Kobe, Shaq struggle but Lakers win

NEW YORK: Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal struggled, but it didn’t matter in the end. Even though Los Angeles’ two stars didn’t reach double figures in points until the fourth quarter, the Lakers still defeated the Dallas Mavericks at home for the 25th straight time, 108-99 on Tuesday night.

Los Angeles broke the match open in the final quarter, denying Dallas their 58th victory. The Mavericks fell into a tie with the San Antonio Spurs for the league’s best record, after having been alone atop the NBA standings all season. Los Angeles defeated the Mavericks for the 80th time in 99 meetings between the teams. Los Angeles has won 44 of the last 49. Devean George scored 21, Robert Horry 17 and Derek Fisher and Rick Fox added 16 apiece as the Lakers had six players in double figures. O’Neal and Bryant each finished with 14 points. “Our two big guys didn’t have a great match and we still beat them by (nine). It’s going to take a lot more than whining and crying and underachieving big men to beat us,” O’Neal said, adding of Dallas’ centres: “They all stink.”

In other matches, it was Washington 100, Cleveland 91; Philadelphia 91, Detroit 74; Miami 89, Toronto 83; New York 99, Atlanta 95; Memphis 111, the Los Angeles Clippers 108, Chicago 115, Indiana 103; Portland 81, Houston 66; Phoenix 98, Denver 78; Sacramento 107, Seattle 85; and Golden State 128, Utah 102. Raef LaFrentz and Dirk Nowitzki had 26 points apiece for Dallas. At Cleveland, Michael Jordan, who tormented the Cavaliers perhaps more than any other team during his career, scored 26 points as Washington moved within one and a half matches of idle Milwaukee for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 23 points for Cleveland.