Derrick Rose showed another dimension to his already impressive game and led the Chicago Bulls to a victory just before they start a tough seven-game road trip. Besides his quick first step and fearless forays to the basket, Rose displayed his 3-point shot Saturday night while scoring 23 points and helping the Bulls beat the Indiana Pacers 104-91.

The Houston Rockets refused to let a big fourth-quarter lead slip away two nights in a row. Yao Ming scored 21 points, Tracy McGrady added 18 points and nine rebounds, and the Rockets bottled up Chris Paul in a 91-82 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday. Paul, who came in averaging 22 points, went 2-of-10 from the field and made all eight free throws to score 12.

Paul Pierce scored 28 points, Ray Allen added 27 and the pair accounted for all nine points in overtime, lifting the Boston Celtics to a scrappy 102-97 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. Allen and Pierce were without the final member of the Big Three, Kevin Garnett, down the stretch after he fouled out midway through overtime, but still managed to give the Celtics their sixth…

Watch out NBA, Greg Oden is starting to clear the cobwebs from two injuries, giving Brandon Roy a monster presence down low for the young Portland Trail Blazers. Playing the first back-to-back of his career, the former No. 1 draft pick followed his first double-double with 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in 23 minutes.

Watch out NBA, Greg Oden is starting to clear the cobwebs from two injuries, giving Brandon Roy a monster presence down low for the young Portland Trail Blazers. Playing the first back-to-back of his career, the former No. 1 draft pick followed his first double-double with 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in 23 minutes.

LeBron James calls the fourth quarter “winning time.” The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar proved that yet again Saturday night. James scored 16 of his 38 points in the final period, leading a second-half rally that gave the Cavaliers their seventh straight victory, 105-93 over the short-handed Utah Jazz.

Devin Harris is feeling better. Just ask the Atlanta Hawks. Harris scored 33 points, Vince Carter had 29 and the New Jersey Nets beat Atlanta 119-107 on Saturday night, completing a sweep of the two-day, home-and-home series. The Nets lost three straight while Harris was out with a sprained left ankle.

Thaddeus Young scored 23 points, Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala added 15 apiece, and the Philadelphia 76ers cruised past the struggling Oklahoma City Thunder, 110-85 on Saturday. Samuel Dalembert contributed 13 points and 16 rebounds for the Sixers, who won their third straight game to even their record at 5-5.

The Utah Jazz were without Deron Williams and three other key players Saturday night against Cleveland. Forwards Andrei Kirilenko and Matt Harpring, and center Mehmet Okur all missed the game, leaving coach Jerry Sloan with depleted options as the team ended its five-game Eastern trip. Williams, one of the top point guards in the NBA, is out with a sprained left ankle, an injury he sustained in the…

Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin was fined $20,000 by the NBA on Saturday for his actions after being ejected from a game. Martin was penalized for verbal abuse of an official and failure to leave the court in a timely manner following an ejection in a loss at Cleveland on Thursday. Martin was thrown out following a flagrant foul for slamming his shoulder into Cleveland forward Anderson…