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Balanced offense helps N.J. top Celts

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Kenyon Martin scored 16 points, including 10 in the third quarter, to lead the Nets to a 114-106 preseason win over the Celtics on Thursday night.

Brandon Armstrong had 15 points, and Dikembe Mutombo and Tamar Slay each had 12 for New Jersey, the defending Eastern Conference champion who is 4-0 in the preseason. Mutombo also had a game-high 11 rebounds.

Paul Pierce had 27 points and Antoine Walker 18 for the Celtics.

HEAT 113, HAWKS 93: Eddie Jones scored 20 points as Miami beat Atlanta in Birmingham, Ala. Jones hit a layup midway through the third to give the Heat an 81-58 lead, its largest. The Hawks never got closer than 12 the rest of the way.

WIZARDS 88, HORNETS 78: Jerry Stackhouse and Kwame Brown spoiled New Orleans' home opener, leading Washington to a comeback victory. Stackhouse scored 22, and Brown was 6-for-6 from the field and 3-for-3 from the line for 15 points with four rebounds.

PISTONS 83, MAVERICKS 80: Corliss Williamson scored 10 of his 15 points in the fourth, and Ben Wallace had 17 rebounds as visiting Detroit held on for a victory over Dallas.

ROCKETS 85, SUNS 78: Reserves Oscar Torres, Jason Collier and Tito Maddox fueled a late rally to lead visiting Houston. The three combined for 23 of Houston's 27 points in the final quarter as the undefeated Rockets overcame a 73-72 deficit. Amare Stoudemire, the only high school player selected in this year's draft, led the Suns with 17 points and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes.

Malone's retirement his secret for now

Karl Malone has "pretty much" decided whether to retire after this season but refused to say when he officially will announce a decision.

"You never back yourself into a corner, one way or the other," he said.

Malone, the league's second-leading career scorer, is entering his 18th season with the Jazz. He will earn $19.25-million in the final year of his contract.

He is a 14-time All-Star, was twice the league's MVP and played on two U.S. Olympic teams.

Jazz owner Larry Miller has said he doesn't plan to extend Malone's contract or give him a raise before the end of the season. The team could clear millions in salary-cap space by allowing his contract to expire after the season.

Malone, 39, expects to make an announcement before the end of the season.

BUCKS: Michael Redd is expected to travel to the Mavericks for Saturday's game. Redd had a physical, and plans to practice for the first time at training camp today. The Bucks matched Dallas' four-year, $12-million offer to the restricted free agent this week.

GRIZZLIES: Memphis waived free agents Cory Bradford and Tang Hamilton.

HAWKS: Atlanta signed free-agent guard Rod Grizzard. HORNETS: Front-court starters Elden Campbell and Jamal Mashburn will miss the remainder of preseason with knee injuries. KINGS: Forward Gerald Wallace will miss the rest of the preseason with a sprained knee, but should be healthy in time to start the regular season. ... Sacramento released guards Sean Chen and Kiwane Garris and center Casey Shaw.

KNICKS: The league granted New York a $4.54-million midlevel injury exception after season-ending surgery on Antonio McDyess' broken left kneecap.

MAVERICKS: Chinese center Wang Zhizhi will join the Clippers after Dallas decided not to match a $6-million, three-year offer sheet.

ROCKETS: Yao Ming has fulfilled his obligations to the Chinese Basketball Association and his U.S. visa requirements, and he's not expected to miss any regular-season games.

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