The Orlando Magic seemed more relieved than elated.
"I am so tired of this streak, streak, streak," forward Horace Grant said after the Atlantic Division leaders beat Phoenix 122-106 Sunday to set an NBA record for consecutive home victories."It's like a big weight off our shoulders. Now we can really concentrate on the season."
It was the Magic's 39th straight regular-season win at Orlando Arena and broke the standard for homecourt excellence that Boston established during the 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons.
Orlando is a league-best 32-0 at home this season and beat the Suns despite having to play most of the second and third quarters without Shaquille O'Neal, who struggled early because of foul trouble.
The All-Star center returned at the start of the fourth quarter and scored 15 of his team-high 25 points to help Orlando break open a close game. The Magic made 24 of 26 free throws in the second half and outscored the Suns 36-22 in the last period.
"To be 71-2 at home starting from last season is a heck of an accomplishment, and mind-boggling when you stop and think about it," said Orlando coach Brian Hill. "We don't really talk about the streak. We realize we could lose tomorrow and have to go out and start another one."
The Magic have won seven straight games overall and improved to 13-1 since the All-Star break.
Danny Manning led Phoenix, which lost its third straight game, with a season-high 32 points. Kevin Johnson had 21 points and Charles Barkley finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds.
None of those players were in the Suns' lineup when Orlando won by 18 at Phoenix on Jan. 17. And their presence this time wasn't enough to offset the Magic's balance.
Nick Anderson scored 24 points, Grant had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Anfernee Hardaway narrowly missed a triple-double with 20 points, eight rebounds and 14 assists for Orlando.
With O'Neal riding the bench for more than nine minutes of the second quarter because of foul trouble, the Magic built a 10-point lead before settling for a 59-52 halftime advantage.
Manning kept the Suns in the game, making his first two 3-pointers of the season and scoring 17 in the period. He had nine in the third quarter to help Phoenix trim the deficit to 86-84.
It was all Orlando after that.
O'Neal had eight points in an 11-2 spurt the Magic used to put the game away. Only a 45 percent free-thrower, he was 7-for-8 from the line in the last quarter and made six straight to finish the game.
Orlando hasn't dropped a regular-season game at home since losing to Utah on March 14, 1995. The current streak began a week later against the Suns.
"They're one of the great teams," said Phoenix coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, who nevertheless is not sure how to rate the Magic's accomplishment.
"I was around when the Lakers won 33 in a row, period, which was a tremendous feat," Fitzsimmons said. "Take nothing away from Orlando. They deserve it ... But with the expansion we've had ... now there's a lot of losing teams and you can do that a little easier."
Knicks 104, Bulls 72
At New York, the Knicks, a team in turmoil coming off its worst week in a half-decade, pulled off the most unlikely upset of the NBA season shocking Chicago.
It was by far the worst loss of the season for the Bulls. Chicago fell behind by 17 in the second quarter, battled back early in the third quarter to go ahead by three, then watched Derek Harper almost singlehandedly turn around the game.
Harper made four 3-pointers and scored 16 points in the period as New York broke open the game and brought the Madison Square Garden crowd to its feet for its loudest outburst in months.
Patrick Ewing had 26 points and 14 rebounds, and Harper had 23 points.
Michael Jordan, coming off a season-high 53-point performance, finished with 32 points, but Scottie Pippen's 11 were the team's next-highest total.
Bullets 99, Hawks 91
At Landover, Md., Georghe Muresan sparked a third-quarter rally with 11 of his 27 points, and Washington kept its playoff hopes alive.
It was the fourth victory in the past five games for Washington, which remained two games behind Charlotte for the eighth and final playoff berth in the NBA's Eastern Conference.
Steve Smith paced the Hawks with 19 points.
Rockets 95, Grizzlies 89
At Vancouver, British Columbia, Hakeem Olajuwon had 42 points and 18 rebounds as Houston handed Vancouver its 11th consecutive loss.
Vancouver, which lost 19 straight earlier this season, trailed 50-37 at halftime but used a 14-3 run to close within four points with 20 seconds left.
Olajuwon, who reached 40 points for the 28th time in his career, scored 13 points in the first quarter, making 6 of 11 shots as the Rockets took a 28-20 lead. He added 14 points in the second quarter and 11 in the third.
Kenny Smith added 17 points for Houston, which had lost its previous two games.
Chris King scored 17 points for Vancouver.
Trail Blazers 113, Pacers 108, 2OT
At Portland, Ore., Clifford Robinson capped a 37-point performance by scoring all five points in the second overtime as Portland won consecutively for the first time since the All-Star break.
Robinson, a 62.5 percent free-throw shooter this season, was 13-for-13 from the line, including two that clinched the victory with 2.7 seconds to play.
Rod Strickland, in his second game back after missing six contests in a dispute with coach P.J. Carlesimo, had 28 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Dontonio Wingfield added a career-high 17 points for the Blazers.
Rik Smits scored 30 points for Indiana, but he and the rest of the Pacers were held scoreless in the second overtime. Reggie Miller scored 17 but was 3-for-20 from the field, 1-for-15 after the first quarter.
Heat 88, Cavaliers 81
At Miami, Rex Chapman scored seven points in the final two minutes, including a crucial 3-pointer, and Miami held off Cleveland.
The Cavs scored 11 consecutive points to reduce Miami's lead to 76-75 with 2:21 to go. Then, with the Heat unable to hear coach Pat Riley shouting for a timeout, Chapman sank a 3-pointer with 1:53 left.
Chapman added four straight free throws in the final minute.
The Cavaliers have lost five of their past six games.
Tim Hardaway led Miami with 21 points and eight assists. Chapman scored 15 points, and Walt Williams and reserve Chris Gatling added 14 each.
Alonzo Mourning, Miami's leading scorer this season, had only 11 points. Bob Sura had 18 points and Danny Ferry 15 for Cleveland.
Clippers 104, 76ers 102
At Philadelphia, Terry Dehere scored 21 points and Loy Vaught added 16 as Los Angeles won for the fifth time in seven games.
Jerry Stackhouse had 32 points, and Clarence Weatherspoon 26 and 13 rebounds for the Sixers, whose 12-48 record is the NBA's worst.
A jump shot by Malik Sealy gave the Clippers a 103-99 edge with 1:45 remaining. Stackhouse made two free throws with 1:03 left, and had a chance to tie the score with 28 seconds left, but made only one of his two foul shots.
After a free throw by the Clippers' Rodney Rogers, Philadelphia inbounded at half court with 1.1 seconds left. Vernon Maxwell's desperation 30-footer went through the net just after the final buzzer sounded.
Celtics 110, Bucks 103
At Milwaukee, Todd Day, traded to Boston by Milwaukee earlier in the season, scored 28 points to lead the Celtics over the Bucks.
It was the fourth straight loss for Milwaukee, which was led by Glenn Robinson with 30 points and Vin Baker with 25. The Bucks' streak began last Sunday with a 105-98 defeat at Boston.
The Bucks traded Day and Alton Lister to the Celtics on Nov. 26 for Sherman Douglas, who scored 20 points Sunday.