Karl Malone was one of three Lakers to make more free throws than the Knicks attempted, helping Los Angeles end its three-game road losing streak with a 104-83 victory over New York on Wednesday night.
The Lakers had a whopping 47-6 edge in free throw attempts in a game that featured 53 fouls -- 34 on the Knicks.
Malone had 17 points and 14 rebounds, Shaquille O'Neal had 23 points and Kobe Bryant added 21 as the Lakers won with ease against a Knicks team that was short-handed to begin with -- Keith Van Horn sat out with a sprained ankle -- and was further depleted by the referees' frequent whistles. The Lakers were 37-for-47 from the line, while New York was 6-for-6.
PHOTO: AFP
Hornets 81, Celtics 73
In Boston, Baron Davis scored 17 points, and P.J. Brown added 12 points and 16 rebounds as New Orleans beat Boston for its fourth straight victory.
Walter McCarty's layup drew the Celtics to 74-71 with 1:14 remaining, but George Lynch sealed the game with a three-point play when David Wesley passed through three defenders and hit a cutting Lynch under the basket.
Jamaal Magloire had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets, who outrebounded the Celtics 50-31. Paul Pierce scored 23 points for the Celtics. Boston was held to a season-low 73 points and has dropped six of nine.
Wizards 106, Cavaliers 95
In Washington, Gilbert Arenas scored 25 points, Etan Thomas worked hard for a career-high 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Washington kept LeBron James and Cleveland winless on the road.
James scored a career-high 28 points on 10-for-18 shooting with eight assists and seven rebounds, but Thomas was the biggest force in the game. He came off the bench to cap an eventful evening that started when he got rear-ended in a car accident on the way to the arena.
Larry Hughes added 22 points for the Wizards, and Kwame Brown had 15 points and 10 rebounds in a rare quality game from the Washington frontcourt.
Chris Mihm had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who are 0-7 on the road this season and 0-28 since January of last season.
76ers 81, Raptors 75
In Toronto, Marc Jackson scored a season-high 23 points, Aaron McKie added 21 and Philadelphia beat Toronto despite playing without Allen Iverson and two other starters.
Eric Snow had 18 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and Kenny Thomas added 13 rebounds and 12 points for the 76ers. Iverson, the NBA's leading scorer, missed his first game in more than a year with a swollen right knee, ending a streak of 110 consecutive games played.
Vince Carter scored 20 points for the Raptors.
Pacers 91, Clippers 78
In Indianapolis, Al Harrington scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds, leading Indiana over Los Angeles.
Jeff Foster added 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Pacers, who improved to an NBA-best 9-2.
Keyon Dooling led the Clippers with 18 points and five assists.
The Pacers started the fourth quarter with a 15-3 run to put away the Clippers, who shot 1-for-12 during the stretch.
Harrington started in place of All-Star forward Jermaine O'Neal, who missed the game with tendinitis in his right knee.
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