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NBA
March 15, 2003
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Lakers needed a victory to stop their longest road trip of the season from spinning out of control.
They got it Friday night when Derek Fisher scored 21, including a clutch jump shot with 26.6 seconds left, to help Los Angeles get past the Timberwolves 106-99.
"We were concerned about rebuilding the energy we had," coach Phil Jackson said. "If we're going to do anything in these playoffs, we've got to start doing something on the road."
Kobe Bryant (30 points, playing with flulike symptoms) and Shaquille O'Neal (26, 15 rebounds) did their usual thing. But Fisher helped extend the Timberwolves defense, contained Minnesota's Troy Hudson and gave the Lakers hope of salvaging a six-game trip that started with lopsided losses at Chicago and Detroit.
"We didn't want to go 0-3 on this trip," Bryant said. "That's nasty."
O'Neal thought his team underestimated the Bulls and the Pistons. "It was good to get back on track," he said. "We knew we needed this one."
Kevin Garnett had 23 points and 17 rebounds and Hudson scored 21 -- only two in the second half -- for the Timberwolves, who lost their second straight at home after a 17-game winning streak at Target Center.
The Wolves also missed a chance to take the season series from the Lakers for the first time in front of their first sellout crowd of the season.
The Lakers, in the unfamiliar position of looking up in the Western Conference standings, moved a half-game behind Utah for sixth place. The Wolves are fifth.
PISTONS 90, WIZARDS 80: Chauncey Billups scored 25 and Ben Wallace had a season-high 17 with 24 rebounds as host Detroit pushed Michael Jordan further away from his hope of ending his career in the playoffs.
Jordan scored 15 for Washington, which has lost five of seven and is one game behind Milwaukee for the final playoff spot. The Wizards, 9-21 away from home, play 11 of their final 17 games on the road.
The East-leading Pistons have won four straight after losing a season-high seven.
Wallace had a third consecutive double double for the first time in his six-year career, and for the 14th time this season. The league's leading rebounder grabbed at least 20 for the 10th time this season and has 64 in the last three games.
HAWKS 107, KNICKS 104: Glenn Robinson had a three-point play with three seconds left, capping a frantic final minute for host Atlanta. With a final chance to tie, the Knicks went to Latrell Sprewell, who was immediately fouled by Robinson with 1.8 seconds left. But Sprewell missed the first free throw, then intentionally clanged the second off the rim. Atlanta got the rebound.
SPURS 107, CLIPPERS 96: Tim Duncan had his third career triple double with 24 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists to lead host San Antonio to its fifth victory in a row. Los Angeles' Lamar Odom led all scorers with 26.
HORNETS 87, HEAT 83: Jamal Mashburn scored 21 and P.J. Brown added 20 as visiting New Orleans rallied in the second half to complete a four-game sweep of the season series.
PACERS 101, JAZZ 81: Jonathan Bender scored a career-high 22 and Erick Strickland had 19 and 11 assists as host Indiana snapped a six-game losing streak. The short-handed Pacers turned to their seldom-used reserves with three starters out of the lineup. Ron Artest was suspended, Jamaal Tinsley was tending to personal matters and Brad Miller had a sore left foot.
SIXERS 90, BLAZERS 79: Allen Iverson had 22 points and matched a season high with nine assists, and Keith Van Horn added 20 points and nine rebounds as host Philadelphia improved to 13-2 since the All-Star break and snapped Portland's three-game winning streak.
ROCKETS 121, BULLS 91: James Posey scored 12 in a 16-3 run to open the game and host Houston was never threatened again in posting its fourth consecutive victory, matching its longest winning streak of the season. Posey finished with a season-high 26 points.
KINGS 119, RAPTORS 84: Chris Webber had 26 points and 10 rebounds as host Sacramento rebounded from a 25-point shellacking the night before in Phoenix.
ORLANDO -- Drew Gooden and Gordan Giricek were overlooked rookies in Memphis, anchored to the bench of a team going nowhere. But since a trade, they have played key roles in the Magic's late-season surge.
With a bad ankle sidelining Grant Hill for a third straight season, the team was struggling to surround NBA leading scorer Tracy McGrady with a solid supporting cast.
Since the mid-February trade, Gooden and Giricek have combined to average 33 points and the Magic has won seven of nine since the rookies came to Orlando.
"Those guys are making other teams play defense and we're moving the ball around," McGrady said.
With Hill out, opposing defenders focused on McGrady. Now, if they concentrate on him too much, he dumps the ball down to Gooden for a dunk or kicks it out to Giricek for a 3-pointer.
It's no coincidence McGrady is averaging more than seven assists -- with three 13-assist outings -- since the duo's arrival.
PACERS: President Donnie Walsh was signed to a multiyear contract extension. The length and financial terms were not released.