Sixers fall short

Kurt Thomas celebrated the passing of another uneventful trading deadline -- at least for him -- by scoring 21 points on 10-for-11 shooting to lead the New York Knicks past the Philadelphia 76ers, 113-101, last night in New York.

Thomas also grabbed 12 rebounds, and Tim Thomas shot 10 for 14 and scored 27 points for New York.

Philadelphia, which had only eight players in uniform -- none of them named Chris Webber -- was led by Allen Iverson's 29 points. Webber, acquired late Wednesday night from Sacramento, will make his 76ers debut tomorrow against his old team, the Kings.

Stephon Marbury had 17 points and 12 assists, and Jamal Crawford added 16 points and nine assists for New York, which also was shorthanded after trading Nazr Mohammed, Moochie Norris, Vin Baker, and Jamison Brewer earlier in the day.

Philadelphia, which needed to have eight players in uniform, brought journeyman Jason Lawson to New York in case an extra body was needed. But Rodney Rogers -- acquired from New Orleans earlier in the day in a three-player trade -- flew to New York aboard Hornets owner George Shinn's private jet and arrived at the arena less than an hour before tipoff, prompting the Sixers to send Lawson home.

Mavericks 122, Kings 113 -- Sacramento was doing just fine in its first game without Webber, until Dirk Nowitzki took over.

Nowitzki scored 17 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter and Michael Finley hit two clutch 3-pointers in the closing minutes, helping host Dallas turn a late 9-point deficit into a victory in a matchup of teams left shorthanded following the trade deadline.

Dallas, which played just eight players and lost one to an injury late in the third quarter (Devin Harris, strained neck), trailed, 98-89, with 9:02 left before going on a 13-2 run. Nowitzki put them ahead for good on a short jumper with 4:39 to go, then Josh Howard followed with a dunk that turned into a 3-point play.

Clippers 92, Timberwolves 86 -- Elton Brand scored 24 points to help host Los Angeles snap an eight-game losing streak with a victory over Minnesota.

The Clippers, returning from a 1-8 road trip that seriously jeopardized their playoff hopes, never trailed during their first win against the Timberwolves in 10 tries. Corey Maggette added 19 points for Los Angeles and Chris Kaman had 13 points and 10 rebounds.