Jordan HillA dominating first half put Arizona on cruise control the rest of the way against Oregon State.

Jordan Hill led five players in double figures with 16 points and Arizona swamped the Beavers 87-56 in the first round of the Pac-10 tournament Wednesday night.

The Wildcats needed at least one more win to extend their 23-year streak of NCAA tournament appearances, the longest in the nation, and they got it easily against the Beavers (6-25).

The Wildcats (19-13) advanced to play No. 11 Stanford (24-6) in Thursday night’s quarterfinals at Staples Center. They were swept by the Cardinal in the regular season.

“We’ve been close to beating them twice,” Arizona interim coach Kevin O’Neill said. “We’re going to have to play great on the defensive end. If you finish second in this league this year, you’re damn good.”

Houston coach Rick Adelman has started reminding his team what’s at stake beyond preserving one of the NBA’s all-time winning streaks.

That seems to be the only pep talk the Rockets need.

Tracy McGrady scored 19 points in less than three quarters and Houston routed cold-shooting New Jersey 91-73 on Monday night for its 19th consecutive victory, matching the third-longest winning streak in league history.

The Rockets won their 10th straight game by double digits, tying an NBA record last set by the Nets in 2004. They also won their 13th in a row at the Toyota Center, the franchise’s longest home-court streak since the 1985-86 team won 20 consecutive games at The Summit.

Most importantly, the Rockets closed within one game of the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs for the top seed in the Western Conference. And that’s the number Adelman keeps emphasizing.

“I told them (Monday) they have a double whammy going,” Adelman said. “Not only do you have a chance to do something remarkable and get this streak going and keep it going, but also, every time you win, you keep shortening the season and you keep that lead that you have over other people and you’re moving up the standings.”

These Denver Nuggets are starting to show they could be much more than the first-round fodder they always are in the playoffs.

Now, if they can just make it that far.

Allen Iverson scored 29 points despite spraining his right ring finger in the first half and the Nuggets snapped San Antonio’s 11-game winning streak with a 109-96 statement win over the Spurs on Friday night.

“It’s just because our backs are against the wall,” Iverson said after Denver’s second big win over a nemesis (Phoenix) in 48 hours. “We understand that every night we have to come in here and play hard and play together and not take any possessions off. We know how serious it is in the West, and if we don’t get our act together it’s going to be a chance we’re not going to be in the playoffs.

“And with our roster … there’s no way we shouldn’t be in the playoffs.”

Can you imagine? With two All-Star starters in Iverson and Carmelo Anthony and the reigning defensive player of the year in Marcus Camby?

The Boston Celtics clinched a playoff spot on Wednesday with a 90-78 victory over the Detroit Pistons in a battle of the NBA’s two best teams.

Even though there is still more than a month remaining in the season, the Celtics (47-12) became the first club to secure a postseason berth with a win and losses by New Jersey, Atlanta and Indiana.

Boston now has a four-game lead over Detroit (44-17) in the battle for the NBA’s best record.

“This was a big game for us, man, you know to win this, we have the top record,” Celtics forward Kevin Garnett said. “It’s just a big game.”

“Last year, it would’ve been a parade,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said of clinching a postseason berth.

The Celtics, who have won six in a row, will likely add veteran guard Sam Cassell to the lineup on Friday vs. Chicago.

Cassell signed with Boston on Tuesday after being waived by the Los Angeles Clippers last week. He joins the Celtics’ “Big Three” of Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.