It's been a perfect year so far for the Atlanta Hawks and Seattle SuperSonics.
The Hawks improved to 10-0 in 1997 by beating the Charlotte Hornets 106-97 Monday night. The Sonics raised their January record to 8-0 with a 112-96 win over the Vancouver Grizzlies.Steve Smith scored a season-high 31 points as the Hawks won their 17th straight home game. The Hawks haven't lost anywhere since a Dec. 28 defeat at Washington.
"The streak is becoming something that we're priding ourselves on," Smith said. "Opposing teams come in saying they want to stop it."
Christian Laettner added 23 points and Mookie Blaylock had 20 points and 10 assists for the Hawks. Glen Rice led Charlotte with 33 points.
At Seattle, Gary Payton scored 30 points as the Sonics handed the second-year Grizzlies their 100th franchise loss.
"He's always been a great defender, but his perimeter shooting has taken a quantum leap," Vancouver coach Brian Winters said of Payton. "He's the full package now. He is a great guard."
Shawn Kemp added 23 points and Detlef Schrempf had 20 for Seattle, which scored the final 10 points of the game after the Grizzlies pulled within six.
Greg Anthony scored 24 points and tied his own Vancouver record with six 3-pointers before leaving the game with a cut on his right thumb with 2:10 remaining.
Knicks 95, Bullets 79
At New York, Patrick Ewing had 22 points and 14 rebounds as the Knicks won their 13th straight home game. Buck Williams had 17 points and 11 rebounds for New York, which has won 19 of its last 20 against the Bullets. Chris Webber led Washington with 17 points.
Milwaukee 114, Philadelphia 104
At Philadelphia, Glenn Robinson scored 29 points as Milwaukee handed the 76ers their 13th straight defeat. Vin Baker had 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Bucks. Allen Iverson scored 31 points for Philadelphia, which has lost 23 of its last 24.
Timberwolves 96, Spurs 83
At Minneapolis, Stephon Marbury scored six of his 20 points in a game-opening 14-0 run and matched a career high with 13 assists. Vinny Del Negro scored 22 points and reserve Monty Williams added a career-high 20 for the injury-depleted Spurs, who have lost seven of their last eight.
Lakers 109, Mavericks 99
At Inglewood, Nick Van Exel scored 24 points and the Los Angeles Lakers continued their mastery of the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers beat the Mavs for the fifth straight time and 19th in their last 21 meetings. Jim Jackson led Dallas with 22 points.
Nuggets 132, Nets 123
At Denver, LaPhonso Ellis scored a career-high 36 points and Mark Jackson had a career-high 22 assists as the Nuggets beat New Jersey. The Nuggets built a 29-point lead, then held off the Nets after they pulled within six points in the fourth quarter. Kendall Gill scored 30 points for the Nets, who have lost nine of their last 11.
Jazz 94, Cavaliers 74
At Salt Lake City, Karl Malone scored 32 points, including 14 in the decisive third quarter (see story on Page D1).
Suns 89, Pistons 86
At Phoenix, Kevin Johnson and Rex Chapman hit key 3-pointers down the stretch as the Suns won their fifth consecutive home game. Johnson, who stole an inbounds pass by Joe Dumars with 4.9 seconds left to clinch the win, led the Suns with 19 points. Lindsey Hunter scored 23 for the Pistons.