The Atlanta Hawks reclaimed leadership of the NBA's Southeast Division with a sixth straight win Friday, beating the Utah Jazz 96-83. Josh Smith scored 16 points and Marvin Williams added 15 as Hawks coach Mike Woodson rested his starters in the fourth quarter. Atlanta improved to 12-2 at home, best in the Eastern Conference. The Jazz, who had only reserves Andrei Kirilenko and Eric Maynor finish in double figures, were outscored 30-6 to open the third quarter. Atlanta's winning streak is its longest this season. Rockets 116, Mavericks 108, OT: In Dallas, Houston ended Dallas' winning streak at five games and closed the gap on its Texas rival. Kyle Lowry had a career-high 26 points and 10 assists, and Aaron Brooks added 25 points for the Rockets, who moved within 3-1/2 games of the Southwest Division-leading Mavericks. J.J. Barea scored 23 points for Dallas, which came from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Cavaliers 85, Bucks 82: In Cleveland, the hosts played poorly in the late stages but hung on to edge Milwaukee and notch a fifth straight win. LeBron James scored 26 points, had 10 rebounds and eight assists. Mo Williams added 17 for Cleveland, which won its ninth straight game at home and gave it some momentum ahead of a four-game road trip that will include a Christmas Day game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Cleveland scored just 2 points in the final 6:35 as the Cavs missed shot after shot. Milwaukee rookie Brandon Jennings scored 18 points but fired an air ball on a 3-point attempt with 4.5 seconds left that would have tied the game. Hornets 98, Nuggets 92: In New Orleans, Chris Paul had 30 points and a season-high 19 assists, and narrowly missed a triple-double with nine rebounds as New Orleans accounted for Denver. Paul scored 26 points in the second half, and with his assists combined for 41 of the Hornets' 52 points over the final two quarters. Peja Stojakovic added 24 points, including four 3-pointers, to help New Orleans overcome a 15-point first-half deficit. J.R. Smith scored 25 points for the Nuggets. 76ers 98, Celtics 97: In Boston, Elton Brand giving Philadelphia the lead on a tip-in with 7.7 seconds left, as the 76ers snapped Boston's 11-game win streak. Thunder 109, Pistons 98: In Oklahoma City, a pair of rookies led the hosts on a key scoring run in the fourth quarter that sank Detroit. Kevin Durant scored 27 points as the Thunder snapped a three-game losing skid. Rookie James Harden scored Oklahoma City's first seven points. Knicks 95, Clippers 91: In New York, the home team erased a 20-point deficit to overwhelm Los Angeles. Grizzlies 107, Pacers 94: In Memphis, Tennessee, Zach Randolph had 26 points and 16 rebounds to lead Memphis past Indiana. Timberwolves 112, Kings 96: In Minneapolis, Kevin Love recorded his fifth straight double-double as Minnesota beat Sacramento. Wizards 118, Warriors 109: In Oakland, California, Gilbert Arenas had season-highs with 45 points and 13 assists to lift Washington over Golden State for its first win in seven games. Raptors 118, Nets 95: In Toronto, Amir Johnson scored a season-high 18 points as Toronto comfortably beat lowly New Jersey.
