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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- After an entire game of pounding his
way inside for 15 baskets, Shaquille O'Neal faced his biggest
challenge with 6.5 seconds remaining and the game on the line.
O'Neal responded by calmly swishing a free throw to complete a
three-point play, giving the Los Angeles Lakers a 90-89 victory
over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday in what could be a preview of a
first-round playoff series.
|  | | Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal goes up for the shot over Sacramento counterpart Vlade Divac. |
"Mr. Clutch is over there," teammate John Salley said,
pointing toward O'Neal, as reporters crowded into the Lakers' tiny
locker room after the game.
O'Neal, who had 34 points to hold on to his NBA scoring lead by
a fraction of a point over Philadelphia's Allen Iverson, said he
felt comfortable shooting the deciding free throw despite a history
of troubles at the foul line.
"I've always been confident at the line. It's just that I have
a different method this year," said O'Neal, who is a career 54
percent foul shooter and is hitting only 52 percent of his free
throws this season.
The Kings had one last possession, but O'Neal blocked a shot
from the top of the key by Vlade Divac with 1 second remaining.
O'Neal grabbed the loose ball, flung it high into the stands and
then hugged teammate Kobe Bryant in celebration.
"I had a good look, but Shaq is strong, huge, big and quick,"
Divac said.
Bryant had 24 points and tied his career high with 14 rebounds
as the Lakers won their sixth straight and their 25th in the last
26 games. Glen Rice added 18 points and matched his season high
with 10 rebounds.
Chris Webber had 28 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists and four
blocks before fouling out in the closing minutes for Sacramento,
which had its seven-game home winning streak snapped. Jason
Williams added 21 points and six assists.
If the season ended today, the Lakers would be the No. 1 seed in
the Western Conference playoffs. The Kings are tied with Seattle
for the seventh and eighth spots in the conference. The No. 1 and
No. 8 teams meet in the first round.
"I don't know how they feel about the matchup, but we feel it's
a good matchup for us," said Kings coach Rick Adelman, whose team
is 1-2 against the Lakers this season. "We're playing them as
tough as anyone has in the NBA."
Sacramento led 50-47 at halftime, and never trailed in the third
period. Rice's 3-pointer tied it 67-67 with two minutes remaining
in the quarter, but the Kings finished the period with a 6-1 run to
enter the fourth with a 73-68 lead.
The Lakers opened the fourth with an 11-2 run that included
3-pointers by Rice and Robert Horry, but the Kings tied it 79-79 on
baskets by Webber and Tony Delk.
Two more baskets by Delk were offset by four free throws by Rice
and one by Bryant, and Los Angeles led 84-83 with 6:06 remaining.
The Kings then scored five straight, including a turnaround jumper
by Webber, to make it 88-84.
There was a brief skirmish between Divac and Horry with 2:11
remaining after Divac pushed Bryant while they battled for position
under the basket. O'Neal also was called for a technical foul
during the sequence.
O'Neal hit a free throw and, after Webber fouled out, Bryant
scored to pull the Lakers within 88-87. Bryant missed a shot with
26 seconds remaining, and Darrick Martin hit one of two free throws
to give Sacramento an 89-87 lead with 18 seconds left. O'Neal was
fouled by Williams as he made a layup with 6.5 seconds left.
Webber had a double-double by halftime, with 22 points and 11
rebounds in the first two periods. He had 14 points and nine
rebounds in the first quarter.
O'Neal (21 points) and Bryant (18) combined to score 39 of the
Lakers' 47 points in the first half.
Game notes
The Lakers have won 13 of their last 14 road games. ... The
Kings' magic number for clinching a playoff spot remained at two.
The Lakers already are assured of a postseason berth. ...
Sacramento's Predrag Stojakovic missed his third straight game with
sprained right thumb and index fingers. ... Minnesota Vikings wide
receiver Randy Moss, a high school teammate of Williams, attended
the game. ... Sacramento's Jon Barry did not play in the second
half because of a pinched nerve in his right shoulder. ... O'Neal
entered the game needing 33 points to maintain his lead over
Iverson in the NBA scoring race. O'Neal is averaging 29.128 points
per game this season, while Iverson is averaging 29.103 points per
game.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
LA Lakers Clubhouse
Sacramento Clubhouse
RECAPS
Orlando 94
Miami 69
Philadelphia 111
Indiana 101
Denver 112
New Jersey 110
Houston 123
Chicago 78
Milwaukee 99
Boston 84
Minnesota 106
Toronto 101
LA Lakers 90
Sacramento 89
Phoenix 90
Golden State 82
New York 93
Portland 89
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