After their big win at Utah two nights earlier, the Miami Heat were wary of a letdown against the Dallas Mavericks. It didn't happen.
The Heat made 59 percent of their 3-point shots to rout the Mavs 91-72 Thursday night and extend the NBA's longest winning streak to eight games."To be a championship team in this league, you have to win night in and night out," coach Pat Riley said. "We kept our minds on the game at hand and did what we had to do. We didn't want to give them life."
Miami made 10 of 17 shots from 3-point range and beat the Mavs for the 12th straight time. The Heat lead the Atlantic Division by six games over New York and New Jersey, and their 39-18 record is third-best in the East behind Chicago and Indiana.
WIZARDS 110, WARRIORS 87: Chris Webber scored 26 points and Tracy Murray 24 in Washington's rout of Golden State. Rod Strickland added 20 points and 13 assists for the Wizards, who moved above the .500 mark at 29-28.
KNICKS 102, BUCKS 90: Injury-depleted New York got a big boost from reserves Brooks Thompson and Terry Cummings against Milwaukee. Thompson scored a season-high 11 points and helped the Knicks pull ahead for good in the second quarter. Cummings had a season-high 18 to help New York maintain a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.
NETS 102, KINGS 99: Sam Cassell had 25 points and 10 assists as New Jersey handed Sacramento its fifth straight loss. Corliss Williamson led the Kings with a career-high 30 points.
Upset by a couple of bad bounces and questionable calls down the stretch, Kings coach Eddie Jordan screamed at referee Leroy Richardson after the game while pointing a finger at the official's face.
ROCKETS 118, TIMBERWOLVES 98: Hakeem Olajuwon scored 20 points, giving him 24,000 for his career, as Houston beat Minnesota to end a three-game losing streak.
Stephon Marbury and Stanley Roberts each scored 16 for the Timberwolves, who lost their fourth straight road game.
SPURS 97, RAPTORS 86: Tim Duncan had 24 points and 11 rebounds in San Antonio's victory over Toronto. Monty Williams tied his season high with 16 points as the Spurs won for the fourth time in six games without ailing David Robinson. Doug Christie scored 17 points for Toronto, which has lost seven of eight since the All-Star break.