NBA: Heat down T-Wolves, win fifth straight

Shaquille O’Neal made his first seven shots and scored a season-high 32 points, Jason Williams added 20 points and the surging Miami Heat beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 105-91 Friday night in Miami.

O’Neal finished 13 of 16 from the field and added nine rebounds. Williams shot 9 for 13 and Eddie Jones had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, who shot 58 percent to win their fifth straight overall.

Kevin Garnett had 23 points.

Pistons 95, Nuggets 82: At Denver, Chris Webber scored 20 points, Rasheed Wallace had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Detroit snapped a two-game losing streak with a victory over Denver.

Rockets 112, Nets 91: At Houston, Tracy McGrady scored 34 points and Yao Ming had 24 points and 13 rebounds, leading Houston to a victory over New Jersey.

Hawks 106, Grizzlies 105: At Atlanta, Josh Smith scored 20 points, including the go-ahead three-point play with 11.5 seconds left, to give Atlanta a win over lowly Memphis, the Grizzlies’ sixth straight loss.

76ers 108, Lakers 92: At Philadelphia, Andre Iguodala scored 31 points and Philadelphia spoiled the return of Los Angeles’ Kobe Bryant with its sixth straight victory.

Suns 104, Hornets 103: At Phoenix, Amare Stoudemire had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Phoenix withstood a last-minute surge by New Orleans to hand the Hornets their fourth loss in a row.

Warriors 99, Clippers 89: At Oakland, Calif., Baron Davis had 25 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and Golden State gained valuable ground on Los Angeles in the playoff chase with the victory.

Around the league

Ending speculation that Larry Brown would again coach the Philadelphia 76ers, team president Billy King said that Maurice Cheeks would return next year for a third season.

“Boston guard Delonte West sat out the Celtics’ game against the Seattle SuperSonics because of a concussion.

West sustained a mild concussion in the third quarter of the Celtics’ 111-80 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

“Chicago forward Malik Allen was released from an Orlando, Fla., hospital after he was evaluated and treated for an irregular heartbeat that occurred during a game the night before against the Magic.