The Sacramento Kings are running out of time to turn their stagger back into a swagger.
The Kings lead the Western Conference with five games to play, but they look about as stable as Chris Webber's oft-injured ankles. Even after consecutive victories over Houston and New Orleans, Sacramento has lost four of its last seven -- and hasn't won convincingly in nearly a month.
It's hardly the way coach Rick Adelman hoped to hit the home stretch of the regular season, and the Kings' upcoming schedule is merciless. They have four games in the next five days, including home dates against their closest pursuers in the West: Minnesota visits on Thursday, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
The Kings still believe their struggles are the result of two big changes in early March, when Webber returned from offseason knee surgery and Bobby Jackson left the lineup with an abdominal injury. But five weeks after Webber's return, the Kings still don't look like themselves -- and even Webber knows time is running out.
"We're coming along, even if it doesn't look like it sometimes," Webber said. "At this point, it's only about getting ready for the playoffs. This late in the season, everybody on both coasts, in both conferences, feels that way. When it's time to get in there, I think we'll be ready."
The Kings lead Minnesota by a half-game in the conference standings, and they're 1 1/2 games ahead of the Lakers in the Pacific Division race. With San Antonio just two games behind, the West's top four teams all could finish anywhere from first to fourth.
For most of the winter, Sacramento had the inside track on the top playoff seed for the second time in three seasons. Though the Kings have won two straight games to fend off the Timberwolves for now, their struggles against the Hornets on Tuesday night were typical of their problems in recent weeks.
Sacramento built a 26-point lead against a team missing its top three scorers, but the Kings let the lead dwindle to four points with disorganized offense and more of the defensive lapses that existed even when things were going well.
"There's a few times every game where we stop being as aggressive as we should be," said All-Star Brad Miller, who missed three games last week with an elbow injury. "Sometimes it's like we're flipping a switch on and off."
Knicks 96, bulls 82
Dikembe Mutombo neutralized Knicks nemesis Eddy Curry while grabbing 14 rebounds and blocking four shots, and New York returned to the playoffs for the first time in three years with a 96-82 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Mutombo helped contain Curry, who shot 9-for-11 and had 26 points and 14 rebounds the last time the teams met. Curry, a 68-percent shooter in his first 10 career games against the Knicks, finished 7-for-21 from the field this time and wound up with 17 points Wednesday night.
Stephon Marbury had 20 points and 12 assists, and Penny Hardaway had 21 points for the Knicks, who gained the postseason when Memphis beat Cleveland.
Pacers 94, Raptors 90
In Toronto, the Indiana Pacers eliminated the Toronto Raptors from playoff contention, with Jermaine O'Neal scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for a 94-90 victory.
Ron Artest scored 19 points for the Pacers, while reserve Al Harrington added 17 points and eight rebounds. Donyell Marshall scored 26 points and had 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost eight of their last nine games.
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