Atlanta — The Atlanta Hawks danced off the court, celebrating as if they had won the NBA championship.
Actually, it was just one victory in a dismal season, but they weren't going to let that little detail spoil the fun.
Atlanta's Jason Terry celebrates after leading the Hawks past Los Angeles. Atlanta knocked off the Lakers, 108-106, Monday in Atlanta.
Jason Terry scored 36 points and the Hawks, spurred on by a record crowd at Philips Arena, held off the Los Angeles Lakers 108-106 Monday night when Kobe Bryant missed a shot at the buzzer.
"After such a long season, with all the trades and all the injuries, this game was like a big sigh of relief," Terry said. "It felt like we had won a championship game or at least gotten a berth in the playoffs."
The Hawks (21-47) won't be going to the postseason, of course, so this figures to be the brightest memory from their rebuilding season.
"It was our first loss to a team like this," said Shaquille O'Neal, who had 27 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots. "They had a lot of energy. We're supposed to beat teams like this all the time."
Toni Kukoc added 26 points for the Hawks, including a critical 3-pointer that extended the lead to 107-102 with 56 seconds remaining after Brevin Knight hit the go-ahead jumper.
Bryant, who scored 27 points, connected on a short shot along the baseline in the final minute before Rick Fox converted a layup with 7.6 seconds to go after a Terry miss.
The Lakers fouled quickly, and Terry gave the defending NBA champions a chance by making only one of two free throws.
Bryant got the ball at the top of the key and squared up for the tying jumper, but his shot bounced off the back of the rim. The horn sounded while the teams scrambled for the rebound.
Sonics 93, 76ers 89
Seattle Playing without Allen Iverson or coach Larry Brown, Philadelphia was no match for Gary Payton and Seattle. Payton scored 29 points, passing 15,000 for his career, and the Sonics remained alive in the playoff race by beating the 76ers. With Iverson missing the game with a left hip pointer, the Sixers lost their third game in a row for the first time this season. Brown is suffering from disorders of the stomach and esophagus and has been undergoing tests in Philadelphia.
Spurs 98, Blazers 85
San Antonio Derek Anderson scored 28 points and Tim Duncan tied his career high by grabbing 23 rebounds as San Antonio handed Portland its fifth loss in six games. Duncan had 20 points and Anderson 10 rebounds as the Spurs beat Portland for the second time in 11 days. Steve Smith led Portland with 23 points and Rasheed Wallace had 20. San Antonio took control in the first quarter, going up 24-10 after a 14-0 run, and the margin didn't drop below nine after that.
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