Warriors End 15-Game Skid to Kings

Jason Richardson scored 25 points and Nick Van Exel made a running shot in the lane with 18.8 seconds left to help the Golden State Warriors end a 15-game losing streak to the Sacramento Kings with a 98-91 victory Friday night at Oakland.

Van Exel scored five points in the final moments as the Warriors barely held on for an impressive sweep of the NBA’s top two teams. Golden State defeated the Lakers, 107-98, on Tuesday.

With the Kings losing, the Lakers moved into sole possession of first in the Pacific Division.

The Kings trailed, 93-79, with 4:01 left before going on a 12-0 run keyed by seven points from Mike Bibby, who finished with 28. But Bibby -- an 83% free-throw shooter -- missed two free throws with 51 seconds left, and Peja Stojakovic missed an open jump shot. Van Exel then drove past three defenders and hooked in an awkward shot for Golden State’s second field goal of the fourth quarter. Van Exel added three free throws in the final 11 seconds as Golden State hung on for its first win over Sacramento since Dec. 20, 1999.

The crowd of 20,192 was the fourth-largest in the history of The Arena in Oakland, though many rooted for the Kings.

Denver 95, Houston 94 -- Carmelo Anthony scored a career-high 37 points and Voshon Lenard made three free throws after being fouled behind the arc with 8.3 seconds left for the Nuggets at Denver.

Anthony was 13 of 22 from the field and scored 22 of his points in the third quarter for the Nuggets, who had lost five in a row to Houston.

Reserve Maurice Taylor had 22 points for Houston but missed a shot at the buzzer.

Portland 101, Minnesota 92 -- Jeff McInnis had 21 points and eight assists at Portland, Ore., and the Trail Blazers ended the Timberwolves’ six-game winning streak.

Wesley Person had 16 of his 20 points in the second quarter when Portland outscored Minnesota, 37-17, to take control. Kevin Garnett had 27 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Timberwolves.

Utah 97, Toronto 94 -- Andrei Kirilenko scored 17 points and made several big plays in overtime -- mostly with his defense against Vince Carter -- as the Jazz survived a fourth-quarter collapse to win in overtime at Salt Lake City.

Toronto scored five points in the final five seconds of regulation to force overtime.

Carter scored 30 points for the Raptors, who have lost six of seven and are winless on the road against Western Conference opponents.

San Antonio 98, Orlando 83 -- The Spurs used a late 15-0 run to break open a tight game at San Antonio for their 12th victory in a row.

Tim Duncan led San Antonio with 27 points and 16 rebounds, while Tony Parker added a season-high 22 points and Robert Horry had 14 -- his high total with the Spurs.

Boston 104, Phoenix 102 -- Ricky Davis made a 20-foot jump shot with 2.8 seconds left and Paul Pierce scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half as the Celtics overcame a 17-point third-quarter deficit at Phoenix.

Milwaukee 101, Indiana 96 -- Damon Jones scored all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter at Milwaukee to help the Bucks climb above .500 for the first time in more than six weeks.

New Jersey 82, Detroit 79 -- Jason Kidd had 24 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds at Auburn Hills, Mich., for his league-leading fifth triple-double. The Pistons have lost seven of nine.

New York 98, Memphis 94 -- At Memphis, Tenn., Keith Van Horn scored 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Allan Houston added 23 points for the Knicks as they ended a seven-game road losing streak.

Chicago 87, Cleveland 80 -- Jamal Crawford matched a season-high with 30 points to lead the Bulls past the Cavaliers at Cleveland. LeBron James scored 18 points for Cleveland.

Miami 92, Washington 84 -- Eddie Jones scored 22 points and Rasual Butler added 10 in the fourth quarter for the Heat in a victory at Miami.

New Orleans 109, Atlanta 79 -- David Wesley scored 32 points, including five three-point baskets, and the Hornets rolled to a victory at New Orleans.