Garnett Sinks Free Throws To Beat Utah

NBA

Kevin Garnett scored 20 points, including two clinching free throws with 5.1 seconds left, as the Minnesota Timberwolves handed the slumping Utah Jazz their fourth straight loss, 103-99 Friday at Salt Lake City.

Utah hadn’t lost four in a row since March 1994.

Isaiah Rider also scored 20 for the Timberwolves, who ended a three-game skid.

Karl Malone led Utah with 33 points. Chris Morris had 16 points and John Stockton had 17 assists and 14 points.

Timberwolves 103, Jazz 99

Minnesota (103) - Garnett 8-16 4-4 20, Gugliotta 2-9 14-15 18, Lang 2-5 0-0 4, Rider 7-14 4-4 20, Webb 5-12 3-3 14, Riley 0-0 0-0 0, Porter 6-10 1-1 15, Mitchell 2-5 0-0 4, West 3-5 0-0 6, Bragg 0-0 2-2 2, Allen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-76 28-29 103.

Utah (99) - Benoit 2-4 1-1 6, Malone 11-13 11-14 33, Spencer 2-5 3-6 7, Hornacek 3-10 1-1 7, Stockton 5-12 2-3 14, Ostertag 0-0 0-0 0, Eisley 0-2 2-2 2, Keefe 1-5 0-0 2, Carr 2-10 2-2 6, Morris 7-15 1-1 16, Foster 3-3 0-0 6. Totals 36-79 23-30 99.

Minnesota 30 31 16 26 - 103

Utah 19 27 30 23 - 99

3-Point goals-Minnesota 5-13 (Rider 2-3, Porter 2-4, Webb 1-4, Gugliotta 0-1, Mitchell 0-1), Utah 4-13 (Stockton 2-4, Benoit 1-1, Morris 1-4, Eisley 0-1, Hornacek 0-3). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Minnesota 46 (Gugliotta 15), Utah 46 (Keefe 10). Assists-Minnesota 17 (Webb 5), Utah 26 (Stockton 17). Total fouls-Minnesota 24, Utah 22. Technical-Lang, Foster, Utah coach Sloan, Eisley, Keefe, Minnesota illegal defense. A-19,911 (19,911).

Trail Blazers 97, Nuggets 91

Denver

Rod Strickland scored 29 points and Clifford Robinson added 24 as Portland completed a four-game season sweep of Denver.

The win also gave Portland a six-game winning streak, matching its season high.

Portland (97) - C.Robinson 8-22 5-7 24, H.Grant 2-9 2-2 6, Sabonis 3-10 5-5 12, Strickland 10-19 8-10 29, McKie 3-7 0-0 8, B.Williams 4-8 3-7 11, Dudley 1-1 0-2 2, Wingfield 1-4 0-1 2, R.Robinson 0-1 0-0 0, J.Robinson 1-7 1-2 3. Totals 33-88 24-36 97.

Denver (91) - L.Ellis 4-10 2-3 10, McDyess 6-10 5-5 17, Mutombo 5-10 4-6 14, Rose 3-4 0-2 6, Stith 5-13 4-4 14, D.Ellis 7-19 0-0 18, MacLean 3-6 2-2 8, Overton 1-1 0-0 2, G.Grant 0-0 0-0 0, Fish 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 35-74 17-22 91.

Portland 31 20 24 22 - 97

Denver 39 14 21 17 - 91

3-Point goals-Portland 7-18 (C.Robinson 3-7, McKie 2-2, Stickland 1-1, Sabonis 1-3, Wingfield 0-1, H.Grant 0-2, J.Robinson 0-2), Denver 4-10 (D.Ellis 4-8, Stith 0-2). Fouled out-McDyess. Rebounds-Portland 69 (Sabonis, B.Williams 10), Denver 42 (Mutombo 14). Assists-Portland 16 (Strickland 7), Denver 19 (Rose 5). Total fouls-Portland 21, Denver 30. Technicals-C.Robinson, Portland coach Carlesimo, Rose. A-16,145 (17,171).

Lakers 104, Grizzlies 94

Inglewood, Calif.

Eddie Jones scored 26 and Los Angeles pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat Vancouver.

Vlade Divac had his first triple-double of the season with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. Elden Campbell added 14 points and Cedric Ceballos had 10 points in his first start in eight games since leaving the team for an unexcused four-day absence.

Vancouver (94) - Amaya 2-4 0-2 4, King 4-6 0-0 8, Reeves 2-8 2-2 6, B.Edwards 1-7 3-3 5, Anthony 5-11 2-2 12, Manning 3-8 0-0 6, Scott 3-10 2-3 8, Moten 8-12 2-2 21, Avent 4-8 2-2 10, Murdock 5-8 0-0 14, Martin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 37-82 13-16 94.

L.A. Lakers (104) - Campbell 6-12 2-4 14, Ceballos 4-9 2-2 10, Divac 5-13 0-4 10, Jones 10-15 3-4 26, Van Exel 2-4 0-0 6, Peeler 7-10 0-0 18, Strong 0-1 0-0 0, Lynch 2-5 2-2 6, Threatt 6-11 0-0 12, Blount 1-2 0-2 2, Miller 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 43-84 9-18 104.

Vancouver 18 29 21 26 - 94

L.A. Lakers 23 28 22 31 - 104

3-Point goals-Vancouver 7-18 (Murdock 4-5, Moten 3-4, King 0-1, B.Edwards 0-1, Scott 0-2, Anthony 0-5), Los Angeles 9-18 (Peeler 4-6, Jones 3-5, Van Exel 2-3, Blount 0-1, Miller 0-1, Threatt 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds- Vancouver 50 (Anthony, Scott, Avent 8), Los Angeles 48 (Divac 10). Assists-Vancouver 20 (Anthony, Murdock 6), Los Angeles 34 (Divac 13). Total fouls-Vancouver 16, Los Angeles 16. Technical-Van Exel. A-17,505 (17,505).

Bulls 126, Hornets 92

Charlotte, N.C.

Chicago scored the first 20 points of the game and beat Charlotte.

Charlotte’s Robert Parish tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA record for most games played when he started in his 1,560th game.

Michael Jordan, who played just 28 minutes, finished with 24 points, four assists and three steals as the Bulls moved closer to becoming the first team in NBA history to win 70 games.

Chicago (126) - Kukoc 7-8 3-3 20, Pippen 9-14 5-6 28, Wennington 3-7 0-0 6, Harper 0-1 2-2 2, Jordan 10-16 2-3 24, Rodman 2-5 1-2 5, Kerr 3-8 3-3 11, Brown 2-6 1-2 5, Buechler 2-5 1-2 6, Edwards 5-9 1-1 11, Simpkins 2-5 0-0 4, Caffey 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 47-86 19-24 126.

Charlotte (92) - Johnson 5-10 4-4 14, Geiger 2-3 0-0 4, Parish 4-7 3-4 11, Rice 2-8 2-2 7, Anderson 4-11 5-6 13, Myers 0-2 0-0 0, Adams 1-1 0-1 2, Curry 3-8 0-0 6, Hancock 6-12 2-4 14, Addison 2-6 2-2 6, Goldwire 2-6 4-5 10, Zidek 2-4 1-2 5. Totals 33-78 23-30 92.

Chicago 42 31 25 28 - 126

Charlotte 15 19 31 27 - 92

3-Point goals-Chicago 13-20 (Pippen 5-10, Kukoc 3-3, Jordan 2-2, Kerr 2-3, Burchler 1-1, Brown 0-1), Charlotte 3-16 (Goldwire 2-3, Rice 1-4, Johnson 0-1, Hancock 0-1, Addison 0-1, Curry 0-2, Anderson 0-4). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Chicago 56 (Rodman 17), Charlotte 40 (Johnson, Parish 5). Assists-Chicago 38 (Pippen 14), Charlotte 21 (Anderson 4). Total fouls-Chicago 23, Charlotte 25. Technicals-Rodman, Johnson, Hancock. A-24,042 (23,698).

Kings 96, Rockets 91

Sacramento, Calif.

Mitch Richmond scored 12 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter as Sacramento beat Houston to strengthen its hold on the West’s final playoff spot.

Before the game, the Rockets activated Clyde Drexler and Mario Elie.

Houston (91) - Horry 4-11 1-2 9, Brown 5-16 1-1 11, Bryant 5-12 1-2 11, Mack 5-11 2-2 12, K.Smith 2-4 1-2 6, Recasner 6-10 5-5 17, Drexler 6-20 9-11 23, Chilcutt 1-2 0-0 2, Elie 0-4 0-0 0, Jones 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 34-90 20-25 91.

Sacramento (96) - Owens 5-11 4-7 14, Grant 7-15 7-11 21, Polynice 4-12 2-2 10, Richmond 6-17 13-16 28, Edney 5-10 0-0 10, Gamble 0-2 0-0 0, M.Smith 3-4 0-2 6, Hurley 1-3 0-0 2, Williamson 0-3 0-0 0, Simmons 2-4 1-2 5. Totals 33-81 27-40 96.

Houston 18 25 22 26 - 91

Sacramento 21 18 25 32 - 96

3-Point goals-Houston 3-18 (Drexler 2-6, K.Smith 1-1, Chilcutt 0-1, Recasner 0-1, Bryant 0-1, Mack 0-2, Elie 0-2, Horry 0-4), Sacramento 3-11 (Richmond 3-7, Owens 0-1, Edney 0-1, Gamble 0-1, Hurley 0-1). Fouled out-Recasner. Rebounds-Houston 57 (Brown, Bryant 11), Sacramento 65 (Grant, Polynice 12). Assists-Houston 14 (Drexler, Elie 4), Sacramento 24 (Richmond 7). Total fouls-Houston 25, Sacramento 18. Technicals-Sacramento illegal defense 2. A-17,317 (17,317).

Bullets 104, Spurs 84

San Antonio

Juwan Howard scored 25 and Washington snapped San Antonio’s 12-game home winning streak.

It was the most lopsided loss of the season for the Spurs and their first 20-point loss at home since April 11 of last season. Their previous worst loss this season was 106-87 at Chicago on Dec. 8.

Washington (104) - Cheaney 10-18 3-4 23, Howard 11-20 3-3 25, Muresan 2-6 1-2 5, Eackles 4-14 0-0 9, B.Price 3-8 9-9 18, McIlvaine 2-5 2-2 6, Legler 1-7 6-6 9, McCann 1-3 0-0 2, Whitney 2-5 3-4 7, Butler 0-1 0-0 0, Thornton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 36-87 27-30 104.

San Antonio (84) - Elliott 4-9 0-0 8, Smith 1-3 1-2 3, Robinson 8-25 8-10 24, Del Negro 9-19 1-2 19, Johnson 3-6 0-0 6, Person 3-11 2-4 9, Perdue 2-3 2-2 6, Rivers 1-6 0-0 2, Alexander 2-5 0-0 5, Williams 0-2 0-0 0, Anderson 1-1 0-0 2, Herrera 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 34-92 14-20 84.

Washington 34 24 25 21 - 104

San Antonio 24 23 21 16 - 84

3-Point goals-Washington 5-15 (B.Price 3-4, Legler 1-3, Eackles 1-6, Whitney 0-1, Butler 0-1), San Antonio 2-11 (Alexander 1-2, Person 1-4, Rivers 0-2, Elliott 0-3). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Washington 63 (Cheaney, Howard 9), San Antonio 55 (Robinson 18). Assists-Washington 24 (B.Price 11), San Antonio 18 (Johnson 4). Total fouls- Washington 22, San Antonio 26. Technical-Washington coach Lynam. A-19,452 (20,662).

Knicks 86, Bucks 79

Milwaukee

Patrick Ewing rebounded from one of the worst games of his career and had 24 points and 13 rebounds as New York won its seventh in a row at the Bradley Center.

New York (86) - Mason 4-10 2-2 10, Oakley 5-10 1-2 11, Ewing 8-15 8-10 24, Harper 4-10 2-2 11, Starks 2-9 2-2 7, Ward 3-5 0-0 8, Davis 3-5 2-2 9, Reid 3-4 0-0 6, Williams 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 32-70 17-20 86.

Milwaukee (79) - Baker 6-20 6-8 18, Robinson 4-14 5-6 13, Benjamin 1-4 2-2 4, Mayberry 2-4 0-2 5, Newman 4-10 5-5 14, Respert 6-11 3-3 15, Cummings 3-7 0-0 6, Conlon 2-3 0-0 4, Keys 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-73 21-26 79.

New York 28 16 26 16 - 86

Milwaukee 22 24 18 15 - 79

3-Point goals-New York 5-13 (Ward 2-3, Davis 1-1, Harper 1-3, Starks 1-6), Milwaukee 2-10 (Mayberry 1-2, Newman 1-2, Cummings 0-1, Robinson 0-2, Respert 0-3). Fouled out-Newman. Rebounds-New York 43 (Ewing 13), Milwaukee 48 (Baker, Benjamin 11). Assists-New York 22 (Mason 7), Milwaukee 16 (Robinson 5). Total fouls-New York 21, Milwaukee 22. Technicals-Harper, Mason. A-15,377 (18,633).

Hawks 82, Nets 70

East Rutherford, N.J.

Steve Smith shook off an early ankle injury to score 23 and Atlanta held New Jersey to a season-low point total.

Atlanta (82) - Augmon 2-8 9-10 13, Long 4-11 2-2 10 , Laettner 3-13 4-4 10, Smith 6-12 8-10 23, Blaylock 4-10 2-2 13, Ehlo 1-7 0-0 2, Rooks 1-5 0-0 2, Jordan 0-5 0-0 0, Henderson 3-7 1-4 7, Norman 0-2 0-2 0, Bullard 1-2 0-0 2, Boyce 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-82 26-34 82.

New Jersey (70) - Brown 3-12 0-0 6, Gilliam 5-17 0-0 10, Bradley 2-9 1-2 5, O’Bannon 2-7 1-2 5, Childs 6-13 5-5 17, Fleming 3-10 0-0 6, Williams 1-10 1-2 3, Mahorn 2-5 1-3 5, Graham 2-5 5-6 9, Werdann 2-6 0-0 4, Reeves 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-95 14-20 70.

Atlanta 24 17 25 16 - 82

New Jersey 11 17 23 19 - 70

3-Point goals-Atlanta 6-18 (Smith 3-6, Blaylock 3-8, Ehlo 0-1, Norman 0-1, Long 0-2), New Jersey 0-7 (Gilliam 0-1, O’Bannon 0-1, Graham 0-1, Childs 0-4). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Atlanta 62 (Long 14), New Jersey 76 (Williams 15). Assists-Atlanta 15 (Laettner 5), New Jersey 13 (Childs 5). Total fouls-Atlanta 17, New Jersey 24. Technicals- Laettner, Augmon, Norman 2, Childs, New Jersey Coach Beard, Bradley 2. Ejections-Norman, Bradley. A-10,308 (20,029).

Pistons 108, 76ers 87

Philadelphia

Grant Hill had 15 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds to barely miss his ninth triple-double and Detroit won on the road for the first time in a month.

Detroit (108) - Hill 6-13 3-4 15, Thorpe 7-12 2-4 16, Reid 2-2 2-2 6, Dumars 3-6 2-2 10, Houston 4-11 5-5 13, Hunter 7-9 2-2 17, Mills 5-10 0-0 13, Curry 3-4 2-8 9, Ratliff 4-4 1-2 9, Roe 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 41-73 19-29 108.

Philadelphia (87) - Alston 4-9 4-4 12, Weatherspoon 10-15 0-0 20, Massenburg 2-8 1-2 5, Stackhouse 5-17 11-15 23, Maxwell 4-8 1-2 12, Ruffin 1-4 1-1 3, Higgins 2-10 0-0 6, Pinckney 1-2 2-2 4, Thompson 0-2 0-0 0, Walters 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 30-79 20-26 87.

Detroit 25 33 32 18 - 108

Philadelphia 13 30 20 24 - 87

3-Point goals-Detroit 7-21 (Mills 3-8, Dumars 2-4, Curry 1-1, Hunter 1-2, Houston 0-6), Philadelphia 7-17 (Maxwell 3-3, Stackhouse 2-6, Higgins 2-6, Walters 0-1, Ruffin 0-1). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Detroit 48 (Hill 9), Philadelphia 49 (Weatherspoon 12). Assists-Detroit 31 (Hill 10), Philadelphia 21 (Ruffin 6). Total fouls-Detroit 21, Philadelphia 21. Technicals-Detroit illegal defense, Maxwell 2, Philadelphia coach Lucas. Ejections-Maxwell. A-12,317 (18,168).

Tendinitis sidelines Stoudamire

Rookie star Damon Stoudamire will be lost to the Toronto Raptors for at least three or four games because of tendinitis in his left knee.

The 5-foot-10 point guard has been ordered to rest for a week.

Stoudamire, who watched in street clothes as the Raptors lost 98-77 to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, regards the doctorimposed rest as just preventative medicine.

Philadelphia rookie Jerry Stackhouse will miss at least one game because of a strained ligament in his right thumb. The injury occurred late in the loss to Detroit.

The Chicago Bulls placed forward-center John Salley on the injured list with a strained groin muscle and activated James Edwards off the injured list.