Willie Burton had something to prove.

Burton, released last month by the Miami Heat, helped the Philadelphia 76ers win Tuesday night by scoring 53 points against his old team in a 105-90 win.It was the top performance in the NBA this season, and it even outdid Michael Jordan's 52-point scoring record set at Philadelphia's Spectrum on Nov. 16, 1988.

"I'm going to have a hard time sleeping tonight," said Burton, waived by the Heat on Nov. 3 and picked up by the 76ers five days later. "I just want to savor this."

Glen Rice had 25 points and Bimbo Coles had 17 points and 12 assists for Miami, which has lost four of five games. Barros added 17 points for Philadelphia.

Hornets 107, Bucks 101

Hersey Hawkins made all six of his free throws down the stretch and finished with 23 points as Charlotte handed Milwaukee its 10th loss in 11 games.

With the score tied at 90 with 3:03 remaining, Larry Johnson scored a key basket inside and Dell Curry hit a 3-pointer to give the Hornets a 97-92 lead with 1:17 to go. Charlotte then made eight straight free throws to seal the win.

Cavaliers 90, Pacers 83

Cleveland scored the first 8 points of the fourth quarter to beat cold-shootimg Indiana.

The Pacers, who shot just 27 percent in the fourth period, had their five-game winning streak snapped. Cleveland has won three in a row.

Chris Mills scored 17, John Williams 15 and Bobby Phills 14 for Cleveland. Mark Price had 13 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.

Hawks 85, Timberwolves 83, OT

Atlanta's Lenny Wilkens moved within three wins of Red Auerbach's NBA record for coaching victories as the Hawks defeated Minnesota in overtime.

Andrew Lang's short hook in the lane with 1:21 remaining in the extra period at The Omni gave Atlanta its fifth victory in seven games.

The Timberwolves have dropped 10 of their last 12.

Mookie Blaylock led the Hawks with 19 points and Isaiah Rider paced Minnesota with 23.

Bulls 98, Pistons 78

Chicago came back from a horrific third quarter to defeat injury-depleted Detroit.

Scottie Pippen finished with 31 points and Toni Kukoc a career-high 28 for the Bulls. Joe Dumars and Terry Mills had 16 points each for visiting Detroit, playing without injured Grant Hill, Lindsey Hunter and Oliver Miller.

Rockets 93, Bullets 85

Helped by Otis Thorpe's 27 points and 14 rebounds, Houston withstood a late comeback by Washington.

Washington, which lost its third straight, got 22 points and 16 rebounds from Chris Webber. Calbert Cheaney and Scott Skiles each added 16 points.

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Kings 112, Warriors 107

Off to its best start since 1982-83, Sacramento beat Golden State in Oakland for only the second time in four years.

Brian Grant scored 13 of his 15 points in the fourth period, helping the Kings send the Warriors to their seventh straight loss.

Mitch Richmond's 29 points led the Kings.

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