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SEATTLE, Dec 1: Shaquille O’Neal made an early exit and failed to reach double figures for the first time in 144 games, but the Los Angeles Lakers rolled on anyway and posted a 107-92 win over the SuperSonics on Friday.
With O’Neal ejected for arguing an official’s call late in the first quarter, star guard Kobe Bryant took over and scored 30 points to lead the double defending champion Lakers to victory and improve the club’s best-ever start to 14-1.
O’Neal finished with just eight points, but even without their mammoth center, the Lakers built a 50-43 halftime lead that grew to 12 early in the second half.
“When a team loses a big gun like we lost, a lot of times you pick up the intensity,” Lakers forward Robert Horry said.
In Memphis, Jason Williams outscored the opposition all by himself in the third quarter as the flashy point guard led the Memphis Grizzlies to a 102-85 mauling of the Houston Rockets.
Williams, who finished with a career-high 38 points, poured in 18 points including four 3-pointers in the third quarter, which began with the teams tied 41-41. Houston scored 17 points in the quarter, which ended with the Rockets trailing by 17.
The Grizzlies won for the second time in three games to improve to 3-12.
Williams also handed out 11 assists and made four steals.
Houston (7-9) played its second successive game without its starting backcourt of Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley, who are out with heel and ankle injuries, respectively.
In Charlotte, the Pistons got a push from an unexpected source as Ben Wallace, a 44 percent free-throw shooter, made the go-ahead foul shots with 1:04 remaining as Detroit dealt the Hornets their fifth straight home loss 110-105.
Jerry Stackhouse scored 31 points and hit a key 3-pointer with 15 seconds left as the Pistons emerged from a tight fourth quarter with their third win in four games.
Wallace finished with eight points and 13 rebounds for the surprising Pistons, who improved to 10-5.
The Hornets (7-8) were led by Baron Davis, who scored 23 points and dished out 14 assists.
Friday’s results (home team in CAPS):
Detroit 110 CHARLOTTE 105
Washington 84 MIAMI 75
MEMPHIS 102 Houston 85
Sacramento 109 SAN ANTONIO 106 (OT)
DENVER 96 La Clippers 93
PHOENIX 98 Utah 76
PORTLAND 101 Milwaukee 95
La Lakers 107 SEATTLE 92
Defeat for Hawks
CHICAGO: The Chicago Blackhawks’ woes followed them onto their home ice Friday as the Toronto Maple Leafs handed the struggling Hawks their first home defeat of the season, with a 2-1 defeat.
Alexander Mogilny and Mats Sundin scored for the Northeast Division-leading Leafs (14-7-2-3), who ended Chicago’s distinction as the only NHL team without a home loss (9-0-3).
Chicago managed only 19 shots, scoring a third-period goal by Alexei Zhamnov after falling behind 2-0.
“Chicago has played great at home and to hold them under 20 shots in their building, we should be happy with that,” Sundin said.
The Blackhawks started off 12-4-3 but are in the midst of an eight-game winless skid (0-4-4). They get a return match against the Maple Leafs on Saturday in Toronto.
In Detroit, red-hot goalie Manny Legace made 36 saves and four different players scored as the Red Wings continued their surge with a 4-2 win over the disappointing New Jersey Devils.
Legace, a backup to Dominik Hasek, improved to 7-0-0 this season and extended a personal unbeaten stretch that began in January to 19 games (17-0-2).
The raging Red Wings improved their mark to an NHL-leading 22-3-1-1 and are 8-0-1 in a nine game unbeaten run.
The Devils, who have made the Stanley Cup Finals each of the last two seasons, are 1-6-1-1 in their last nine games and are 13th in the Eastern Conference.
Friday’s results (home team in CAPS):
WASHINGTON 6 Carolina 2
DETROIT 4 New Jersey 2
Toronto 2 C HICAGO 1
Colorado 5 VANCOUVER 2
San Jose 5 ANAHEIM 2
—Reuters
