Houston pulled within two victories of the best record in NBA history by a team with one defeat and pushed Dallas closer to a record for consecutive losses as Hakeem Olajuwon scored 28 points in a 104-93 decision Saturday night.
The Mavericks (1-21) lost their 18th game in a row, two short of the NBA record losing streak. Philadelphia set the record for the longest losing streak at 20 games in 1973.The Rockets, now 21-1, can tie the 1969-70 New York Knicks for the most victories with one defeat at 23-1 with wins next week against San Antonio and Denver.
Olajuwon scored eight straight Houston points down the stretch after Dallas cut the Rockets' lead to 97-90 at the two-minute mark.
Rookie Jamal Mashburn scored 30 points and Jim Jackson 27 for the Mavericks. Otis Thorpe had 19 points and 15 rebounds for Houston.
The Rockets used an 8-0 spurt near the end of the first quarter to get the edge and sprinted to a 56-44 halftime lead. Houston outscored the Mavericks 20-9 over the first eight minutes of the second quarter.
Dallas' 13-4 spurt in the third quarter cut Houston's lead to 68-60 with 5:16 to go in the period, but the Rockets then opened a 79-64 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Bulls 102, Spurs 90
At Chicago, Horace Grant had 16 points and 18 rebounds as the Chicago Bulls won for the ninth time in 10 games by wearing down the San Antonio Spurs.
Toni Kukoc scored nine consecutive Chicago points in the fourth quarter as the Bulls drew away to win their fifth straight game. Kukoc finished with 12 points.
Pistons 98, Cavaliers 92
At Auburn Hills, Mich., rookie Lindsey Hunter, scoreless through three quarters, scored eight points in the fourth quarter and five in overtime to lead the Detroit Pistons to victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers, who led by as many as 17 in the second quarter, made only three of 23 shots in the final 17 minutes in losing their seventh straight on the road and eighth in nine games overall.
Pacers 108, Nets 98
At Indianapolis, Haywoode Workman scored 10 of his season-high 21 points in the final 3:46 and Reggie Miller had 28 points, lifting the Indiana Pacers to a victory over the New Jersey Nets.
Miller made all four of his 3-point attempts and Rik Smits had 22 points and a season-high 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who have won three consecutive games to pull within one of the .500 mark.
Hawks 102, Nuggets 96
At Atlanta, Kevin Willis scored a season-high 31 points as the Atlanta Hawks won for the 15th time in 16 games, defeating Denver for the Nuggets' ninth straight road loss.
The Nuggets kept it close in the first half, leading 47-46 with 4:16 left in the second quarter before a 14-0 run put the Hawks in front to stay and gave them a 60-47 halftime advantage. Adam Keefe, who began the spurt with a layup, scored six of his 10 points during the burst. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf scored 22 points for the Nuggets.
Heat 113, 76ers 90
At Miami, Glen Rice scored 30 points and Steve Smith 29, and they combined for 13 in a 14-4 third-quarter spurt that carried Miami past Philadelphia.
Clarence Weatherspoon's 18 points was high for the Sixers, who played their sixth game in eight days.
Suns 116, Clippers 109
At Phoenix, Dan Majerle scored 28 points, including a key 3-pointer late in the game and two free throws with 23 seconds left in the Phoenix Suns' victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Majerle made it 110-100 with his 24-foot shot with 3:40 remaining, just 18 seconds after Ron Harper had pulled the Clippers within seven. Another 3-pointer by Harper with 44 seconds to go cut the lead to seven again, but Majerle put the game out of reach with his two free throws.
SuperSonics 126, Warriors 111
At Seattle, Ricky Pierce scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter as the Seattle SuperSonics pulled away for a victory over the Golden State Warriors.
The Sonics, along with Houston, remained one of two unbeaten teams at home in the NBA this season and improved their record to 19-2.
Chris Webber led the Warriors with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Chris Mullin and Victor Alexander had 17 apiece. Gary Payton finished with 23 points and Kendall Gill 20 for Seattle.