NBA

Bibby, Miller lift short-handed Kings

By wire services
Published January 26, 2006

NEW YORK - Though Ron Artest should make the Sacramento Kings better, there was nothing he could do to help them Wednesday.

Mike Bibby and Brad Miller did plenty.

Bibby scored eight of his 35 in overtime and added 10 assists, and Miller had 25 points and 15 rebounds to lead the short-handed Kings over the Knicks 106-102.

That capped a big day for Sacramento, which acquired the volatile Artest from the Pacers for Peja Stojakovic in a trade shortly before the game.

The Kings hope Artest, a superb all-around player who is one of the league's best defenders, will join them in time for their game at Boston on Friday night.

In the meantime, the Kings - playing for the second straight night - used only eight players and got just three points from their bench while winning for the first time on their six-game eastern road trip.

Stephon Marbury scored 22 in his return to the lineup after missing three straight games with a sprained left shoulder for the Knicks, who lost their sixth straight game and were dealing with questions about a former team executive's federal sexual harassment lawsuit filed against team president Isiah Thomas on Tuesday. Thomas defended himself Wednesday and said Anucha Browne Sanders, the Knicks' former senior vice president of marketing and business operations, was trying to use him for financial gain.

Miller made two free throws, then had a chance to give the Kings the lead when he was fouled by Marbury with 1.3 seconds left. But his first free throw somehow went in and out, and the second one bounced in to tie it at 89. The Knicks' Qyntel Woods made a 3-pointer to open overtime, but Bibby scored the next four to lift the Kings.

BULLS 104, RAPTORS 88: Chris Duhon scored 26 for visiting Chicago which led by as many as 18 in the third, but Raptors' Chris Bosh capped an 11-0 run with an alley-opp dunk after a Chicago turnover, cutting the lead to 67-63 with 3:15 left in the third. Chicago followed with a 10-3 run to finish the third up 77-66. Duhon's 3-pointer made it 93-80 with 4:33 left and sealed the game.

CAVS 106, HAWKS 97: LeBron James had 38 points, nine rebounds and six assists as visiting Cleveland won its third straight game. The Cavs were winning 94-93 with 3:17 left before closing the game on a 12-4 run.

GRIZZLIES 107, WOLVES 87: Pau Gasol broke out of an offensive slump and scored 30, connecting on 9-of-14 shots and all 12 of his free throws to lead five Grizzlies in double figures. Minnesota, which trailed by as many as 28 in the game, made a mini-rally early in the fourth but Eddie Jones scored seven straight to extend Memphis' lead back to 18 with just over eight minutes left.

NUGGETS 97, TRAIL BLAZERS 94: Carmelo Anthony scored 26 to help Denver win its seventh straight game. The Blazers, who lost their second straight at home, led by as many as 12 points in the second half, but both teams wrestled with the lead in the final minutes.

PISTONS 106, BUCKS 102 (OT): Chauncey Billups scored 11 in overtime to help host Detroit (35-5) win its ninth straight game, giving it the fourth-best 40-game record in league history. The Bulls (1995-96), 76ers (1966-67) and Lakers (1971-72) all started 37-3. The Pistons overcame 41 points from Michael Redd, including 31 in the second half. Detroit led 87-77 with 3:30 left in regulation, but Redd and Maurice Williams combined for 13 points in a 15-5 run that forced overtime.

ROCKETS 102, BOBCATS 78: Tracy McGrady scored 29 in three quarters as Houston snapped a seven-game home losing streak. Seldom-used Lonnie Baxter added a season-high 18 points and 11 rebounds and David Wesley added 15 for the Rockets, who shot 46 percent (39 of 84) and had 26 assists.

SONICS 113, JAZZ 94: Ray Allen had 22 points and six assists and visiting Seattle won consecutive games for the first time under coach Bob Hill. The Sonics nearly let Utah back into it at the beginning of the second half when Mehmet Okur hit a 3-pointer to cap a 7-0 run. But Seattle scored 11 straight and held a double-figure lead for good.

SPURS 84, HORNETS 68: Tim Duncan scored 17 and San Antonio handed New Orleans its worst defeat in Oklahoma City. The Hornets' sputtering offense set a season low in scoring for the second straight game. Chris Paul scored the final six of the first half to get the Hornets back within 42-32, but San Antonio pulled away again in the second half.

WIZARDS 89, CELTICS 87: Gilbert Arenas hit two free throws with 1.7 seconds left to lift visiting Washington. After a Paul Pierce dunk gave the Celtics an 87-85 lead with 58.5 seconds remaining, Antawn Jamison hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 87.

[Last modified January 26, 2006, 01:02:16]