EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) Kenyon Martin had 23 points, 13 rebounds, four steals and four blocks, and New Jersey Nets tied the longest winning streak in the NBA this season _ 13 _ with a 97-84 victory Saturday over the New Orleans Hornets.

The victory was the Nets' 12th straight under coach Lawrence Frank, extending his league record for best coaching start and tying the North American mark for the best start in professional sports.

Joe Morgan took over the Boston Red Sox from John McNamara in 1988 and won a dozen. Jim Price won that many after taking over the baseball New York Giants in 1884.

Richard Jefferson added 21 points and Jason Kidd finished with 11 points, nine assists and nine rebounds to just miss out on his 59th career triple-double.

Heat 97, Nuggets 81

MIAMI (AP) Dwyane Wade outplayed fellow rookie Carmelo Anthony, scoring 28 points, and Lamar Odom had 12 of his 21 points in the third quarter as Miami matched a season-best four-game winning streak.

Anthony finished with 16 points, ending a streak of nine straight games with at least 20 points, and shot just 3-for-20 _ his worst effort since the third game of the season.

Andre Miller scored 15, former Heat guard Voshon Lenard had 14 and Nene scored 10 for the Nuggets, who have lost six of their last eight road games.

Miami trailed by as many as seven early in the third quarter and was down 54-48 with 9:03 left before a 22-6 run put the Heat in control. Odom had 10 points during the burst, during which Miami held Denver without a field goal for more than six minutes.

Mavericks 97, Rockets 88

DALLAS (AP) Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points and 12 rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks recovered from a 16-point first-quarter deficit.

Michael Finley contributed 19 points and Antoine Walker added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who began a stretch of five consecutive home games against Western Conference teams.

Houston opened the game with a 19-3 run and was in front by 14 at the end of the first quarter against a lethargic Dallas defense. But the Mavericks began to run, finishing with a 24-4 advantage in fast-break points for their sixth victory in eight games.

Jim Jackson's 18 points and Cuttino Mobley's 16 paced the Rockets, who've lost all six meetings against the Mavericks with Yao Ming in the lineup. Yao has won against every other NBA team.

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