NBA Roundup: Ratliff block decisive for Hawks

Atlanta sends Pacers to 11th straight road loss

? Was it a block or was it a foul?

Theo Ratliff blocked Jermaine O’Neal’s potential game-winning dunk in the final seconds Saturday night to help the Atlanta Hawks to a 92-89 victory over Indiana, sending the Pacers to their 11th consecutive road loss.

O’Neal felt he was fouled, but no call was made.

“No matter how much you harp on it, it’s not going to change anything,” O’Neal said. “They didn’t make the call, so I’m going with it. If they had made the call, the game would’ve been over.”

With 6.4 seconds remaining and Atlanta leading 90-89, O’Neal took an inbounds pass at the top of key and drove down the left side of the lane past Shareef Abdur-Rahim. O’Neal jumped for a dunk, but Ratliff, who was guarding Brad Miller, instead moved in for his ninth block.

“I was doing what I do, helping my teammates out on defense,” Ratliff said. “Fortunately, I was able to get the block and not foul him.”

Dion Glover hit two free throws to end the scoring with six-tenths of a second remaining. The Pacers had one last attempt, but Austin Croshere missed a three-pointer.

Glover scored the go-ahead bucket when O’Neal was called for goaltending with 6.4 seconds left.

O’Neal, coming off a 38-point effort in a win Friday over Memphis, scored 13 of his game-high 29 points in the fourth quarter.

The Pacers hadn’t lost 11 straight on the road since the start of 1990-91. Indiana’s club record is 28 consecutive road losses from Feb. 18, 1983-Dec. 21, 1984.

“We have to find a way to win,” said O’Neal, whose team has the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference (41-29). “Just when you see daylight, something else happens. I hope we don’t have any more injuries or other emergencies.”

Atlanta's Shareef Abdur-Rahim (3) drives to the basket against Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal. The Hawks defeated the Pacers, 92-89, Saturday night in Atlanta.

Glenn Robinson, who had a season-high 37 at Philadelphia the night before, finished with 23. Terry had 20 points and 10 assists, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Glover each scored 18.

Jazz 88, Clippers 73

Salt Lake City — Andrei Kirilenko had 17 points and six blocked shots as Utah held Los Angeles to the lowest field goal percentage in franchise history. Even though the Clippers shot 10-of-21 in the fourth quarter during garbage time, they finished at 26.3 percent (21-of-80). The previous franchise low was 26.8 percent against Houston on Feb. 28, 2000.

Kings 113, Trail Blazers 104

Portland, Ore. — Peja Stojakovic scored 30 points, and Chris Webber had 25 points, 15 rebounds and six assists as Sacramento rode a dominant third quarter to a win against Portland. Mike Bibby added 23 points and eight assists for the Kings, who won their third in a row and eighth in 10 games.

The Kings put on a show in the third period, turning a four-point halftime deficit into a 16-point lead on the strength of 18-for-22 shooting for 42 points — a season-high for Sacramento.

Mavericks 102, Suns 95

Dallas — Dirk Nowitzki scored 16 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter despite foul trouble, and Steve Nash had 27 points and 13 assists as Dallas rallied to beat Phoenix. The Mavericks improved their league-best record to 52-17.

Bulls 100, Knicks 98

Chicago — Eddy Curry scored a career-high 30 points, and Jamal Crawford added 22 points and 10 assists as Chicago held off New York. The Knicks, trying to climb into the eighth playoff spot in the East, were playing their fourth game in five nights and shot only 39 percent. The Bulls’ fresher and younger legs were evident, especially those of Curry and Crawford in the fourth quarter when Chicago held off a late rally.

Nuggets 90, Celtics 80

Denver — Juwan Howard had 27 points and seven rebounds to lead Denver to its first win over Boston in their last nine meetings. Howard shot 11-for-18 and Nene Hilario added 16 points for the Nuggets, who last beat the Celtics on Nov. 15, 1996 in Boston. Denver snapped a four-game losing streak. Paul Pierce had 31 points for the Celtics, who lost their fourth straight. Antoine Walker added 21 but was scoreless in the second half.

Nets 107, Grizzlies 99

East Rutherford, N.J. — Kerry Kittles scored 25 points, Jason Kidd had a season-high 18 assists, and New Jersey rode a 64-point first half to a victory against Memphis. Kenyon Martin and Richard Jefferson added 17 points apiece for the Nets, who opened a 11¼2-game lead over idle Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division.

Bucks 93, Hornets 85

Milwaukee — Sam Cassell scored 11 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter as Milwaukee gave George Karl his 700th win as an NBA coach. The Bucks (34-36) took a one-game lead on idle Washington for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.