New York ? Latrell Sprewell didn’t need any words of encouragement, but Sacramento Kings forward Chris Webber couldn’t resist.

Sprewell had 43 points and six assists Thursday night and the New York Knicks defeated Sacramento, 113-96, as the Kings played without Webber.

“I told him to slow down at halftime, and I guess it just pumped him up,” Webber said with a smile.

“Thanks for pumping him up, Chris,” teammate Hedo Turkoglu interjected.

Sprewell had 24 points in the first half, and his shooting in the fourth quarter held off the Kings’ late run. Kurt Thomas added 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Allan Houston scored 16 points.

“I had the hot hand, and every time I got a good look I was going to get a shot off,” Sprewell said. “I was looking for the ball all night.”

It was the 26th game the Kings played without Webber, who sprained his ankle before the season. Sacramento dropped to 18-8 without Webber.

Mike Bibby scored 21 points for the Kings, who own the NBA’s best record but struggled without Webber, shooting 41 percent, committing 15 turnovers and missing several uncontested shots down the stretch.

Sprewell scored 12 points in the fourth, including a hanging layup that stopped the Kings’ 10-2 run and gave the Knicks a 97-85 lead with 4:56 left.

Turkoglu missed a pair of layups and Mike Bibby missed an open three-pointer as Sacramento never threatened again. The Kings had their three-game road winning streak halted.

Doug Christie hit an open three-pointer and Bibby had a layup to cap an 11-4 run that cut New York’s lead to seven points with 5:17 left in the third quarter.

“I know why it happens. They know why it happens,” New York coach Don Chaney said of the Knicks’ third-quarter lapse. “The sequence always happens this way: lack of poise, lack of focus, contested shot, turnover and poor defense.”

Lucky for the Knicks, those traits were contagious.

Scot Pollard missed a pair of free throws and Stojakovic missed a fast-break layup as the Kings failed to gain more ground.

“We had a chance to be there but couldn’t get over the hump,” Sacramento coach Rick Adelman said. “There in the third quarter, that was our best chance. Then we had a chance in the fourth, but there just wasn’t much time left.

“It’s hard to make another push. We were too far below and it was too big a lead to counter.”

Lakers 110, Warriors 102

Oakland, Calif.  Shaquille O’Neal had 40 points and 13 rebounds as Los Angeles beat Golden State. O’Neal, who had been bothered by an arthritic big toe, was 14-for-28 from the free-throw line  but he sank the shots when he needed to, going 10-for-12 from the line in the fourth. After the Warriors tied it at 92 late in the game, O’Neal hit four straight free throws to give the Lakers a 96-92 advantage. Kobe Bryant had 21 points for the Lakers, who have won three straight and 10 of their last 12 and now trail the Sacramento Kings by just a half-game in the Pacific Division.

Blazers 132, Mavericks 106

Portland, Ore. Â Rasheed Wallace scored 28 of his 37 points in the first half as Portland routed Dallas, ending the Mavericks’ five-game winning streak. In a game filled with dunks, three-pointers and technical fouls, the Blazers used a 12-0 run late in the second quarter to take a 27-point halftime lead. Dirk Nowitzki had 19 points and Michael Finley 18 to lead the Mavericks. Dallas coach Don Nelson began the third quarter with only two starters and went with all reserves for most of the period, when Portland’s lead reached 46.

Spurs 91, Bulls 86

San Antonio  Tim Duncan scored 24 points, seven coming on free throws in a frenzied fourth quarter, to help San Antonio defeat Chicago. Duncan wasn’t the only one contributing from the line  the Spurs tallied 15 of their 23 points in the final period on free throws. The win was the eighth straight for San Antonio, while Chicago fell for the eighth consecutive time.

Hornets 100, Jazz 82

Charlotte, N.C. Â Jamal Mashburn scored 26 points and Baron Davis added 18 as Charlotte cruised past Utah. Donyell Marshall led the Jazz (34-30) with 15 points, and Andrei Kirilenko contributed 10. Charlotte (31-33) used a 20-2 run that began midway through the first quarter to take a 24-15 advantage.