Associated Press
The NBA roundup …
OKLAHOMA CITY ó Shaquille O’Neal had 28 points and 12 rebounds, moving into ninth place on the NBA’s career scoring list, and the Phoenix Suns overcame the loss of two-time MVP Steve Nash to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 110-102 on Monday night.
Nash played only nine minutes before leaving with back spasms and Amare Stoudemire was hounded by foul trouble, but the Suns still had plenty of firepower to overwhelm the NBA-worst Thunder.
Jason Richardson scored 20 points and reserve Matt Barnes had 19 for Phoenix, which snapped a four-game road losing streak.
Pistons 88, Magic 82
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. ó Rodney Stuckey led a balanced attack with 19 points and the Detroit Pistons won their fourth straight with an 88-82 victory over the Orlando Magic.
The Magic had won seven straight and were playing a Detroit team that was missing Richard Hamilton (groin), but they trailed for nearly the entire game.
Hawks 109, Nuggets 91
ATLANTA ó Joe Johnson scored 25 points and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Denver Nuggets 109-91 to close out an important homestand with a long-awaited milestone.
Atlanta completed an eight-game homestand, its longest of the season, with a 7-1 record, including five straight wins. Its only loss was to Boston.
The Hawks (20-10) reached 20 wins before New Year’s Day for the first time since the 1987-88 season. Atlanta plays Tuesday at Indiana in its final game of 2008.
Bulls 100, Nets 87
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ó Rookie Derrick Rose had 21 points and a season-high 13 assists, Ben Gordon scored 24 points, and the Chicago Bulls beat the New Jersey Nets 100-87.
The Nets continued their poor play at home, falling to 5-12, the second-worst mark in the Eastern Conference. The Nets (15-16) are 10-4 on the road.
Vince Carter scored 31 points and Devin Harris added 26 for the Nets.
T’wolves 108, Grizzlies 98, OT
MINNEAPOLIS ó Al Jefferson scored a season-high 38 points, including nine in overtime, and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 108-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Wizards 89, Rockets 87
HOUSTON ó Antawn Jamison scored a season-high 30 points, Andray Blatche added 16 points and eight rebounds and the Washington Wizards snapped a five-game road losing streak with an 89-87 win over the listless Houston Rockets on Monday night.
Jamison also grabbed 12 rebounds.