Dickau dishes way to career-high 16 assists

At New Orleans, P.J. Brown scored six of his season-high 20 points in overtime and grabbed 10 rebounds, sending the New Orleans Hornets to a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Former Gonzaga point guard Dan Dickau had 19 points and a career-high 16 assists, setting up two key midrange jumpers by Brown in overtime.

The Sixers were playing without NBA-leading scorer Allen Iverson, who missed his second straight game with a strained left shoulder. Corliss Williamson led Philadelphia with 20 points.

The game went into overtime on a buzzer-beating three from the Sixers Kyle Korver. But Brown helped the Hornets take over for good with consecutive jumpers, then Casey Jacobsen hit a second 3 to make it 96-89 with 1:01 to go.

Trail Blazers 90, Clippers 86: Damon Stoudamire had 18 of his 22 points in the second half to lead Portland to a comeback win over the Los Angeles Clippers at Portland, despite the distraction of Darius Miles’ suspension.

Miles was suspended by the team for two games Friday after a verbal clash with coach Maurice Cheeks earlier this week. According to the Oregonian newspaper, Miles repeatedly called Cheeks a racial epithet and shouted that he didn’t care if the Blazers lost 20 games in a row. In a statement released by the Blazers, Miles said: “I would like to apologize to all of our Trail Blazer fans for not being a part of the team these next two games. Things were said in frustration and I am sorry for that.”

Knicks 99, Cavaliers 96: Penny Hardaway showed no rust in his first game in more than three weeks, returning from the injured list and making a key jumper with 36 seconds remaining to lead New York to a win over short-handed Cleveland. Stephon Marbury and Jamal Crawford had 22 points each as the Knicks, playing at home, held off the Cavs, who were without LeBron James (sprained ankle) for the first time this season. Drew Gooden added 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Sasha Pavlovic had 17 points in his first career start for Cleveland.

Kings 117, Rockets 111 (OT): At Houston, Chris Webber scored 30 points, including a 3-pointer to force overtime, and Sacramento beat Houston. Webber hit an awkward 3-pointer over Houston’s Tracy McGrady to tie it with 1.3 seconds left in regulation. McGrady had 30 points and 12 assists for the Rockets.

Timberwolves 93, Jazz 91: Kevin Garnett scored 25 points at Minneapolis and made a key steal in the final minute to help Minnesota rally for its fifth straight victory by beating Utah. After trailing for much of the game, the Wolves came alive late in the third quarter to erase a 16-point deficit. Andrei Kirilenko scored 14 points to lead Utah.

Nets 109, Lakers 103: At Los Angeles, Vince Carter scored 18 of his 30 points in the third quarter, Jason Kidd had 15 points and 11 assists and short-handed New Jersey beat Los Angeles. Caron Butler had 31 points and 10 rebounds and Chucky Atkins added 22 points for the Lakers, who have allowed 100 or more points in six of their last seven games.

Nuggets 106, Bucks 100: At Milwaukee, coach George Karl made a triumphant return to the NBA at the expense of his former team, and Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points for Denver, which overcame a 14-point deficit to snap a three-game losing streak. Michael Redd scored 26 points for Milwaukee, and Dan Gadzuric tied a career high with 19 points.

Suns 128, Celtics 119: At Boston, Amare Stoudemire scored 42 points, Quentin Richardson added 23 and Phoenix won its fourth straight with a victory over Boston. Paul Pierce led Boston with 34 points and nine rebounds.

Bobcats 101, Raptors 94: Kareem Rush scored 21 points and Charlotte finally figured out how to make foul shots in time to snap a 10-game losing streak with victory over Toronto at Charlotte, N.C. Rafer Alston scored 20 to lead Toronto, which has 20 of 23 on the road this season.

Magic 108, Wizards 101: At Orlando, Hedo Turkoglu matched his career high with 31 points – 17 in the second quarter – and Orlando beat Washington to snap the Wizards’ four-game winning streak. Steve Francis missed his first 11 shots, but his jumper with 44.2 seconds left broke a 100-all tie. Grant Hill had 22 points and eight rebounds for Orlando.

Heat 106, Hawks 96: Shaquille O’Neal scored 26 points and actually made more free throws than he missed, leading Miami to a victory over Atlanta. Antoine Walker matched his season high for the Hawks with 36 points, going 6 of 8 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Around the League

Allan Houston was placed on the injured list by the New York Knicks, a setback in the shooting guard’s comeback from knee surgery. New York also activated guard Moochie Norris. … New Orleans Hornets placed Baron Davis on the injured list because of a bruised right Achilles tendon, allowing the team to bring back point guard Junior Harrington on a 10-day contract.