Three quarters of Brandon Roy was good enough for the surging Portland Trail Blazers. Even Dwyane Wade’s best game of the season couldn’t save the struggling Miami Heat.
Roy scored 22 points despite sitting out the entire second quarter with two fouls, and Portland beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-98 Friday night for its league-leading 12th consecutive win. The streak matches Portland’s best run since winning 12 in a row during the 2001-02 season, the team’s second-longest stretch. Portland’s longest streak was 16 games in the 1990-91 season.
“The streak is great, but right now we’re doing our best to win basketball games and protect our home court,” Roy said. “Tonight was our chance to do that against a team some said we might overlook.
“That is not how this team is playing. Right now we’re focused.”
Meanwhile, things keep getting worse in Miami.
With Shaquille O’Neal and Jason Williams sidelined, Wade stepped up with 48 points, tying a career high, 11 assists and seven rebounds. But he couldn’t score in overtime, and Miami fell to 8-22 with a 121-114 home loss to Orlando.
“It’s a little demoralizing to play my most complete game yet and to really have a feeling that we were going to win this ballgame,” Wade said. “To lose it in overtime, it hurts.”
In other games, it was: New Orleans 99, Charlotte 85; New Jersey 109, Washington 106; Houston 103, Memphis 83; Detroit 114, Indiana 101; Chicago 103, Milwaukee 99; Toronto 83, San Antonio 73; Phoenix 94, the Los Angeles Clippers 88; Philadelphia 92, Sacramento 80; the Los Angeles Lakers 123, Utah 109; and Denver 124, Golden State 120.
Dwight Howard had 29 points and 21 rebounds, Hedo Turkoglu capped his 22-point night by hitting a huge 3-pointer with 11 seconds left and the Magic gave Stan Van Gundy a victory in his return to South Florida.
“I am just happy to walk out of here with a win,” said Van Gundy, Pat Riley’s former protege who resigned as Heat coach in December 2005 and hadn’t been back for a game before Friday night.
Daequan Cook sent the game to overtime with a long 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left in regulation on an assist by Wade, then tied the game again on another 3 with 1:18 left for Miami. But Turkoglu scored the next five points, sealing Orlando’s seventh straight win in the series between the Sunshine State rivals.
“It’s the good thing about our team,” Turkoglu said. “No matter what happens, we stick together until the end.”
Portland’s big moment came much earlier. Roy, last season’s Rookie of the Year who was averaging 23 points during the streak, had a pair of fouls when coach Nate McMillan sat him for the second quarter. Roy returned to start the second half.
“The game was close,” McMillan said. “It was a learning experience.”
Portland, the youngest team in the NBA, started its streak with a Dec. 3 victory at Memphis after going 5-12 to start the season. Nine of the team’s 12 wins have come at the Rose Garden, where the Blazers are 14-3 overall.
The Blazers, who next host the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night, dropped the Timberwolves to an NBA-worst 4-24.
“I was anxious to see how we would respond in this position, as a favorite against a team with a poorer record. I was interested in our approach,” McMillan said. “Games like this can be dangerous but all season I have felt that this team doesn’t let down and overlook our opponents.”
Bulls 103, Bucks 99
At Chicago, Ben Gordon scored 19 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter to help Jim Boylan win his debut as interim coach.
Boylan was promoted from his assistant’s role Thursday, replacing Scott Skiles, who was fired on Christmas Eve after the Bulls’ horrendous start. Chicago is now 10-17.
Pistons 114, Pacers 101
Richard Hamilton had 23 points and nine assists, and host Detroit won its seventh straight.
The Pistons have won 14 of 16 since an 8-5 start to the season. Indiana has lost three of four. Jermaine O’Neal led the Pacers with 25 points.
Raptors 83, Spurs 73
Jason Kapono scored 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, and Toronto handed San Antonio its second home loss of the season.
Kris Humphries added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Jose Calderon contributed 14 points for the Raptors, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
Nuggets 124, Warriors 120
At Oakland, Calif., Allen Iverson scored 39 points, including a late jumper to break a tie, and Carmelo Anthony added 30.
Stephen Jackson scored 32 points and Baron Davis added 29 for the Warriors, but they couldn’t quite match the performance from Denver’s dynamic duo and lost for the second time in six games.
Lakers 123, Jazz 109
At Los Angeles, Phil Jackson pulled even with Red Auerbach in regular-season victories, 5 1/2 seasons after tying the Boston Celtics coach for the most NBA championships.
Kobe Bryant had 31 points and seven assists before sitting out the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ triumph, giving Jackson his 938th career win and a share of seventh place on the career list.
Suns 94, Clippers 88
Amare Stoudemire scored 28 points on 12-of-15 shooting, and host Phoenix won for the first time this season with fewer than 100 points.
Chris Kaman had 22 points and 20 rebounds for the severely depleted Clippers. Sam Cassell added 21 points.
Nets 109, Wizards 106
Richard Jefferson had 26 points, Vince Carter added 24 and Jason Kidd finished with 20 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds as New Jersey earned only its fourth win in the last 14 home games.
Caron Butler led all scorers with 28 for the Wizards. Antawn Jamison had 27 points and 13 rebounds for his 20th double-double of the season and 200th of his career.
Hornets 99, Bobcats 85
David West had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and visiting New Orleans posted its fourth straight blowout win.
Tyson Chandler had 17 points and 17 rebounds, and Chris Paul had 17 points and 11 assists for the Hornets, who made their fourth trip to Charlotte since bolting the city for New Orleans six years ago.
Rockets 103, Grizzlies 83
Yao Ming had 22 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, Luis Scola also scored 22 points and visiting Houston won without Tracy McGrady.
Pau Gasol led Memphis with 23 points, but the Grizzlies shot 36 percent and lost for the 11th time in the last 13 games.
76ers 92, Kings 80
At Sacramento, Calif., Samuel Dalembert had 19 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks for the 76ers, who pulled away in the fourth quarter for their third straight victory.
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