Shaquille O'Neal scored 29 points Monday as the Phoenix Suns crushed the Washington Wizards 103-87.
O'Neal went 10-for-14 from the field, 9-for-10 from the free throw line and had eight rebounds in 36 minutes for the Suns.
Amare Stoudemire added 22 points and 15 rebounds, and Steve Nash had 14 points and 15 assists for the Suns, whose 53-38 rebounding advantage helped overcome their 17 turnovers.
Caron Butler scored 28 points, and Antawn Jamison had 27 for the Wizards, but they didn't get much help as Washington lost for the 10th time in 12 games.
In Miami, Dwyane Wade finished with 35 points and Miami held Atlanta without a field goal for nearly 13 1/2 minutes during one first-half stretch before winning the game by 95-79.
Daequan Cook scored 16 points and Chalmers added 12 points and six assists for Miami (24-19), which moved a season-best five games over .500. Udonis Haslem had a game-high 13 rebounds.
In New York, Wilson Chandler responded to being taken out of the starting lineup with 18 points to lead New York to its first win - 104-98 - over Houston since 2004.
Chandler's 3-pointer with more than two minutes left gave the Knicks the lead for good at 97-96. The Knicks had lost eight straight to Houston.
Tracy McGrady led Houston with 20 points in his second game back from a left knee injury.
The Rockets were playing without center Yao Ming (sore right knee) for the second straight game.
In New Orleans, Chris Paul had 27 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds and seven steals for his fifth triple-double of the season in the Hornets' 101-86 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Peja Stojakovic highlighted a 26-point performance with six 3-pointers for New Orleans, which was badly outscored inside but made up for it with 14 3s as a team.
Thaddeus Young had 22 points and Andre Miller 19 for the Sixers, who lost for only the second time in their past 10 games.
In Milwaukee, Al Jefferson had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Ryan Gomes added 22 points to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Bucks, 90-83.
Randy Foye and rookie Kevin Love also each added 12 points for the Timberwolves.
Ramon Sessions had 18 points replacing Redd, Charlie Villanueva added 15 and Richard Jefferson 10 for Milwaukee.
Redd, averaging a team-high 21.2 points, tore the anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in his left knee in Saturday's win against Sacramento when he landed on Ridnour's foot.
In Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant scored nine of his 18 points in the third quarter, when the Oklahoma City Thunder outscored the New Jersey Jets 31-14 on the way to a 94-85 victory.
Russell Westbrook had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Jeff Green scored 13 for the Thunder, which led by as many as 30 in the fourth quarter before New Jersey's reserves rallied to close the gap.
Brook Lopez scored 18 for the Nets. Vince Carter, averaging 21.6 points per game, had just 8 on 2-of-12 shooting. Devin Harris (21.8) scored 10 and was 4-of-17.
In Los Angeles, Brandon Roy scored 33 points on 11-of-15 shooting to lead Portland Trail Blazers over the Los Angeles Clippers 113-88.
Travis Outlaw scored 16 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and keyed the run that gave the Trail Blazers breathing room. Greg Oden went 7-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-4 from the line for 16 points and had six rebounds.
Al Thornton scored 23 for Los Angeles, which lost for the 16th time in 18 games.
(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2009)
