HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets did more than extend their winning streak on Sunday. They validated it.

Rafer Alston scored 31 points and hit eight 3-pointers, both career highs, and the Rockets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 104-92 to extend their streak to 22 and claim sole possession of first place in the Western Conference.

Kobe Bryant scored 24 points for the Lakers and smothered Tracy McGrady on defense, helping hold the Houston star to 11 points on 4-for-16 shooting.

The rest of the Rockets made up for it. Shane Battier scored 14 points and shadowed Bryant most of the game. Backup point guard Bobby Jackson added 19 points and Luis Scola had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The Rockets have won 26 of their last 27 games and 31 of their last 34. They've won 15 straight at the Toyota Center, 10 straight since Yao Ming went out with a broken foot and 11 of their last 13 games by double digits.

The Lakers have lost three of their last four. They played without Pau Gasol, who's out with a sprained ankle.

L.A. LAKERS (92)-Radmanovic 1-3 2-2 5, Odom 7-10 3-6 17, Turiaf 3-4 7-9 13, Fisher 2-6 1-1 6, Bryant 11-33 2-4 24, Farmar 3-8 0-0 8, Mbenga 1-4 1-2 3, Vujacic 2-5 2-2 7, Walton 3-7 3-4 9. Totals 33-80 21-30 92.

HOUSTON (104)-Battier 5-12 2-2 14, Scola 3-9 7-9 13, Mutombo 0-1 0-0 0, Alston 10-22 3-4 31, McGrady 4-16 3-6 11, Hayes 1-4 1-1 3, Harris 3-6 0-0 6, Jackson 7-9 3-3 19, Head 2-4 3-4 7. Totals 35-83 22-29 104.

L.A. Lakers 23 21 22 26 -- 92

Houston 24 35 12 33 -- 104

3-Pointers-L.A. Lakers 5-16 (Farmar 2-6, Radmanovic 1-1, Vujacic 1-1, Fisher 1-3, Walton 0-1, Bryant 0-4), Houston 12-26 (Alston 8-11, Jackson 2-4, Battier 2-7, McGrady 0-4). Fouled Out--Turiaf. Rebounds--L.A. Lakers 53 (Odom 11), Houston 58 (Scola 11). Assists--L.A. Lakers 15 (Farmar, Fisher 3), Houston 16 (McGrady 6). Total Fouls--L.A. Lakers 20, Houston 21. Technicals--Odom, Radmanovic, Vujacic, Alston, Houston defensive three second. A--18,409 (18,500).

Nuggets 168,

SuperSonics 116

DENVER (AP) -- Carmelo Anthony scored 26 points, Allen Iverson finished with 24 and Marcus Camby had a triple-double to help Denver set an NBA season high for points in a half and a game.

The 168 points are the most Denver has scored in a game since Jan. 11, 1984, against San Antonio. It is also the most the Nuggets have scored in regulation.

The Nuggets fell 16 points shy of the franchise record, set in a 186-184 triple-overtime loss to Detroit on Dec. 13, 1983.

The Nuggets' 168 points top the 138 they scored against Seattle in a 32-point win on Feb. 27, which was also the league high for the season. Denver scored 84 points in both halves, surpassing the previous high of 80 set by Phoenix on Nov. 21.

Camby had 13 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

SEATTLE (116)-J.Green 4-12 0-0 8, Wilcox 7-12 3-7 17, Petro 7-14 0-0 14, Durant 8-12 7-9 23, Watson 6-11 2-2 14, Ridnour 0-4 4-4 4, Collison 1-7 1-2 3, Wilkins 2-11 0-0 4, Gelabale 6-12 2-4 16, Marshall 0-4 0-0 0, Wilks 3-5 0-0 6, Sene 2-3 3-4 7. Totals 46-107 22-32 116.

DENVER (168)-Anthony 10-17 6-8 26, Martin 11-13 0-1 23, Camby 4-6 5-5 13, Iverson 8-14 8-8 24, Carter 2-3 3-4 8, Atkins 7-10 0-0 19, Najera 0-3 1-2 1, Kleiza 6-11 4-4 17, Smith 7-15 1-1 19, Diawara 3-5 2-2 11, Hunter 1-2 0-0 2, T.Green 2-2 0-0 5. Totals 61-101 30-35 168.

Seattle 29 29 27 31 -- 116

Denver 48 36 43 41 -- 168

3-Pointers-Seattle 2-10 (Gelabale 2-6, Wilkins 0-1, Marshall 0-3), Denver 16-31 (Atkins 5-8, Smith 4-10, Diawara 3-5, Carter 1-1, Martin 1-1, T.Green 1-1, Kleiza 1-3, Najera 0-1, Anthony 0-1). Fouled Out--None. Rebounds--Seattle 54 (Wilcox 12), Denver 62 (Camby 15). Assists--Seattle 28 (Watson 7), Denver 44 (Camby 10). Total Fouls--Seattle 24, Denver 19. Technicals--Watson. A--19,155 (19,155).

Kings 106, Raptors 100

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Kevin Martin had 32 points and eight rebounds for Sacramento.

Ron Artest added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Mikki Moore scored 17 for the Kings, who have won three of four games.

Jason Kapono scored 26 points for the Raptors, who have lost four straight and five of six. Rasho Nesterovic added 20 points and eight rebounds for Toronto.

The Raptors played their ninth straight game without All-Star forward Chris Bosh, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, who's out with a sore right knee. Toronto is 2-7 during the stretch without Bosh and 4-10 overall this season without him.

TORONTO (100)-Moon 3-7 2-2 9, Nesterovic 10-18 0-0 20, Bargnani 2-7 0-0 5, Parker 5-12 0-2 11, Calderon 3-8 0-0 6, Delfino 1-4 5-8 8, Humphries 4-9 0-0 8, Ford 3-8 1-1 7, Kapono 12-19 0-0 26. Totals 43-92 8-13 100.

SACRAMENTO (106)-Artest 8-15 2-2 19, Moore 7-8 3-3 17, Miller 6-12 2-2 14, K.Martin 9-21 12-15 32, Udrih 6-15 2-3 15, Hawes 0-0 0-0 0, Garcia 2-6 1-1 5, Douby 0-3 0-0 0, Johnson 2-2 0-0 4, Williams 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 40-83 22-26 106.

Toronto 23 26 24 27 -- 100

Sacramento 32 21 23 30 -- 106

3-Pointers-Toronto 6-16 (Kapono 2-6, Delfino 1-2, Bargnani 1-2, Moon 1-3, Parker 1-3), Sacramento 4-14 (K.Martin 2-3, Udrih 1-3, Artest 1-4, Douby 0-1, Miller 0-1, Garcia 0-2). Fouled Out--None. Rebounds--Toronto 43 (Nesterovic 8), Sacramento 58 (Miller 11). Assists--Toronto 26 (Calderon 9), Sacramento 20 (Udrih 7). Total Fouls--Toronto 23, Sacramento 19. A--13,963 (17,317).

Pistons 105, Hornets 84

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Jarvis Hayes scored 29 points, including a career-high seven 3-pointers, to lead Detroit to the win.

Chauncey Billups finished with 17 points and Tayshaun Prince scored 13 for the Pistons, who have won four of five.

The Hornets lost for just the second time in seven games. New Orleans was missing David West, who sprained his right ankle Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

New Orleans got 21 points from Peja Stojakovic and Chris Paul added 14 points and 14 assists.

NEW ORLEANS (84)-Stojakovic 8-15 3-3 21, Ely 7-11 1-3 15, Chandler 4-9 0-2 8, Paul 6-12 1-2 14, Peterson 2-6 0-0 4, Wright 4-12 2-2 10, Wells 3-6 2-2 8, Pargo 1-8 2-2 4, Bowen 0-0 0-0 0, James 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 35-81 11-16 84.

DETROIT (105)-Prince 5-13 2-2 13, McDyess 2-4 0-0 4, Wallace 4-7 0-0 10, Billups 6-10 3-3 17, Hamilton 3-10 1-1 8, Maxiell 3-6 3-6 9, Hayes 10-13 2-2 29, Stuckey 3-6 2-2 8, Ratliff 1-1 0-0 2, Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Afflalo 1-1 0-0 2, Dixon 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 39-74 13-16 105.

New Orleans 26 18 22 18 -- 84

Detroit 21 34 22 28 -- 105

3-Pointers-New Orleans 3-18 (Stojakovic 2-6, Paul 1-3, Peterson 0-2, Wright 0-3, Pargo 0-4), Detroit 14-21 (Hayes 7-8, Wallace 2-3, Billups 2-4, Dixon 1-2, Prince 1-2, Hamilton 1-2). Fouled Out--None. Rebounds--New Orleans 47 (Stojakovic 9), Detroit 42 (McDyess 11). Assists--New Orleans 17 (Paul 14), Detroit 25 (Hamilton 6). Total Fouls--New Orleans 17, Detroit 17. Technicals--New Orleans defensive three second, Billups, Wallace. A--22,076 (22,076).

Cavaliers 98, Bobcats 91

CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James scored 33 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 16 points and nine rebounds for Cleveland.

Ben Wallace scored his only two baskets of the game, Delonte West added a jumper and James hit a bank shot in the lane in the final 2 minutes as the Cavaliers held on after nearly squandering an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter.

Jason Richardson scored nine straight points, including two 3-pointers and a three-point play to spark Charlotte's comeback. He finished with 33 points.

Ilgauskas returned to the starting lineup after missing seven games with an inflamed disk in his lower back. The Cavaliers have won a season-high seven straight at home.

CHARLOTTE (91)-Richardson 13-24 1-1 33, Okafor 4-13 2-4 10, Mohammed 4-10 1-2 9, Felton 6-14 1-4 14, Carroll 2-4 0-0 4, G.Wallace 5-13 0-1 10, Dudley 0-3 0-0 0, Boykins 2-4 0-1 5, Davidson 1-2 0-0 2, Hollins 0-0 2-2 2, Anderson 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 38-88 7-15 91.

CLEVELAND (98)-James 11-24 10-16 33, B.Wallace 2-4 0-0 4, Ilgauskas 7-11 2-2 16, West 3-12 0-0 7, Pavlovic 4-9 2-4 11, Varejao 0-3 2-2 2, Brown 3-7 3-4 10, Smith 2-5 0-0 4, Da.Jones 2-3 2-2 8, Szczerbiak 1-4 1-1 3. Totals 35-82 22-31 98.

Charlotte 19 21 23 28 -- 91

Cleveland 27 20 28 23 -- 98

3-Pointers-Charlotte 8-23 (Richardson 6-11, Boykins 1-1, Felton 1-3, Dudley 0-1, Carroll 0-1, G.Wallace 0-6), Cleveland 6-21 (Da.Jones 2-3, James 1-3, Brown 1-3, Pavlovic 1-4, West 1-6, Szczerbiak 0-2). Fouled Out--None. Rebounds--Charlotte 54 (Mohammed, Okafor 12), Cleveland 60 (B.Wallace 15). Assists--Charlotte 20 (Felton 9), Cleveland 23 (James 10). Total Fouls--Charlotte 22, Cleveland 16. Technicals--Charlotte defensive three second, Cleveland defensive three second. A--20,562 (20,562).

Mavericks 98, Heat 73

MIAMI (AP) -- Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points before sitting out most of the second half, and Dallas stormed out to a huge early lead on the way to the win.

Josh Howard added 15 for the Mavericks, who led by 20 points midway through the opening quarter and have beaten the Heat in each of the teams' past eight regular-season meetings. Brandon Bass and Jason Terry each scored 14 and Jerry Stackhouse had 12 for Dallas, which snapped a three-game road losing skid and won their fifth straight overall.

Earl Barron scored a career-high 21 for Miami, which set a season low in points and is a league-worst 11-54.

DALLAS (98)-Jo.Howard 7-14 1-2 15, Nowitzki 7-11 5-7 21, Dampier 1-2 1-2 3, Kidd 2-3 0-0 5, Stackhouse 3-6 5-5 12, Terry 5-10 3-3 14, Lue 2-7 0-0 4, George 0-6 1-2 1, Bass 7-9 0-0 14, Allen 3-4 0-0 6, A.Wright 1-3 0-0 3, Ju.Howard 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 38-75 16-21 98.

MIAMI (73)-Davis 2-5 0-2 5, Johnson 3-7 1-1 7, Blount 4-10 1-2 9, Williams 3-11 0-0 6, Cook 5-12 0-0 11, Barron 9-14 3-5 21, B.Jones 1-2 2-3 4, Anthony 1-5 0-2 2, Quinn 1-3 6-6 8. Totals 29-69 13-21 73.

Dallas 35 17 32 14 -- 98

Miami 12 18 23 20 -- 73

3-Pointers-Dallas 6-17 (Nowitzki 2-2, Kidd 1-1, A.Wright 1-2, Stackhouse 1-3, Terry 1-3, Lue 0-1, Jo.Howard 0-2, George 0-3), Miami 2-9 (Davis 1-1, Cook 1-4, B.Jones 0-1, Williams 0-3). Fouled Out--None. Rebounds--Dallas 51 (Kidd, Jo.Howard, Dampier 6), Miami 39 (Cook 8). Assists--Dallas 19 (Kidd 5), Miami 17 (Quinn 6). Total Fouls--Dallas 19, Miami 15. Technicals--Miami Bench. A--19,304 (19,600).

Hawks 109, Knicks 98

NEW YORK (AP) -- Joe Johnson had 28 points and 11 assists, and Atlanta moved into a tie for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Marvin Williams added 25 points for the Hawks, who used their athleticism to break open what was only a five-point game early in the final quarter. Reserve Josh Childress had 14 of his 22 points in the second half and added nine rebounds.

Atlanta (28-38) hasn't made the playoffs since 1999, the NBA's longest drought. The Hawks tied New Jersey for eighth place in the East, and following a game in Washington on Monday, they visit the Nets on Wednesday night.

Nate Robinson scored 23 points for the Knicks, who have lost eight of nine.

ATLANTA (109)-Smith 6-11 2-2 15, Williams 12-19 1-4 25, Horford 3-6 2-2 8, Johnson 10-21 3-3 28, Bibby 2-11 0-0 4, Pachulia 1-1 1-2 3, Childress 6-8 9-10 22, Law 0-3 2-4 2, S.Jones 0-2 2-2 2, J.Richardson 0-0 0-0 0, West 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 40-82 22-29 109.

NEW YORK (98)-Chandler 1-9 2-2 4, Lee 6-7 0-0 12, Randolph 5-11 3-3 13, Robinson 9-22 4-5 23, Crawford 1-7 2-2 4, Morris 4-8 0-5 8, Balkman 3-4 3-10 9, Jeffries 2-6 0-0 4, F.Jones 6-16 1-1 14, Collins 3-4 0-0 7. Totals 40-94 15-28 98.

Atlanta 21 32 32 24 -- 109

New York 20 29 30 19 -- 98

3-Pointers-Atlanta 7-16 (Johnson 5-9, Childress 1-1, Smith 1-1, S.Jones 0-1, Bibby 0-4), New York 3-16 (Collins 1-1, Robinson 1-3, F.Jones 1-5, Jeffries 0-1, Randolph 0-2, Crawford 0-4). Fouled Out--Morris. Rebounds--Atlanta 61 (Horford 10), New York 55 (Lee 9). Assists--Atlanta 24 (Johnson 11), New York 17 (Robinson 5). Total Fouls--Atlanta 20, New York 24. A--19,763 (19,763).