EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ? In a game in which Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant didn’t do a lot, the Los Angeles Lakers showed why they still might be the team to beat in the NBA playoffs.

O’Neal had 19 points, 14 rebounds and a spectacular one-handed slam, Gary Payton added 16 points, and the Lakers held New Jersey to 51 points in the first three quarters in posting a 100-83 win Sunday.

“Everybody is starting to come around,” Bryant said after the Lakers won for the ninth time in 11 games. “It just takes some time for everybody to get into the flow of things. This is the type of effort that you’ll see with everybody contributing.”

It wasn’t the type of game coach Phil Jackson was expecting.

The Nets had won 15 of 16, including 14 of 15 since Lawrence Frank replaced Byron Scott as coach of the two-time defending Eastern Conference champions.

This was supposed to be a challenge, especially with Karl Malone still sidelined.

It turned out to be a laugher that sent the sellout crowd home early.

“I kept telling the players as we went through the game that it is much easier than it’s supposed to be,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “Get ready for the charge the Nets are going to lay on you. We never got it. They had an off game, and we played a relatively good game.”

The Lakers never trailed in winning their fifth straight road game. They blew it open in the third quarter, leading by as many as 26.

“If we can develop a consistent way to play, we’ll be a hard team to beat,” O’Neal said. “Tonight we played very, very well. Everybody was involved. We played good defense. If we can play like this our last 24 games, we’re going to be a hard team to beat in the playoffs.”

Richard Jefferson had 19 points to lead New Jersey in what was the first embarrassing loss of Frank’s coaching career. It was his second defeat in three games after winning his first 13 games.

“The Lakers were just better than us tonight,” Frank said.

Kenyon Martin added 11 points, and Jason Kidd had 10 points and just three assists while playing 28 minutes with a bruised knee. The Nets’ big three combined to go 13-of-28 from the field in seeing a nine-game home winning streak end.

Celtics 91, Raptors 82

Toronto — Paul Pierce scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, helping Boston hand Toronto its season-worst ninth straight loss. Jiri Welsch added 15 points for the Celtics, who ended a seven-game losing streak with a victory Friday over the Raptors. Milt Palacio had a season-high 19 points and eight assists for Toronto, which is in danger of falling out of playoff contention because of injuries to Vince Carter, Jalen Rose and Alvin Williams. Dion Glover, signed Saturday, went 5-for-16 from the field for 13 points.

Bucks 108, Heat 104

Milwaukee — Michael Redd scored 27 points, and Desmond Mason added 21, helping Milwaukee win its third straight. Miami rookie Dwyane Wade left the game with a sprained right foot with about four minutes left in the third quarter. He went to the locker room early in the fourth quarter and didn’t return. Eddie Jones led Miami with 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting and added five rebounds. Lamar Odom had 22 points and seven rebounds. The Heat allowed the most points they have all season.

Pistons 100, Clippers 88

Los Angeles — Chauncey Billups scored 28 points, and Richard Hamilton added eight of his 21 points in the last seven minutes to help Detroit win its fourth straight. Ben Wallace recorded his 30th double-double of the season, finishing with 13 points and 13 rebounds for Detroit, which overcame the poor shooting of Rasheed Wallace and the ejection of coach Larry Brown.

SuperSonics 97, Rockets 80

Houston — Rashard Lewis scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, and Seattle rallied after squandering an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter and snapped a three-game losing streak. The Sonics beat the Rockets for the third time this season and snapped Houston’s five-game home winning streak. The Rockets have won eight of 12.

76ers 81, T’wolves 74

Philadelphia — Rookie forward Kyle Korver made key plays down the stretch, and Eric Snow hit a jumper with 20 seconds left. Aaron McKie had 18 points to lead the Sixers, who snapped a four-game skid despite playing without injured standouts Allen Iverson and Glenn Robinson. Kevin Garnett scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Minnesota, which leads the Midwest Division, but has lost two of three.

Kings 108, Suns 94

Sacramento, Calif. — Peja Stojakovic scored 32 points, and the Kings never trailed. Amare Stoudemire fouled out late, but had 33 points and 17 rebounds for the Suns.

Nuggets 107, Knicks 96

Denver — Carmelo Anthony had 25 points, and Voshon Lenard added 16 as Denver ended a five-game losing streak. New York has dropped six in a row. Francisco Elson had 12 points, and Nene and Earl Boykins had 11 points each for the Nuggets.