Rockets: 19 and counting
Houston coach Rick Adelman has started reminding his team what's at stake beyond preserving one of the NBA's all-time winning streaks.
That seems to be the only pep talk the Rockets need.
Tracy McGrady scored 19 points in less than three quarters, and Houston routed cold-shooting New Jersey 91-73 on Monday night for its 19th consecutive victory, matching the third-longest winning streak in league history.
The Rockets won their 10th straight game by double digits, tying an NBA record last set by the Nets in 2004. They also won their 13th in a row at the Toyota Center, the franchise's longest home-court streak since the 1985-86 team won 20 consecutive games at The Summit.
Most importantly, the Rockets closed within 1 game of the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs for the top seed in the Western Conference. And that's the number Adelman keeps emphasizing.
"I told them (Monday) they have a double whammy going," Adelman said. "Not only do you have a chance to do something remarkable and get this streak going and keep it going, but also, every time you win, you keep shortening the season and you keep that lead that you have over other people and you're moving up the standings."
The Lakers play in Houston on Sunday, but the hype for that showdown can wait.
Houston can match the second-longest victory streak in NBA history with a win in Atlanta on Wednesday night. The Milwaukee Bucks won 20 in a row during the 1970-71 season.
"It's impressive, and we keep adding on games," said point guard Rafer Alston. "It's fantastic to have your name mentioned and your team mentioned with some of the best teams, some of the best players to ever play the game. It says a lot about our ballclub."
Vince Carter scored 13 and Richard Jefferson had 12 for the Nets, who've lost six in a row and nine of their last 12.
Celtics 100, Sixers 86: Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 12 rebounds to help Boston reach 50 victories for the first time in 16 years by beating host Philadelphia. Andre Miller scored 22 points for the Sixers.
Cavaliers 88, Blazers 80: LeBron James had 24 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for his seventh triple-double of the season and 17th of his career, and host Cleveland rallied in the second half to beat Portland. LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland with 25 points.
Spurs 107, Nuggets 103: Tim Duncan had 23 points and 18 rebounds, and host San Antonio beat Denver in the second meeting between the teams in four days. Allen Iverson led Denver with 28 points despite a broken finger.
Magic 123, Hawks 112: Dwight Howard had 26 points and 16 rebounds, Hedo Turkoglu had the second triple-double of his career, and host Orlando rolled past Atlanta. Joe Johnson scored 27 points for Atlanta.
Mavericks 108, Knicks 79: Dirk Nowitzki scored 18 points in 22 minutes, then was among four starters who got to take the last quarter off as host Dallas polished off a victory over listless New York.
Clippers 99, Heat 98: Cuttino Mobley made 2 free throws with 2.6 seconds left and scored 29 points, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat host Miami. Corey Maggette and Al Thornton each had 22 points for the Clippers.