New York, USA, February 26, 2004 (Reuters) - Peja Stojakovic scored 37 points and Mike Bibby hit a late three-pointer to help the
short-handed Sacramento Kings beat the host Los Angeles Lakers 103-101 in a Western Conference showdown Thursday.
Stojakovic added nine rebounds while Bibby notched 31 points and eight boards to give the Kings (42-14) their eighth victory in nine games.
Sacramento continued its winning ways despite the absence of Brad Miller and Bobby Jackson through injury and Chris Webber, who still has three games of his eight-game suspension to sit out.
The Kings also received 13 points from Doug Christie as they defeated the Lakers for the second time in a month.
When the top two teams in the Pacific Division met in Sacramento January 16, the Lakers were missing five players, including
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, and the Kings cruised to an easy 20-point win.
This time, Stojakovic and Bibby produced enough offense to overcome the fact that only three Kings managed double-figures as
Sacramento rallied from a 57-49 halftime deficit.
Bryant had 35 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Lakers but it was not enough to stop the Kings ending his team's five-game winning streak.
O'Neal added 24 points and 10 boards for the Lakers, now 36-20.
