LOS ANGELES, 28 February 2004 — The short-handed Sacramento Kings relied on the long-distance shooting of Mike Bibby down the stretch to pull them through against their bitter rivals. Bibby buried a pair of clutch 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds to cap a 31-point effort as the visiting Kings trimmed the Lakers, 103-101 on Thursday night in a battle of Western Conference powerhouses.

“This was a big win for us. We’re short-handed and everybody was fighting hard,” Bibby said after the first-place Kings took a six-game lead over the Lakers in the Pacific Division race. “They’re right behind us and it sets us apart even more.”

Sharpshooting Peja Stojakovic scored 37 points on 12-of-18 shooting as Sacramento’s fourth straight win improved its league-best record to 42-14 despite the absence of stars Brad Miller, Bobby Jackson and Chris Webber.

Stojakovic hit seven from behind the arc and Bibby five as the two combined for all 12 of Sacramento’s 3-pointers. But none were bigger than Bibby’s final two. The Kings’ floor leader nailed the first to put them on top 100-98 with 1:29 remaining. His next one from the left wing extended the lead to five with 45 seconds to go.

After Kobe Bryant hit a 3-pointer to pull Los Angeles within 103-101 with 37 seconds remaining, Bibby missed a hurried jumper. Bryant got the ball on the right wing and launched a potential game-winning 3-point try with 2.4 seconds left that banged off the front of the rim to end the game.

Bryant finished with 35 points on 12-of-28 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds as the Lakers’ five-game winning streak came to a halt. Shaquille O’Neal finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Dallas 115, San Antonio 91

The San Antonio Spurs lost more than a game, they lost reigning two-time Most Valuable Player Tim Duncan indefinitely to a left leg injury. Michael Finley scored 30 points on 10-of-14 shooting before sitting out the fourth quarter as the host Mavericks handed the defending NBA champions their most lopsided loss of the season.

Dirk Nowitzki added 23 points while Steve Nash had 15 and nine assists as Dallas recorded a franchise-high 46-point third quarter en route to improving its league-best home record to 26-4. Duncan had 22 points and 17 rebounds in 24 minutes but left the game for good after suffering a left thigh contusion midway through the third quarter.

The Spurs were trailing 66-57 when Duncan came up lame while trying to defend Nowitzki away from the basket. Without their best player, the Spurs were no match and fell for just the second time in the last nine games. Duncan limped out of the locker room and was taken to the team bus on a golf cart. He was to examined further yesterday in San Antonio.

Washington 95, Chicago 87

Gilbert Arenas had his second career triple double with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists, leading the host Wizards past the Bulls in a match-up of two of the Eastern Conference’s worst teams. Rookie guard Kirk Hinrich scored 23 points while Eddy Curry had 17 points and 10 rebounds in Chicago’s fourth straight loss.

NBA Delegation to Make Landmark Chinese Visit

A delegation of NBA owners, executives and sponsors plus US government and business leaders will visit China in October in connection with two NBA pre-season games there. The Asia Society, a non-profit public education organization based here aimed at improving US-Asia relations, will sponsor the trip to coincide with Chinese star Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets playing against Sacramento.

The NBA China Games will be played October 14 in Shanghai and October 17 in Beijing. It will be the first time an NBA club has played in China in a quarter century, since the 1979 Washington Bullets played exhibitions against China.

More than 100 club owners, sponsors and executives of investment firms that deal with the NBA will be given a tour in Chinese sport, business policy creation and culture.

NBA Apologizes for Referee’s Game-Turning Error

National Basketball Association vice president Stu Jackson apologized to the Denver Nuggets here Thursday for a mistaken call by referee Michael Henderson that helped the Los Angeles Lakers rally to victory.

The visiting Lakers edged Denver 112-111 on Wednesday with the aid of Henderson’s blown call. The Nuggets squandered a 13-point fourth-quarter lead to lose their fourth game in a row. With two seconds on the shot clock, Denver’s Andre Miller put up a shot that clearly hit the underside of the rim. Rookie Carmelo Anthony appeared to grab the rebound, but Henderson blew his whistle, indicating a shot-clock violation.