Rockets Keep Suns In Dark

Charles Barkley had 20 points and 16 rebounds, and Kevin Willis had a strong game filling in for Hakeem Olajuwon as the Houston Rockets beat the winless Phoenix Suns 115-105 Thursday night in Houston.

The Suns dropped to 0-11, while the Rockets improved to 10-1.

Willis had 19 points, 12 rebounds and three assists in his best outing of the season.

Bulls make it 12

Michael Jordan scored 31 points, including 13 in a take-charge second quarter, and the Chicago Bulls (12-0) remained the NBA’s only unbeaten team by routing the Denver Nuggets 110-92 in Denver.

1,000 - and counting

Bill Fitch lost his 1,000th game as an NBA coach as his Los Angeles Clippers dropped a 105-94 decision to the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas.

Fitch, 61, who has coached more games than anyone in NBA history, also has accumulated 897 wins over 23 seasons.

Hitting a new low

The Atlanta Hawks, who had failed to reach 70 points in their previous two games, held the Milwaukee Bucks to the lowest point total in franchise history with a 73-65 victory in Milwaukee.

The 65 points broke the Bucks’ franchise record-low of 69 set in 1975 at Chicago.

Olajuwon back home

Hakeem Olajuwon drove home Thursday, two days after being hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat.

Doctors released the Houston Rockets center from The Methodist Hospital after tests, including an exercise stress test, showed no problems.

He will begin supervised workouts today, but it could be a week before he plays again, team physician James Muntz said.

Calipari, Nets agree

New Jersey Nets coach John Calipari has reached an agreement in principle on the contract clause that has delayed his signing, according to published reports.

Calipari, expected to formally sign a five-year, $15 million contract in the next three weeks, met with team president Michael Rowe to resolve questions about the offset clause that would dictate how much money he would receive if fired, two papers reported.

Bits and pieces

Dallas Mavericks forward Jamal Mashburn suffered a broken right cheekbone in the game against the Los Angeles Clippers. … Dennis Scott, who missed Orlando’s first six games because of a strained left hamstring, has been activated from the injured list. … Forward Alan Henderson of the Atlanta Hawks, who has not played this season because of a mysterious flu-like ailment, is getting better after being diagnosed with a condition that affects his pancreas.