NBA : Philly foils Phoenix

The Phoenix Suns’ drive toward a perfect road record against the East came to an unexpected end in Philadelphia.

Andre Iguodala scored 24 points, Willie Green had 20 and the Philadelphia 76ers never trailed Wednesday night in a 99-94 win over the Suns, who lost on the road to an Eastern Conference team for the first time this season.

The Suns won their first 14 on the road against the East, and needed one more victory against the lowly 76ers to become the first team to sweep its road games against the opposite conference. It was also the first time the Suns failed to hold a lead.

“It’s a nice accomplishment, but we expect to win,” said the Suns’ Steve Nash, who rolled his ankle and scored 23 points.

With the Suns playing without Shawn Marion and Boris Diaw, the Sixers were able to pull off their most impressive win of what’s mostly been a miserable season.

Amare Stoudemire had 31 points and 14 rebounds, and Raja Bell added 13 points. Marion sat out his first game of the season because of a bruised right hand and bruised left quadriceps suffered against Indiana on Tuesday night. Diaw had back spasms. Nash said his ankle was fine.

Heat 92, Wizards 83: At Washington, Shaquille O’Neal took over the game in the fourth quarter, assuming command of the paint by scoring 10 of his season-high 23 points to lead Miami over Washington.

In a game without Dwyane Wade, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison – and with Gilbert Arenas having another poor shooting night – O’Neal became the unstoppable star when it mattered most. He scored all 12 of Miami’s points over a 13-minute span, using a variety of moves against helpless Wizards center Brendan Haywood.

Jazz 104, Grizzlies 88: At Memphis, Tenn., Carlos Boozer had 24 points and 16 rebounds, and reserve Matt Harpring added 25 points to lead Utah to a victory over Memphis.

Boozer shot 12 of 16 from the field and Harpring was 7 of 12, helping Utah overcome early shooting woes and finish the game at 54 percent.

Celtics 102, Knicks 94: At Boston, Gerald Green scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, including seven straight after Boston had finished blowing a 23-point lead, helping the Celtics beat New York.

Hornets 107, Hawks 100: At Oklahoma City, Chris Paul had 24 points, 13 in the fourth quarter, and Tyson Chandler added 18 points and 13 rebounds as New Orleans beat Atlanta.

New Orleans outscored the Hawks 30-12 at the free throw line and sealed the victory by going 7 of 8 from the line in the final 32 seconds.

Raptors 106, Rockets 90: At Houston, Andrea Bargnani scored 20 points, and Toronto used a torrid shooting first half to build a 20-point lead and defeat Houston.

The Raptors stretched their lead to as many as 22 as they finished shooting 57.1 percent (44 of 77) after hitting 69 percent (29 of 42) the first half.

Bulls 113, Warriors 83: At Chicago, Ben Gordon scored 16 of his 22 points in the first quarter and rookie Tyrus Thomas tied a career high with 14 points to lead Chicago to a victory over Golden State.

Reserve Adrian Griffin added a season-high 17 points and rookie Thabo Sefolosha scored a career-high 19 points for the Bulls.

Nuggets 111, Magic 101: At Denver, Allen Iverson scored 34 points, Carmelo Anthony added 23 and Denver toppled Orlando.

Linas Kleiza and Eduardo Najera provided sparks off the bench for Denver, adding 17 and 15 points, respectively.

Kings 135, Bobcats 120: At Sacramento, Calif., Kevin Martin and Mike Bibby shot Sacramento out of its slump, scoring 36 and 30 points, respectively, in a victory over Charlotte.

Bibby scored 26 in the second half, when he hit a Sacramento record-tying six of his seven 3-pointers.

Off the court

Deon Willford, the man who hit former Indiana Pacers guard Stephen Jackson with a car during a fight outside a strip club last fall was sentenced to two years in prison. … Boston Celtics radio analyst Cedric Maxwell apologized on the air for saying that a female referee should “go back to the kitchen” after he disagreed with one of her calls. … Houston Rockets star Tracy McGrady said he would consider skipping next year’s All-Star game if he felt he wouldn’t be safe in New Orleans. … Celtics forward Wally Szczerbiak will have season-ending ankle surgery next week. … The Wizards signed forward Mike Hall to a 10-day contract and released center James Lang.