Jazz trumpet the end of Cavaliers' winning streak
Raja Bell scored 23 points to help the visiting Utah Jazz beat Cleveland, 97-88, last night, ending the Cavaliers' seven-game winning streak.
LeBron James, who was sick with a cold, was 4 for 14 for 14 points.
The loss, combined with New York's victory over New Jersey, knocked the Cavaliers out of the No. 6 playoff spot in the East and into No. 7, two spots ahead of the Boston Celtics.
Andrei Kirilenko had 21 points and four blocked shots and Carlos Arroyo had 15 points for the Jazz, who climbed back to a game above .500. Utah entered the game 2 1/2 games behind Denver for the eighth playoff spot in the West.
Bell, who had a career-high 25 points earlier in the season, was 10 for 16 and made several huge baskets in the fourth quarter.
On a night when nothing went right for the Cavaliers, they managed to stay in the game and almost pulled out a win.
But the Cavaliers missed too many free throws down the stretch and didn't hit a field goal over a seven-minute span late in the fourth quarter.
Kings 94, Pacers 92 -- In Indianapolis, Mike Bibby hit a jumper from just inside the 3-point arc with 1.2 seconds left to lift Sacramento over the Pacers in a matchup of NBA conference leaders. Jermaine O'Neal hit two free throws to tie it at 92 with 24.7 seconds left. Chris Webber committed his sixth foul on the play, but Bibby made sure the Kings didn't endure their first three-game losing streak in over a year.
Bibby dribbled the length of the floor, shook Jamaal Tinsley, and came off a screen to knock down the winner.
Bibby scored 25 points and Chris Webber added 24 points and 16 rebounds for the Kings (50-19), who overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to move within one game of the Pacers (50-18) in the race for league's best record and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Lakers 106, Clippers 100 -- Kobe Bryant scored 10 of his 27 points in the last four minutes for the Lakers. The win was the fourth straight and eighth in 10 games for the Lakers (46-23), who moved a season-high 23 games over .500. They trail the Pacific Division-leading Kings by four games with 13 left.
Shaquille O'Neal added 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists; Gary Payton scored 16 points.
Corey Maggette led the Clippers with 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Warriors 90, Rockets 84 -- In Oakland, Calif., rookie Mickael Pietrus scored a career-high 20 points and Golden State won its third straight game. Troy Murphy added 16 points -- 8 straight during one stretch in the second quarter -- to help the Warriors end a 15-game home losing streak against the Rockets. Murphy, coming back from foot and ankle injuries, was taken to the locker room with 1:09 left.
Cuttino Mobley led Houston with 25 points, and Yao Ming had 10 points and 9 rebounds.
Knicks 79, Nets 65 -- Stephon Marbury had seven of his nine assists in the first quarter, and finished with 21 points to help New York snap a five-game losing streak against its cross-river rival. The victory moved the Knicks a half-game ahead of Cleveland and Miami for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
The Nets played without stars Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin. Kidd (bone bruise, left knee) went on the injured list earlier in the day and Martin (knee tendinitis) also sat out.
Pistons 94, Nuggets 75 -- Rasheed Wallace scored 20 points and surpassed the 10,000-point mark in his nine-season career to lead host Detroit past Denver for its seventh straight victory. Nuggets rookie Carmelo Anthony scored 20 points, but had just 4 points in the second half.
Timberwolves 93, Suns 80 -- Latrell Sprewell scored all 16 of his points in the second half to lead visiting Minnesota over Phoenix. Kevin Garnett had 17 points and 20 rebounds for his NBA-leading 60th double-double of the season for the Timberwolves, who snapped a two-game losing streak to remain three games behind Sacramento for the top spot in the Western Conference.
SuperSonics 91, Hornets 80 -- Rashard Lewis scored 31 points and Ray Allen had 19 to lead streaking Seattle over host New Orleans. Vitaly Potapenko added 14 points and 10 rebounds to help Seattle run its winning streak to four games, all on the road.
Bulls 96, Raptors 91 -- Eddy Curry had a season-high 28 points to help Chicago snap a seven-game losing streak. Kirk Hinrich added 21 points and 13 assists, and Antonio Davis tied a season high with 18 points and 14 rebounds against his former team. The Bulls also ended a seven-game road losing streak.
Wizards 94, Hawks 84 -- Kwame Brown scored 27 points and Gilbert Arenas had his third triple-double (13 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) of the season to lead host Washington over Atlanta. Stephen Jackson led the Hawks with 17 points.
