Blazers defeat Cheeks

The Portland Trail Blazers warmly welcomed former coach Maurice Cheeks back to the Rose Garden. Then they beat him.

Zach Randolph had 28 points and 14 rebounds and the Blazers beat Cheeks’ new team, the Philadelphia 76ers, 95-91 on Wednesday night.

The Trail Blazers have won three straight for the first time since last February – when Cheeks was their coach. It was his first visit to Portland since the Blazers fired him last March.

When Cheeks strode on to the court before the game, he was greeted with an enthusiastic round of applause, and many in the crowd stood to honor the well-liked coach. He embraced the coach who took over in Portland, Nate McMillan.

Grizzlies 100, Lakers 99 (OT): At Los Angeles, Damon Stoudamire had 25 points and nine assists, Pau Gasol added 24 points and 13 rebounds, and Memphis edged Los Angeles.

Warriors 111, Celtics 109: At Oakland, Calif., Derek Fisher took a pass from Baron Davis and drove through the paint for a left-handed layup with 6.2 seconds left, and Golden State snapped a season-worst, five-game losing streak by defeating Boston.

Hornets 92, Rockets 90: At Oklahoma City, David West’s jump shot from the foul line with 1.8 seconds remaining gave New Orleans a victory over Houston.

West’s shot came on rookie Chris Paul’s 15th assist, a career high, and helped the Hornets end a two-game losing streak. Houston lost its fourth straight despite Tracy McGrady’s season-high 38 points.

Magic 105, Knicks 95: At Orlando, Fla., Grant Hill scored 26 points, and Steve Francis had 17 points and six assists as Orlando beat New York.

Bobcats 93, Bulls 80: At Charlotte, N.C., Melvin Ely scored 20 points and Primoz Brezec added 17 points and 14 rebounds to lead Charlotte over Chicago.

Suns 104, Wizards 99: At Washington, Shawn Marion scored 28 points, and Phoenix rallied from an eight-point, fourth-quarter deficit for a victory over Washington.

Raptors 108, Hawks 102: At Toronto, Mike James scored 28 points, Morris Peterson added a season-high 26, and Toronto beat Atlanta in a matchup of two of the NBA’s worst teams.

Off the court

Ron Artest has accepted that he’s played his last game for Indiana, said his agent, Mark Stevens. Artest went public nearly three weeks ago with his desire to be traded, then backpedaled and apologized to his teammates and to management in hopes of staying with the team. But his campaign to stay seemed to end after Pacers president Larry Bird told The Indianapolis Star on Monday that he felt “betrayed” by Artest. … Denver center Marcus Camby, the NBA’s rebounding leader, will be out indefinitely after breaking his right pinkie finger against Golden State on Monday, an injury that will require surgery. … Sacramento forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim’s mouth will be wired shut for six weeks after he undergoes surgery to repair his broken jaw.