LOS ANGELES, 21 March 2004 — Little Mike Bibby gave the Sacramento Kings a king-sized win.
Bibby scored 25 points, including the game-winning 20-foot jumper from the left wing with 1.2 seconds left, giving the visiting Kings a thrilling 94-92 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night in a showdown of the NBA’s best teams.
After Indiana’s Jermaine O’Neal hit two free throws to knot the game at 92-apiece with 24 seconds left, the stage was set for Bibby’s heroics.
Chris Webber had 24 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists as Sacramento stopped a two-game slump to move within one-half game of Indiana (50-18) for the league’s best record. Peja Stojakovic scored 17 points while Brad Miller collected 12 points and 13 rebounds against his former club. O’Neal had 23 points while Jonathan Bender added 15 points in 16 minutes to pace short-handed Indiana, which played without Ron Artest.
Knicks 79 Nets 65: Stephon Marbury had 21 points and Tim Thomas added 16 as the host Knicks stopped a five-game losing streak against the short-handed Nets. Richard Jefferson scored 25 points for New Jersey, which played without sore-kneed All-Stars Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin.
Timberwolves 93 Suns 80: Wally Szczberiak scored 24 points while Kevin Garnett had 17 points and 20 rebounds, helping the visiting Timberwolves stop a modest two-game slide.
Jazz 97 Cavaliers 88: Raja Bell scored 23 points and Andrei Kirilenko added 21 as the visiting Jazz ended the Cavs’ seven-game winning streak. Zydrunas Ilgauskas led Cleveland with 24 points while Carlos Boozer had 21 points and 13 rebounds. LeBron James finished with 14 points despite flu-like symptoms.
L.A. Lakers 106 L.A. Clippers 100: Kobe Bryant 27 points, including 10 in the last four minutes, leading the Lakers past the Clippers for the second time in the last three nights. Shaquille O’Neal added 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Lakers, who have won eight of their last 10 games.
Mavericks 120 Celtics 104: Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points and Antoine Walker added 21 against his former team to help the Mavericks crush the visiting Celtics.
Josh Howard had a season-high 19 points and Antawn Jamison added 18 points and 12 rebounds for Dallas, which matched Sacramento for the league best 30-5 home record.
Pistons 94 Nuggets 75: Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton each scored 20 points to pace the host Pistons to their seventh consecutive victory.
SuperSonics 91 Hornets 80: Rashard Lewis scored 31 points and Ray Allen had 19 as the visiting Sonics rolled to their fourth straight win. Baron Davis led New Orleans with 25 points.
Warriors 90 Rockets 84: Rookie Mickael Pietrus scored a career-high 20 points and Todd Murphy added 16 to help the Warriors snap a 15-game home losing streak to the Rockets.
Bulls 96 Raptors 91: Eddy Curry scored a season-high 28 points while Kirk Hinirich had 21 points and 13 assists, helping the visiting Bulls end a seven-game slide. Vince Carter led Toronto with 30 points and Jalen Rose added 24 against his former team.
Wizards 94 Hawks 84: Kwame Brown scored 27 points and Gilbert Arenas had his third triple-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the Wizards second straight win. Stephen Jackson led Atlanta with 17 points.
