Shaq of old? Bryant says not quite, but healthy O'Neal pounds Lakers

Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were dominant forces on the same court where they were All-Star Game co-MVPs three weeks ago.

Give this one to Shaq and the Suns.

O'Neal scored 33 points and Phoenix overcame Bryant's 49-point performance to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 118-111 on Sunday.

Matt Barnes added 26 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists as the Suns, without Steve Nash for the third straight game because of a sprained right ankle, defeated the Lakers (48-12) for the first time in four tries this season. Barnes scored seven in a row to put Phoenix (34-25) ahead 114-103 with 1:26 to play.

Pau Gasol added 30 for Los Angeles, loser of two in a row for just the third time this season.

"We're going through a period right now where everybody's just kind of tired a little bit," Bryant said. "It happens. ... Everybody kind of goes through it a little bit. And this two games, we've been playing lethargic. It's that point in the season where we kind of hit it. The key for us is to snap out of it."

After his 45-point game against Toronto on Friday night, O'Neal has consecutive 30-point games for the first time since March 5-7, 2004, when he and Bryant were teammates in Los Angeles.

"It's what I do," O'Neal said. "I've been doing it since 1992. If you don't believe it, Google me."

O'Neal, who turns 37 on Friday, is the fourth player over 35 in NBA history to score at least 33 points in consecutive games. The others are Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Alex English.

"A lot of people thought I lost it," O'Neal said. "It's kind of funny to me, when I say 'I'm injured,' no one believes me. Last year I was injured and this year I'm feeling pretty good."

Bryant was asked if O'Neal reminded him of the Shaq of old.

"No, not quite," Bryant said. "But he's playing extremely well, obviously. The thing is they're looking for him, they're going inside to him. Tonight, I mean, Pau is giving up 250 pounds (a bit of an exaggeration). There's really not much he can do in that situation and Shaq took advantage of it."

Bryant made 18 of a season-high 38 attempts in the 96th 40-point game of his career. He scored 17 points in a span of less than four minutes early in the second half.

Cavaliers 88, Hawks 87

ATLANTA -- LeBron James scored 26 points, including the winning free throw with 1.6 seconds left, and the Cavaliers won for the seventh time in eight games.

The Hawks, after rallying from a 13-point deficit, squandered a five-point lead in the final 1:42. Delonte West hit a jumper, Mo Williams sank a 3 and James won it for the Cavs on their final possession. He drove from the top of the key and was fouled by Al Horford.

After missing the first free throw, James swished the second. The Hawks had a last chance, but Joe Johnson's jumper over James clanked off the rim as the horn sounded.

Johnson led the Hawks with 21 points.

Mavericks 109, Raptors 98

DALLAS -- Jason Kidd handed out 15 assists to become the fourth player in NBA history with 10,000 for his career, and Dirk Nowitzki had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavs.

Kidd reached the milestone with 1:04 left in the third quarter when he handed out his 13th of the night, passing to Brandon Bass for a 10-foot turnaround. He trails John Stockton (15,806), Mark Jackson (10,334) and Magic Johnson (10,141) on the NBA career list.

Josh Howard added 16 points and Antoine Wright had 15 for Dallas.

Chris Bosh paced the Raptors with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Andrea Bargnani added 18.

Pistons 105, Celtics 95

BOSTON -- Richard Hamilton had 25 points, Tayshaun Prince scored 15 and each hit a 3-pointer in the final 80 seconds to help the Pistons beat the Celtics.

Hamilton also had nine assists in his second straight start since Allen Iverson returned to Detroit because of a stiff back. The Pistons had lost five straight regular season games to the Celtics -- 9-of-11 including a six-game Eastern Conference final.

Celtics forward Paul Pierce scored 26. Glen "Big Baby" Davis, starting in place of the injured Kevin Garnett, added 18 points.

Hornets 99, Nets 96

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- David West scored 32 points and Chris Paul made two key steals in the final minute to lead the Hornets to their fourth straight win.

Rasual Butler added 22 points for New Orleans, and Paul had 14 points and nine assists.

Devin Harris and Vince Carter each had 26 to pace the Nets, winners of their two previous games. Harris also had 14 assists while Jarvis Hayes added 13 points.

Rockets 105, Timberwolves 94

MINNEAPOLIS -- One night after blowing a 17-point lead in the final six minutes, Yao Ming had 17 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks in the Rockets' victory.

Ron Artest scored 23 points and Aaron Brooks had 22 points and a career-high 10 assists for the Rockets, who had lost five of their last six games on the road.

Randy Foye scored 24 points and Craig Smith had 20 for the Timberwolves. Minnesota lost its sixth game in a row and fell to 1-8 since star center Al Jefferson went down for the season with a torn ACL.

Pacers 100, Nuggets 94

INDIANAPOLIS -- Jarrett Jack had 28 points and eight assists, Troy Murphy had 22 points and 18 rebounds and the Pacers hung on to beat the Nuggets.

Marquis Daniels added 19 points and six rebounds for the Pacers, who've made a habit of beating the league's top teams. Indiana has defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston, Cleveland, Orlando and now, Denver.

That leaves San Antonio as the only current division leader the Pacers haven't beaten.

Chauncey Billups led the Nuggets with 27 points and seven assists. Carmelo Anthony scored 20 points, but was 8-for-24 from the field, and Nene added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Trail Blazers 102, Spurs 84

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge each scored 26 points to help the Trail Blazers spoil the return of Tim Duncan to the Spurs.

The Spurs didn't even play Duncan in the fourth quarter after Portland led by as many as 29 points. The All-Star forward had missed the last three games with a right quad injury.

Steve Blake added 15 for the Blazers, who won their ninth straight at the Rose Garden Arena. Portland is 24-5 at home this season.

Tony Parker had 15 points for the Spurs. Like Duncan, he did not play the fourth quarter.

Jazz 112, Warriors 104

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Mehmet Okur scored 23 points, Deron Williams had a season-high 20 assists and the Jazz won their eighth straight.

Ronnie Brewer scored 21 points one night after getting a career-high 26 for the Jazz, who moved within two games of Northwest Division-leading Denver. Utah hasn't lost since receiving a 20-point thrashing from the Warriors in Oakland three weeks ago.

Corey Maggette scored 27 points and rookie Anthony Randolph had a career-high 20 for the Warriors, who rested leading scorer Stephen Jackson. Golden State also is resting Monta Ellis' surgically repaired left ankle for at least two weeks as a precaution.