretches of offensive ineptitude. Miami had two points in the game’s first 3:42, then went scoreless for 3:26 later in the half, 2:32 to open the second half and 4:03 later in the third.