SCOREBOARD
Friday, March 28
New Jersey at Indiana (7 p.m. EDT). The Nets are a half-game behind the Hawks for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
STARS
Wednesday
-Kevin Martin, Kings, scored 36 points and made two free throws in the closing seconds of overtime to give Sacramento a 107-106 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
-Chris Paul, Hornets, had 20 assists with 15 points in a 100-99 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
-Jason Richardson, Bobcats, had 34 points and 10 rebounds in a 108-95 win over the Lakers.
-Tracy McGrady, Rockets, scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and added 11 rebounds and nine assists in a 97-86 win over the Timberwolves.
-Andre Miller, Sixers, had 18 assists in 121-99 win over the Chicago Bulls.
PLAYOFF RACES
Joe Johnson scored 28 points, Josh Childress added 20 and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks 115-96 on Wednesday night to maintain the eighth playoff position in the Eastern Conference. ... Devin Harris had 22 points and a career-best 15 assists and the New Jersey Nets kept pace with Atlanta for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 124-117 victory over the Indiana Pacers. New Jersey trails Atlanta by a half-game for the final slot in the Eastern Conference.
BOUNCED
Jason Richardson had 34 points and 10 rebounds, Raymond Felton added 13 points and 10 assists, and the lowly Bobcats stunned the Lakers 108-95 on Wednesday night in a game where Kobe Bryant drew two technical fouls in a span of 29 seconds late in the fourth quarter and was ejected. Bryant has 15 technicals, and one more will get him an automatic, one-game suspension.
SEE YA, C-WEBB
Chris Webber announced his retirement from the NBA on Wednesday after 15 seasons, bowing to a knee injury that cut short his comeback attempt with the Golden State Warriors. Webber was the most prominent member of the Fab Five at Michigan and played for Golden State, Washington, Sacramento, Philadelphia and Detroit in his NBA career. Webber was a five-time All-Star, who ended his career averaging 20.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists a game.
STREAKING
David West's 17-foot jumper, coming on Chris Paul's 20th assist with less than a second left, gave the New Orleans Hornets their fifth straight win, 100-99 over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. ... Tim Duncan had 26 points and 12 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs withstood a late rally from the Los Angeles Clippers for a 97-88 victory, their fifth straight.
DROUGHT ENDS
Jamal Crawford scored 24 points, including the go-ahead jumper with about 2½ minutes left in overtime, and the New York Knicks ended their longest home losing streak in nearly 45 years by beating the Miami Heat 103-96 on Wednesday night. The Knicks had dropped a franchise record-tying seven in a row at home for the first time since Nov. 26-Dec. 17, 1963.
HANDOUTS
Chris Paul had 20 assists in the Hornets' 100-99 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. ... Philadelphia's Andre Miller had 18 assists in a 121-99 win over the Chicago Bulls. ... Devin Harris had 15 assists in New Jersey's 124-117 win over the Indiana Pacers.
SNAPPED
The Bobcats defeated the Lakers 108-95 on Wednesday night to snap a six-game road losing streak.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Indiana's Mike Dunleavy had 33 points with seven assists in a 124-117 loss to the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night. ... Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored a season-high 29 points with 15 rebounds in Cleveland's 100-99 loss to the New Orleans Hornets. ... Seattle's Nick Collison had 21 rebounds in a 104-99 loss to the Washington Wizards.
SPEAKING
"Well, I may look like I'm here to explain something, but I have nothing to explain. I can't explain it, so don't ask me any questions. It just looked like we were out of character, tremendously out of character, in more ways than one -- irrational play at times, inconsistent at best, but just some poor judgments, poor decisions." -- Lakers coach Phil Jackson after the Bobcats stunned the Lakers 108-95 on Wednesday night. Kobe Bryant drew two technical fouls in a span of 29 seconds late in the fourth quarter and was ejected.