AROUND THE NBA Saturday's games

Hawks 99, Nuggets 88
ATLANTA -- Toni Kukoc scored 23 points and Nazr Mohammed added 16 as the Atlanta Hawks beat Denver, extending their home winning streak over the Nuggets to 11 games. Kukoc, who tied a season high with 11 assists, shot 4-for-4 in the fourth quarter, including a 14-foot turnaround jumper from the left baseline that put Atlanta up 93-83 with 2:01 remaining. After a Denver timeout, Matt Maloney made a steal and hit the layup to give the Hawks a 12-point lead. Atlanta won its second straight after snapping a four-game losing streak and dropping 16 of 19. Reserve forward Kevin Willis, who played 11 years in Atlanta, led Denver with 21 points.
Rockets 96, Wizards 86
WASHINGTON -- On the night Maryland played its first Final Four game, Steve Francis outdueled former Terrapins teammate Laron Profit. Just barely. Jawing, bumping and smiling as they faced each other for the first time in the NBA, Francis had 25 points and Profit set career highs with 18 points, eight rebounds and seven steals as the Houston Rockets beat the Washington Wizards. The MCI Center crowd cheered the early first-half scores from the Maryland-Duke game in Minneapolis, but they also applauded the Francis-Profit battle.
Heat 97, Bulls 90
CHICAGO -- Playing in only his third game, Alonzo Mourning scored 12 points and had five rebounds and one block as the Miami Heat beat the Chicago Bulls. It was the Heat's first victory with Mourning, who missed almost six months after being diagnosed with kidney disease last October. Tim Hardaway had 21 points and 10 assists to lead six Heat players in double figures. Anthony Mason added 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Brian Grant also had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Bucks 86, Spurs 77
SAN ANTONIO -- Sam Cassell had 24 points and nine assists and Jason Caffey added 15 points as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the San Antonio Spurs. A capacity crowd of 35,944 saw the Spurs shoot 25-for-79 (31.6 percent), their worst shooting percentage in franchise history. San Antonio also set a season low for field goals. The Bucks weren't much better, hitting 31 of 80 shots (38.8 percent).
Associated Press