LOS ANGELES, 9 March 2004 — Without injured Kobe Bryant, the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers turned to Shaquille O’Neal to pick up the slack.
O’Neal scored 32 points and the Lakers rallied past the visiting New Jersey Nets 94-88 on Sunday for their 10th win in 12 games.
With Bryant nursing a right shoulder sprain suffered in a collision against Seattle on Friday night, the 7-foot-1, 340-pound (155 kilos) giant stepped up to dominate everyone who took turns trying to guard him.
“They were kind of under-matched against us,” said O’Neal, who shot 11-of-19 from the floor. “They had a lot of 6-7, 6-8 guys trying to play center.
“That should be the game plan for every game,” he added. “My guys were looking for me and they were double-teaming me front and back at times. Our guys read the defense well.”
Gary Payton had 18 points and nine assists for the Lakers, who will not put Bryant on the injured list.
“I can raise my arm up,” Bryant said. “It just hurts a lot when I do it.”
Despite their difficulty defending O’Neal, and the absence of sore-kneed All-Star floor leader Jason Kidd for the fourth straight game, the Nets held a 72-71 lead early in the fourth quarter. But they managed just two dunks over the next seven minutes as the Lakers opened an 85-77 lead with 3:42 remaining. O’Neal made a three-point play less than a minute later for a 90-79 cushion that wrapped up the victory.
Richard Jefferson had 21 points and 10 rebounds while Kenyon Martin added 17 points and 20 boards for New Jersey, which completed a 2-2 road trip without Kidd.
“They’re a solid, veteran team who plays very good defense,” said Nets guard Kerry Kittles, who scored 19 points.
Pacers 103 Nuggets 94
Jermaine O’Neal had 31 points and 10 rebounds as the Pacers became the first team to clinch a playoff berth after posting their fifth straight victory. Carmelo Anthony had 29 points for host Denver, losers in eight of its last nine games.
Pistons 86 SuperSonics 65
Rasheed Wallace scored 18 points and the defensive-minded Pistons set a league record by holding their third consecutive opponent under 70 points since introduction of the shot clock in 1954-55 for their seventh win in the last eight games.
Rockets 101 Mavericks 98
Yao Ming scored 29 points, including the go ahead three-point play with 15 seconds, helping the host Rockets snap a six-game slide against the Mavericks. Steve Nash had 22 points and nine assists, while Dirk Nowitzki finished with 18 points and nine steals in Dallas’ third straight loss.
Knicks 99 Wizards 86
Stephon Marbury had 24 points and 13 assists, and Allan Houston added 23 points, leading the visiting Knicks to their third straight win. Gilbert Arenas led Washington with 28 points.
Kings 107 Magic 90
Peja Stojakovic scored 12 of his 28 points in the pivotal third quarter, and the visiting Kings made all 24 of their free throws to beat the Magic. Sacramento’s Mike Bibby had 26 points while Brad Miller added 22 with 12 rebounds. Juwan Howard led Orlando with 26 points.
Celtics 80 Timberwolves 77
Jiri Welsch scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and the visiting Celtics extended their winning streak to five.
Kevin Garnett led Minnesota with 20 points and 14 rebounds.
Clippers 91 Trail Blazers 71
Elton Brand had 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Corey Maggette had 18 points and a career-best nine assists as the Clippers snapped a four-game slump.
Darius Miles had 24 points and 13 rebounds in Portland’s fifth loss in the last six games. Blazers’ leading scorer Zach Randolph sat out a one-game league suspension for taking a swing at Utah’s Raja Bell during Saturday night’s victory.
Grizzlies 95 Warriors 85
Bonzi Wells scored 18 points, and Jason Williams added 13 of his 17 points during a decisive third-quarter run, leading the visiting Grizzlies to their 14th win in the last 17 games. Jason Richardson scored 17 points for Golden State, loser of five in a row.
Raptors 84 Hornets 76
Vince Carter had 26 points, including a 3-point buzzer-beater from beyond half-court at the end the third quarter to cap a 19-4 run, helping the host Raptors snap a seven-game home losing skid.
Jamaal Magloire had 23 points and a career-high 21 rebounds for Toronto which had dropped 11 of its last 12 games.
