The Houston Rockets and their fans welcomed star center Hakeem Olajuwon back after a 33-game absence due to a knee surgery, and he responded with flashes of his fancy footwork - if not his usual dominant numbers - as the Rockets beat the Vancouver Grizzlies 110-97 Tuesday night.
"It's great to have him back," said Charles Barkley, who had 25 points and 15 rebounds, seemingly rejuvenated by Olajuwon's return.Olajuwon had 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting and six rebounds in 19 minutes. He entered the game with 5:05 to play in the first quarter and received a 60-second standing ovation, getting his first rebound moments later and his first basket with two minutes remaining in the quarter.
TRAIL BLAZERS 98, NETS 97: Arvydas Sabonis scored 19 of his 24 points in the first half as Portland survived a bizarre finish and a late rally by visiting New Jersey.
The Nets, who were led by Kerry Kittles' 24 points, erased a 12-point deficit to tie the game on Kendall Gill's basket with 3:14 left in the game.
With New Jersey trailing by one with 1.8 seconds to go, Sherman Douglas was called for stepping out of bounds while passing the ball off defender Vincent Askew's backside. Douglas made a layup, but it was waved off because he never established position inbounds.
Nets rookie Keith Van Horn scored 21 points on 8-of-22 shooting.
HORNETS 93, CELTICS 89: Hours after signing a 10-day contract with Charlotte, Vernon Maxwell hit the go-ahead basket in front of the home crowd.
Maxwell, brought in after the Hornets lost three shooting guards to injuries, scored five of Charlotte's last seven points to help them to their fifth victory in six games.
Maxwell scored 15 points on 5-for-12 shooting in 27 minutes. He added five rebounds and three assists in his debut for his fifth team in his nine-year NBA career.
Antoine Walker had 23 points, 16 rebounds and five assists for Boston, which fell to 4-17 on the road.
PACERS 115, KINGS 93: Rik Smits had 18 points and eight rebounds as Indiana took over first place in the Central Division with a win at Sacramento, their seventh straight.
The Pacers opened the second quarter with a 16-2 run on the way to taking a half-game lead on the Chicago Bulls. Indiana is 33-12, including 15-8 on the road.
The Kings lost for the seventh time in 10 games and were led by Mitch Richmond's 24 points.
BUCKS 82, KNICKS 78: Tyrone Hill grabbed a crucial rebound and sank two free throws with 2.6 seconds left as Milwaukee won its third straight over New York and sixth straight overall.
Terrell Brandon had 20 points for the Bucks, who have their longest winning streak since winning eight straight in the 1990-91 season - the last time they made the playoffs.
Allan Houston led the Knicks with 21 points in their first game at the Bradley Center since center Patrick Ewing dislocated his right wrist and was lost for the season.
SUNS 110, RAPTORS 105: Phoenix won its fourth straight and improved to 5-1 on its road trip as Antonio McDyess had 24 points and 14 rebounds.
Rex Chapman scored 23, giving him 52 in his last two games. McDyess has 46 points and 27 rebounds in that span.
Doug Christie and Walt Williams each scored 24 for Toronto, which lost its third straight.
SPURS 105, WARRIORS 96: Tim Duncan scored a career-high 34 points and David Robinson had 23 as San Antonio used a 20-4 run in the last seven minutes to rally past Golden State on the road.
Golden State also played its final game before the All-Star break, and coach P.J. Carlesimo left for New York to testify today in the arbitration hearing for Latrell Sprewell.
MAGIC 91, HAWKS 90: Bo Outlaw's jumper in the lane with 1.1 seconds left capped a 23-point, 17-rebound performance at Orlando.