The Houston Rockets recovered from blowing a 16-point lead in the second half to beat the Utah Jazz in double overtime in the NBA on Saturday.

Ron Artest scored 10 of his 28 points in second overtime to clinch a win that moved Houston within half a game of Southwest Division leader San Antonio.

The Rockets led 59-43 early in the third quarter, then went 3-for-18 from the field in the fourth to fuel Utah's comeback.

The Jazz almost won despite playing without their top three scorers and rebounders - Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur and Paul Millsap - for the second straight game.

Hawks 129, Bulls 117

In Atlanta, Joe Johnson scored a season-high 41 points to lead the surging Atlanta Hawks to a 129-117 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Johnson also had eight assists for Atlanta, who claimed their fourth successive win with a sixth home victory in seven games.

"When you can just come down and pull three-pointers, those games are fun," Johnson, who sank four shots from outside the arc, told reporters. "It always feels a little better when you win and hopefully we can get a few more like that."

Josh Smith added a season-best 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Hawks (19-10), who complete an eight-game homestand against Denver on Monday.

Mike Bibby (17 points, seven assists) and Marvin Williams (16 points, eight rebounds) also had key performances for the Hawks.

"This was just one of those offensive explosions we had tonight," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said.

"Everybody was clicking on all cylinders.

"It was just an offensive performance on both sides. But in the fourth quarter, we held them to 22 points, so our defense did pick up when we really had to buckle down."

Ben Gordon and Derrick Rose carried the scoring load for the Bulls (13-17), who lost their seventh consecutive road game.

Gordon scored 33 points and Rose contributed a season-high 27.

"We play so well at the offensive end, but we can't stop anybody (defensively)," Rose said.

Pistons 87, Bucks 76

In Milwaukee, Tayshaun Prince scored nine of his 19 points in the decisive third quarter as Detroit overcame Milwaukee.

Allen Iverson added 18 for the Pistons, who have won three straight.

Spurs 106, Grizzlies 103, 2OT

In San Antonio, Tony Parker scored 32 points, hitting two of San Antonio's three baskets in the second overtime, as San Antonio edged Memphis.

Michael Finley blocked Memphis' last shot to secure the victory.

Parker's two baskets put the Spurs up by four before Memphis got a 3-pointer with 71 seconds left. The Grizzlies had a chance to send the game into a third overtime but Finley was able to swat the ball from behind as the Grizzlies were preparing to shoot.

Trail Blazers 102, Raptors 89

In Portland, Oregon, Brandon Roy had 32 points and nine assists to spark Portland's win over Toronto.

LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 points and nine rebounds for the Trail Blazers.

Magic 118, Timberwolves 94

In Minneapolis, Orlando notched its seventh straight win by downing Minnesota.

Hedo Turkoglu scored 11 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter as the Magic slowly pulled away.

The Timberwolves have lost nine straight at home.

Nets 114, Bobcats 103, OT

In Charlotte, North Carolina, New Jersey broke clear in overtime to down Charlotte.

Vince Carter scored 28 points for the Nets, who had lost at home against the Bobcats on Friday.

Charlotte rallied from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter but could not go on with it in overtime.

Wizards 104, Thunder 95

In Washington, the home side downed Oklahoma City in a match of the two worst teams in the NBA.

Antawn Jamison scored 29 points for the Wizards, who broke an eight-game losing streak, their longest since 2001.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, there had never before been an NBA game matching teams with lower winning percentages - .100 for Oklahoma City and .148 for Washington -with both having played at least 25 games.

(Agencies via China DailyDecember 29, 2008)