Los Angeles ? When Shaquille O’Neal has a substantial height and weight advantage on the man trying to guard him which is most of the time he’s practically unstoppable.

O’Neal scored 40 points on 15-of-21 shooting and had 13 rebounds Sunday to power the Los Angeles Lakers to a 117-103 victory over the New York Knicks.

DETROIT'S BEN WALLACE, LEFT, battles for position with Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal. The Pacers beat the Pistons, 89-84, on Sunday in Auburn Hills, Mich.

“I am very optimistic about the way he has been playing the past couple of weeks,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “He is showing his most valuable player status in this league.”

O’Neal, at 7-foot-1 and some 350 pounds, is four inches taller and more than 100 pounds heavier than New York center Kurt Thomas. O’Neal probably could have scored a lot more.

To his credit, Thomas did have 12 rebounds and 20 points, mostly on medium-range jumpers, but 14 of his points came in the first quarter. O’Neal started coming out to contest the shots by the second quarter, and Thomas had just six points afterward.

“It’s not just Kurt. I don’t know anyone else in this league that can stop Shaq one-on-one. That’s just how it is,” said Latrell Sprewell, who scored 31 for New York. “This guy’s so big and so strong and so good that no one guy is going to shut him down.”

Knicks coach Don Chaney said it was impossible to stop O’Neal.

“A couple of times we tried to foul him and he still went up and scored. He’s just so massive in there, you can’t front him because they’ll throw it over the top. If you play behind, you can’t stop him if he gets to the junction of the paint,” Chaney said.

“You’re at his mercy.”

Kobe Bryant added 18 points for Los Angeles and Devean George tied a career-high with 17, including a pair of 3-pointers as the Lakers took charge with a 14-4 burst late in the third quarter.

They were up 88-80 heading into the fourth, and the Knicks got no closer the rest of the way.

After trailing by 15 late in the first quarter, Los Angeles had pulled even at 60 by halftime. O’Neal had 21 points in the first half.

Down 36-28 at the end of the first period, the Lakers went up 52-51 on an O’Neal dunk with 2:22 left in the first half, their first lead of the game.

Sprewell had 14 points and Thomas had 12 in the first period, but Sprewell managed just two points and Thomas four as Los Angeles made defensive adjustments in the second quarter.

The Knicks had a hot hand in the opening period, making 13 of their 22 shots (64 percent) and opening as much as a 34-19 lead with 1:47 left in the quarter.

Just before Mark Jackson’s 3-pointer increased New York’s lead to 15, the Lakers had given the ball up on a shot clock violation after they took a timeout. They obviously forgot the clock was down to nine seconds and didn’t attempt to get a shot off before the 24-second clock ran out.

But after falling behind by 15, the Lakers finally came to life, outscoring New York 9-2 in the final 1:32 of the first quarter to trim the deficit to 36-28.

The Knicks are 2-2 since Chaney was given a contract extension. They are 13-29 since he took over in November when Jeff Van Gundy resigned.

Kings 98, Bucks 73

Milwaukee Peja Stojakovic scored 21 points and Chris Webber had 20 points and 15 rebounds, leading the Sacramento Kings to a rout of the Milwaukee Bucks. Sacramento’s 25-point margin of victory was its largest of the season on the road. Bobby Jackson finished with 15 points in a reserve role, and Mike Bibby added 13 points as the Kings improved their league-best record to 44-17 and evened their road record at 14-14.

Clippers 95, Cavs 78

Cleveland Elton Brand had 17 points and 14 rebounds as the Clippers surpassed last season’s win total. Eric Piatkowski scored 17 points for the steadily improving Clippers, who are 32-31 with 19 games remaining. Los Angeles, which had seven players in double figures, went just 31-51 last year.

Magic 92, Raptors 79

Orlando, Fla. Tracy McGrady had 22 points, and Orlando held Toronto to 14 fourth-quarter points, sending the Raptors to their 14th loss in 15 games. Pat Garrity added 15 points, 11 in the third quarter, and seven rebounds for the Magic.

Rockets 95, Jazz 92

Houston Steve Francis hit a three-pointer with one-tenth of a second left and finished with 16 points. Cuttino Mobley scored 28 points, including 17 in the second half, and Kenny Thomas had 18 points and nine rebounds. Utah point guard John Stockton had 13 assists to give him exactly 15,000 for his career. Magic Johnson is second on the NBA’s all-time list with 10,141.

Celtics 98, Wizards 91

Boston Antoine Walker scored 23 points and Paul Pierce added 18 as Celtics won their fourth straight. Richard Hamilton scored 21 points, and reserve Tyronn Lue had 19 for the Wizards, who missed a chance to move into eighth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Pacers 89, Pistons 84

Auburn Hills, Mich. Jermaine O’Neal had 23 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Pacers. Ron Artest scored 16 points and Jamaal Tinsley added 15 for the Pacers. Reserve Corliss Williamson led the Pistons with 22 points. Jerry Stackhouse, bothered by a sore hip, scored just seven points, well under his 25-point average.

Hornets 88, Suns 82

Phoenix Reserve Jamaal Magloire and Jamal Mashburn keyed a decisive 20-3 second-period Charlotte run. Charlotte built a 22-point lead in the third period, then survived a furious Phoenix rally in ending a three-game losing streak. The Hornets solidified their hold on the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Mashburn led the Hornets with 26 points, including three baskets in the final three minutes after the Suns whittled the huge deficit to 77-74. Baron Davis had 18 points and 11 assists for Charlotte, while Magloire scored 17 and P.J. Brown grabbed 14 rebounds. Shawn Marion topped the Suns with 27 points, including 11-for-11 at the foul line, and 13 rebounds. Stephon Marbury finished with 22 points.

NBA Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

W L Pct GB

New Jersey 39 23 .629

Boston 35 27 .565 4

Philadelphia 33 29 .532 6

Orlando 33 30 .524 612

Washington 29 33 .468 10

Miami 28 33 .459 1012

New York 23 38 .377 1512

Central Division

W L Pct GB

Detroit 35 26 .574

Milwaukee 35 27 .565 12

Indiana 31 32 .492 5

Charlotte 30 32 .484 512

Toronto 30 35 .462 7

Cleveland 23 40 .365 13

Atlanta 22 39 .361 13

Chicago 16 47 .254 20

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Midwest Division

W L Pct GB

Dallas 44 18 .710

San Antonio 41 21 .661 3

Minnesota 40 22 .645 4

Utah 34 28 .548 10

Houston 23 39 .371 21

Denver 19 40 .322 2312

Memphis 16 46 .258 28

Pacific Division

W L Pct GB

Sacramento 44 17 .721

L.A. Lakers 43 18 .705 1

Portland 38 25 .603 7

Seattle 36 27 .571 9

L.A. Clippers 32 31 .508 13

Phoenix 30 33 .476 15

Golden State 17 43 .283 2612

Sunday’s Games

Orlando 92, Toronto 79

Houston 95, Utah 92

Boston 98, Washington 91

Sacramento 98, Milwaukee 73

Indiana 89, Detroit 84

L.A. Clippers 95, Cleveland 78

L.A. Lakers 117, New York 103

Charlotte 88, Phoenix 82

Today’s Games

Boston at Washington, 6 p.m.

Golden State at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m.

Utah at Memphis, 7 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Sacramento at Chicago, 7:30 p.m.

Seattle at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

San Antonio at Denver, 8 p.m.

Tuesday’s Games

Golden State at Indiana, 6 p.m.

Philadelphia at New York, 6:30 p.m.

Phoenix at Miami, 7 p.m.

Chicago at Milwaukee, 7 p.m.

Toronto at New Jersey, 7 p.m.

Memphis at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.

Seattle at Houston, 7:30 p.m.