Shaq Hits First Buzzer-Beater; Lakers Gain Tie

Finally, at age 25, Shaquille O’Neal can say he made a buzzer-beating shot to win a game. It was something he had never done before, at any level.

O’Neal’s jumper from the left baseline as time expired Sunday at Inglewood, Calif., lifted the Los Angeles Lakers to a 100-98 victory over the Utah Jazz and into a first-place tie with Seattle in the Pacific Division.

O’Neal scored 12 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 13 rebounds in his second game since being sidelined for two months due to an injured left knee.

“(Lakers coach Del Harris) called a play in the huddle and he said, ‘Big boy, bring us home. If you get fouled, hit two. Just bring us home,’ ” O’Neal said. “They were supposed to get me the ball with 4 seconds, but Nick (Van Exel) held it a couple of seconds longer.

“I just got it, turned around and shot it, and luckily, it went in.”

The win was the ninth in 11 games for the Lakers.

Detroit ended Chicago’s hopes of matching last season’s 72-10 record as Grant Hill recorded his 12th triple-double in a 108-91 victory.

The victory stopped the Pistons’ 19-game losing streak against the Bulls.

The Bulls (68-11) went into the game with a five-game winning streak. But four of their losses have come on Sunday and all four were on the road.

Terry Mills, hitting 5 of 9 from 3-point range, led the Pistons with 29 points. Hill, who has recorded five triple-doubles in his past eight games, had 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

Glenn Robinson scored 25 points to lead eight Milwaukee players in double figures as the Bucks won their second in a row for the first time in nearly two months with a 132-123 victory over the New Jersey Nets.

The Bucks, who had a season-high 76 points in the first half as they opened a 30-point lead at the break, finished with their highest point total of the season.

Milwaukee’s bench outscored New Jersey’s 62-15.

Rookie Kerry Kittles had a season-high 40 for the Nets, who lost for the seventh time in eight games. Kittles made 14 of 21 shots and all seven of his free throws. He also had five rebounds and five assists.

Rex Chapman and Kevin Johnson each scored 26 points and the Phoenix Suns beat the Golden State Warriors 105-97 to complete a sweep of the four-game season series.

Chapman scored 17 of his points in third quarter when the Suns surged ahead, and Johnson hit a crucial 3-pointer in the late going to frustrate the Warriors’ comeback. Danny Manning added 18 points and Jason Kidd 13 for Phoenix, which won for the 12th time in 13 games.

Golden State’s Latrell Sprewell and Donyell Marshall both left the game late in the third quarter and did not return. Marshall suffered a left shoulder strain and Sprewell sprained his right ankle.