Peja Stojakovic scored 22 of his 27 points in the first half and Chris Webber had 24 points and 10 assists on Thursday to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 114-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Webber was playing his second game of the season for Sacramento, which has won three straight and nine of its last 10 on the road. He had 26 points and 12 rebounds on Tuesday in his debut after missing nine months to rehabilitate his knee and serve an eight-game suspension.
"I try to make my expectations high," Webber said. "I've been working hard. I've been waiting to get back to this point. It's hard for me to take it like everybody wants me to take it and ease back into it."
PHOTO: EPA
Allen Iverson rebounded from Wednesday's 2-for-21 shooting performance to score a team-high 32 for the Sixers, who have lost six of seven. Kenny Thomas recorded his sixth straight double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
"Time will tell if [the Kings] are the best [team]," Sixers interim coach Chris Ford said. "Certainly the way they play the game, it's fun to watch them. I know that even if I'm over there taking a drubbing, you have to be impressed."
Heat 104, Bucks 98
In Miami, Rafer Alston tied a career high with 23 points and Caron Butler added 21 to help Miami beat Milwaukee and snap its four-game losing streak.
Miami wasted a 16-point first-half lead, letting the Bucks rally to tie it 98-all with 1:09 left in the game.
Lamar Odom broke the tie with a free throw for the Heat, and his runner from the left side gave Miami a three-point lead with 24 seconds left.
Rasual Butler scored a season-high 20 points off the bench for Miami, and Odom finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and nine assists.
Keith Van Horn scored 22 points and Michael Redd added 21 for Milwaukee, which had its four-game winning streak snapped.
Pacers 101, Clippers 94, OT
In Los Angeles, Reggie Miller hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:49 left in overtime -- doubling his point total for the game, as Indiana beat Los Angeles.
Ron Artest, playing his second game since undergoing surgery on his non-shooting thumb, had 25 points and tied a season high with seven turnovers. Jermaine O'Neal had 19 points and 17 rebounds to help Indiana beat the Clippers for the 19th time in 21 meetings.
Elton Brand scored 24 points for the Clippers, who faced the top team in the Eastern Conference one night after playing the team with the best record in the Western Conference -- and came close to beating both. Quentin Richardson had 23 points and Corey Maggette 21. Los Angeles has lost 10 of 13.
Abdul-Jabbar joins Knicks
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the legendary center who won six National Basketball Association championships, signed as a staff member for the New York Knicks on Thursday.
Abdul-Jabbar, who turns 57 next month, will handle scouting, player evaluation and other duties with his hometown club.
"Kareem set the standard of excellence in professional basketball, and it is a pleasure to be able to add him to our staff and bring him back to New York," Knicks basketball operations boss Isiah Thomas said.
"His knowledge of basketball will be invaluable to this franchise as we work our way back to the top of the NBA."
Abdul-Jabbar retired from the NBA as a player in 1989 at age 42 with record career totals of 38,387 points, 3,189 blocked shots, 20 NBA seasons, 19 All-Star Games and six Most Valuable Player awards.
Known as Lew Alcindor when starring at the University of California at Los Angeles, Abdul-Jabbar went on to play six years with the Milwaukee Bucks and 14 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.
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