76ers shoot down Hawks

Ron Anderson scored a season-high 27 points to spark the visitingPhiladelphia 76ers to a 126-121 victory Saturday over the AtlantaHawks.

The 76ers moved within two games of the New Jersey Nets, whohold the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.The Hawks maintained the seventh spot in the Eastern standings.

The 76ers, who have won four of their last five games againstthe Hawks, ended a seven-game losing streak on the road. The loss,meanwhile, was the Hawks' fourth in a row.

Hersey Hawkins, who extended his consecutive free-throw streakto 30, added 23 points and Charles Barkley had 23 points and 14rebounds. Armon Gilliam contributed 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting.

Duane Ferrell had a career-high 27 points to lead the Hawks.Kevin Willis added 20.

Hornets 118, Bullets 109: Kenny Gattison scored 23 points andJohnny Newman, who was back in the lineup after missing 17 games witha broken finger, added 20 as host Charlotte edged Washington.

Larry Johnson and Dell Curry each scored 16 points for theHornets, who shot 54 percent from the field. The Bullets shot just43 percent.

Ledell Eackles scored 30 points for the Bullets, and HarveyGrant led a short-lived comeback by tallying 12 of his 25 points inthe final quarter.

After trailing by as many as 12 points, the Bullets pulledwithin 107-104 when Eackles scored with 3:33 left.

But Gattison and Newman both hit clutch free throws as theHornets regained control at 114-106 with 1:08 to play.

Rockets 110, Magic 101: Vernon Maxwell scored 24 points andHakeem Olajuwon had 22 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocked shots tohelp Houston trip visiting Orlando.

Maxwell made a basket and a three-pointer as the Rockets, whowon their second consecutive game after a six-game skid, took thelead for good after trailing 2-0.