By Paul Levine Nov 21, 2009, 7:24 GMT
Los Angeles - High-flying Josh Smith kept the Atlanta Hawks soaring.
Smith skied through the lane for a put-back of Mike Bibby's missed jumper with seven tenths of a second left, lifting the surging Hawks to their seventh straight win on Friday night, a dramatic 105-103 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets.
'I seen my man and Bibby's man staying with him, so I just wanted to crash the boards. Just in case he missed I was there to get the tip-in,' said Smith, who finished with just nine points. 'All that matters is the last shot. It was big for our team and it gave us the win.'
Marvin Williams had a season-high 29 points along with nine rebounds for the Atlanta, which improved to an NBA best 11-2 record, including a perfect 7-0 at home.
Jamal Crawford added 21, Joe Johnson had 19 with nine assists, while Al Horford finished with 17 points.
Asked if the Hawks can continue their torrid pace, Smith replied: 'We're confident, the sky is the limit for us. We have to keep playing unselfish and keep playing together. I think we can do it.'
Plagued by foul-trouble, Smith watched most of the final quarter from the bench as the Hawks used a 21-5 run, to turn a five-point deficit into a 102-92 advantage on Crawford's fourth three-pointer with just over two minutes left.
The scrappy Rockets refused to quit, though, going on an 11-1 spree. When Carl Landry made two free throws with five seconds left, the game was knotted at 103, setting the stage for Smith's heroics.
After a timeout, the Hawks got the ball to Bibby, whose 15-foot jumper bounced high off the rim. But Smith, a 6-foot-9 jumping jack, flew down the middle unguarded and laid it in with both hands. The Rockets called for basket interference, but the officials denied it after watching the replay on a courtside monitor.
'Smith made a huge play, said Rockets forward Luis Scola. 'He hustled; everybody knows how high he jumps. He got the ball and put it back in. It was a great play.'
Landry scored a team-high 18 points, while Argentina's Scola finished with 17 and 10 rebounds for the Rockets (7-6) who have split their last 10 contests.
Elsewhere: Orlando Magic 83, Boston Celtics 78 Vince Carter scored 26 points, Rashard Lewis had 16 with 10 rebounds, and the visiting Magic beat the Celtics for their fourth straight win, in a rematch of last spring's Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Frenchman Mickael Pietrus scored 14, while Dwight Howard grabbed 15 boards for Orlando (10-3), which won that playoff series in seven games on the way to the NBA Finals.
Paul Pierce scored 21, Ray Allen had 15 while Kevin Garnett accumulated 13 and 11 rebounds for Boston (9-4) which shot a season-low 34 per cent from the field en route to its third loss in the last four games.
Cleveland Cavaliers 105, Indiana Pacers 95 LeBron James had a season-best 40 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, leading the visiting Cavaliers (9-4) to their sixth win in the last seven games.
Danny Granger had 19 points and nine rebounds to pace Indiana (5- 5) losers of two straight.
Dallas Mavericks 104, Sacramento Kings 102 German wunderkind Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry scored 20 points apiece, while Drew Gooden grabbed 16 rebounds, carrying the Mavericks to their fifth straight win.
Rookie Tyreke Evans had 29 points and a season-high 10 assists for visiting Sacramento (5-6) losers of 12 straight in the series.
Toronto Raptors 120, Miami Heat 113 Chris Bosh had 29 points with 12 rebounds, Italian Andrea Bargnani added 24 with 10 boards, helping the host Raptors end a three-game slide. Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers tossed in 30 points apiece for Miami (7-5) losers of three straight.
Milwaukee Bucks 95, Charlotte Bobcats 88 Rookie Brandon Jennings tallied 29 points, and the host Bucks (7- 3) overcame the loss of injured starters Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut to hand the Bobcats their seventh straight loss. Stephen Jackson led Charlotte (3-9) with 22 points, Gerald Wallace had 22 and 10 rebounds.
Memphis Grizzlies 102, Philadelphia 76ers 97 Rudy Gay matched his season high with 33 points, Zach Randolph had 21 and 11 rebounds, leading the visiting Grizzlies (4-8) to their third straight victory. Lou Williams topped Philadelphia (5-7) with a career-best 31 points.
Oklahoma City Thunder 127, Washington Wizards 108 Kevin Durant scored 35, Russell Westbrook had 26 and rookie James Harden added 25 as the Thunder (7-6) whipped the visiting Wizards (3-8) with its highest point total of the season. Caron Butler scored 24 for Washington (3-8) losers for the seventh time in eight games.
Golden State Warriors 108, Portland Trail Blazers 94 Monta Ellis had a season-best 34 points, Anthony Morrow added 23, and the Warriors (4-8) snapped a three-game slide, with their ninth straight home court victory over the Trail Blazers. Spain's Rudy Fernandez had 19 points for Portland (9-5), which hasn't won at Golden State since Nov. 3, 2004.
LA Clippers 106, Denver Nuggets 99 Reserve Rasual Butler scored 27, Al Thornton added 18 and the Clippers (5-9) withstood a 37-point effort from Carmelo Anthony to snap a seven-game skid against the visiting Nuggets (8-4).
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