The New York Knicks eked out a 114-112 win over the Philadelphia in NBA play on Friday, as the 76ers' winless streak for 2003 continued.
Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston had big nights for the Knicks, both collecting 31 points.
PHOTO: AFP
Charlie Ward notched 17 more, including the go-ahead three-pointer with half a minute to play.
Sixers guard Allen Iverson, who was listed as questionable for the game due to a bruised right thigh, instead went 44 minutes, pouring in a club-high 30 points.
Team mate Keith Van Horn chipped in with 23.
Philadelphia is 0-5 in 2003 and has dropped eight of nine games dating back to last year.
Warriors 104, Wizards 99
In Washington, the Golden State Warriors denied the Wizards what would have been a season-high sixth straight win with a 104-99 victory.
Gilbert Arenas notched 22 points to pace the Warriors, with team mate Troy Murphy chipping in with 15 and a whopping 17 rebounds, a career best.
Jerry Stackhouse got 26 points in a losing cause.
Larry Hughes, a former Warrior, added 16 points and 11 boards.
Ageless Michael Jordan notched 14 for Washington.
Pacers 101, Magic 97 (OT)
In Orlando, the Indiana Pacers erased a 10-point deficit in the last three minutes of regulation to force overtime, then got six of the eight extra-period points to win 101-97.
The Magic shot just 1-for-9 in overtime.
Jermaine O'Neal led the Pacers with 21 points, with Ron Artest, just back from suspension, adding 18 and nine rebounds.
Orlando's Tracy McGrady, the NBA's top scorer, counted a below average 23 points, also grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out 10 assists.
Nets 94, Raptors 79
In Toronto, the New Jersey Nets added to the Raptors' woes with a lopsided 94-79 victory, with Vince Carter again on the sidelines.
It was fast-falling Toronto's 12th straight setback.
Jason Kidd paced the Nets with 25 points; he also grabbed seven rebounds and served up eight assists.
Newcomer Rafer Alston paced Toronto with 17 points, with Antonio Davis adding 13.
With the win, New Jersey improved to 9-8 on the road; the Nets are a near-perfect 18-2 at home.
Hawks 84, Rockets 75
In Atlanta, Jason Terry counted a season-high 33 points to give the Atlanta Hawks a much needed 85-74 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim got 23 more for Atlanta, which snapped a six-game losing streak.
Eddie Griffin had 20 points and 16 boards in a losing cause, with Steve Francis adding 18.
Rockets rookie sensation Yao Ming notched a mere nine points as he shot just 4-of-13.
He also picked up a technical foul for taunting.
Timberwolves 115, Kings 109 (OT)
In Minneapolis, the Minnesota Timberwolves squandered a big early lead, then turned it on again in overtime to surprise the Sacramento Kings 115-109.
Joe Smith, with 25 points, and Kevin Garnett, with 24, carried the Wolves.
Garnett also had a game-high 15 boards.
Chris Webber knocked down 30 points for Sacramento, with Peja Stojakovic kicking in with 27.
But Webber missed a crucial free throw a second from the end of regulation time.
Mavericks 103, Celtics 78
In Dallas, the Mavericks blew open a close game with a 36-19 second quarter as they romped 103-78 over the Boston Celtics.
Dirk Nowitzki was high man for Dallas with 28 points, with Michael Finley adding 22 more.
Steve Nash kicked in with 13.
The "Big Three" were all gone early with Dallas in control.
Paul Pierce had 20 points to pace the losing Celts.
At 30-5, the Mavericks are on pace to win 70 games, the second-best mark in NBA history.
Pistons 101, Hornets 99 (OT)
In New Orleans, Chauncey Billups had the hot hand, netting a season-high 32 points to propel the visiting Detroit Pistons to a 101-99 overtime win over the Hornets.
He also hit two free throws to snap a tie with just 1.6 seconds left in extra time.
Richard Hamilton and Clifford Robinson also topped 20 points for Detroit.
The Hornets' Jamal Mashburn had a huge game, getting 26 points and taking down 15 rebounds.
He also had nine assists, just missing his triple-double.
Fellow Hornet David Wesley notched 25 points.
The Pistons own the best road record in the Eastern Conference, now at 11-7.
Bucks 93, Bulls 85 (OT)
In Milwaukee, in yet another overtime contest, it was Bucks outlasting Chicago 93-85 for their 10th straight home win over the Bulls.
Anthony Mason had 21 points and 13 rebounds to carry the Bucks.
Mason's three-point play with just over a minute in regulation forced overtime.
Jalen Rose was best for Chicago with 19 points and 12 boards.
He also dished out six assists.
Nuggets 82, Trail Blazers 81
In Denver, Nene Hilario notched 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Nuggets won for just the ninth time his season, edging the Portland Trail Blazers 82-81.
Team mate Juwan Howard had 19 and nine.
Derek Anderson scored 17 points to pace the Blazers, who had been surging on the road, winning seven of their previous eight away games to climb above .500.
Rasheed Wallace added 14 points and 12 boards.
Jazz 92, Heat 76
In Salt Lake City, Matt Harpring counted 31 points on 13-of-19 shooting as the Utah Jazz romped 92-76 over the dimming Miami Heat.
Karl Malone added 19 points for Utah, which is 11-3 when Harpring surpasses 20 points.
Rookies Caron Butler and Rasual Butler had 19 and 18 points respectively for the Heat, who dropped their fifth straight game.
Miami was again missing leading scorer Eddie Jones, who is nursing a sprained right ankle.
Suns 96, Grizzlies 90
It was business as usual in Phoenix, as rookie of the year hopeful Amare Stoudemire scored 16 points and pulled down a season-high 21 rebounds and the Suns won yet again over the Memphis Grizzlies, 96-90.
Phoenix, which has won nine straight home games and 13 of its past 17, is 25-5 against the Grizzlies all-time.
Stephon Marbury topped the Suns with 25 points, with Shawn Marion getting 20.
Pau Gasol collected 22 points and 11 boards for Memphis, which is now a laughable 1-15 on the road, the worst mark in the Western Conference.
Lakers 115, Cavaliers 99
In Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant notched his eighth career triple-double to carry the Lakers to an easy 115-99 win over the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers, the NBA's worst team.
Bryant had 21 points, the minimum 10 rebounds and 11 assists as Los Angeles won its third straight game for the first time since sweeping the NBA Finals.
Bryant was coming off a record shooting performance of 12 3-pointers in a 119-98 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics on Tuesday.
Shaquille O'Neal had 26 points to top the Lakers.
Ricky Davis was best for the losing Cavs, notching 27 points.
Clippers 90, SuperSonics 88
In Seattle, the Los Angeles Clippers raced to an early lead and stuck around for a narrow 90-88 win oveZr the SuperSonics.
It was the Clippers' first win in nine trips to Seattle.
Lamar Odom had 21 points and nine rebounds for the winners, with Rashard Lewis counting 18 for Seattle.
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