LOS ANGELES — Eric Piatkowski put up a running 14-footer with 1.4 seconds remaining and Houston's Yao Ming was called for goaltending on the play that gave the Los Angeles Clippers a 90-89 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
The ball was rolling around the hoop when the Rockets' 7-foot-6 rookie center swatted at it. The ball still dropped through the hoop.
Houston's Steve Francis, who had 31 points, missed an off-balance 12-footer at the buzzer.
Elton Brand had 26 points and 15 rebounds for the Clippers, winning for just the second time in their last seven games.
The Clippers led by 17 at the end of the first quarter, but trailed 69-66 heading into the final 12 minutes.
They were down 89-83 with 1:24 left, but got three points from Andre Miller and a hook by Michael Olowokandi to close to 89-88 with 38 seconds to play.
Yao took just four shots and scored four points. He had seven rebounds in 28 minutes.
Keyon Dooling had 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter for the Clippers.
Glen Rice scored 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting for Houston, all in the second half after taking just one shot in the first half.
Rice scored 18 in the third quarter, including going 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and Francis hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Rockets outscored Los Angeles 31-18 in the period. Houston was up 69-66 heading into the fourth quarter.
But after blowing their big early lead, the Clippers came back to win for just the second time in eight home games this season.
Yao had a breakout game in the same arena a week earlier, scoring 20 points on 9-of-9 shooting as the Rockets beat the Lakers at Staples Center. He went on to score 30 points and grab 16 rebounds in a loss at Dallas on Thursday, then had 18 points in Friday's victory over Washington.
The Rockets, finding some rhythm after a shaky start that saw them fall behind by 14 points in the first 5 1/2 minutes and by 17 at the end of the first quarter, got 10 second-quarter points from Francis to narrow the gap to 48-38 by halftime.
Yao had four points on 1-of-3 shooting, with three rebounds while playing 17 minutes in the first half.
Brand scored eight points in the opening 5:37 as the Clippers jumped to an 18-4 lead. He finished the first quarter with 11 points, and Los Angeles led 31-14.
The Rockets made only six of their 18 shots in the quarter and committed nine turnovers.
76ERS 94, RAPTORS 84: At Toronto, Allen Iverson scored 37 points, and Keith Van Horn had 19 points and nine rebounds Sunday to lead the Philadelphia 76ers past Toronto 94-84 for their third straight victory.
Alvin Williams scored a team-high 25 points for the short-handed Raptors, who have lost five straight games.
MAGIC 77, HEAT 75: At Orlando, Fla., Mike Miller had 31 points, including the game-winning basket, and a career-high 19 rebounds as the Orlando Magic survived the absence of their two best players and beat the Miami Heat 77-75 Sunday night.
The Magic, missing league-leading scorer Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill because of injuries, won on Miller's 22-foot jumper with one second remaining. Miller shot 13-for-24 and fell one point shy of his career high.