Shaquille O’Neal drops in 34 points for Los Angeles.
By The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES – Shaquille O’Neal came up with the monster game the Los Angeles Lakers needed to even their series with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

O’Neal had 34 points, 23 rebounds and six assists Sunday as the three-time defending NBA champions rallied for a 102-97 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves to tie their first-round playoff series 2-2.

Los Angeles scored 22 of the game’s final 33 points, holding the Timberwolves without a field goal for a 5-minute stretch of the fourth quarter. O’Neal grabbed 10 offensive rebounds to help the Lakers to a 29-2 edge in second-chance points.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson and teammate Kobe Bryant challenged O’Neal to be more physical, and the self-proclaimed MDE – most dominant ever – did just that, coming up with his best game of the postseason.

Bryant added 32 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, despite shooting 7-of-25. He was 16-of-17 from the foul line, making four free throws without a miss in the last 12.8 seconds to clinch the victory.

Kevin Garnett had 28 points, 18 rebounds and five assists but missed two free throws with 15 seconds remaining and the Timberwolves trailing by three.

Troy Hudson also had 28, although he did not score in the fourth quarter, missing his only two shots.

Game 5 will be played Tuesday night at Target Center, where the teams split the first two games of the series. Game 6 is Thursday night at Staples Center.

Baskets by Rod Strickland, Garnett and Anthony Peeler gave Minnesota an 80-74 lead, and it was 86-80 following Strickland’s basket with 7:32 remaining.

Magic 100, Pistons 92

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Magic are one victory away from bouncing the top-seeded team in the East out of the playoffs.

Tracy McGrady had 27 points and nine assists as the Magic defeated the Detroit Pistons 100-92 Sunday to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series. Drew Gooden added 20 points and 13 rebounds while Darrell Armstrong came off the bench to score 18.

Orlando shot 50 percent against the NBA’s best defense, and at times it seemed as though everything the Magic tossed up went in. The clincher came with 6:14 to play when Armstrong hit a miracle falling-away heave on an inbounds pass with 1 second on the shot clock. The swish put Orlando ahead 95-77 – its largest lead of the series.

The Magic can win the series Wednesday night in Detroit. Orlando hasn’t advanced past the opening round since 1996, when it swept Detroit.

The Pistons, losers of 12 straight road playoff games, failed to top 43 percent shooting for fourth straight game. They shot 42 percent and committed 15 turnovers – including two passes into the stands in the fourth quarter.

Chauncey Billups led Detroit with 25 points despite a bruised left thigh, but he missed 11 of 12 shots after the first quarter. Ben Wallace had 12 points and 24 rebounds, while Clifford Robinson had 14 points.

Richard Hamilton, who was averaging 26.7 points, had five while shooting 2-for-11.

Orlando scored 18 unanswered points late in the third quarter to seize control.

McGrady had seven points and Armstrong six in the run that put the Magic ahead 77-65 with 1:10 left in the period.

Detroit, meanwhile, had zero offense, settling for jumpers with the shot clock winding down. The Pistons missed nine straight shots in the quarter’s final 5:36.

Orlando got help from the officials for the first time in the series. After three games in which the Magic were outshot from the line 108-74, they had 42 free throws to the Pistons’ 22.

Detroit’s Chucky Atkins and Robinson were incensed enough to draw technicals for complaining.

Blazers 98, Mavericks 79

PORTLAND, Ore. – Despite playing without Scottie Pippen, Derek Anderson and Arvydas Sabonis, the Portland Trail Blazers managed to avoid being swept in the first round by the Dallas Mavericks.

Zach Randolph had 25 points and 15 rebounds as the Trail Blazers beat the Mavericks 98-79 Sunday night.

The victory snapped Portland’s 10-game playoff losing streak which dated back to Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks won his first playoff game as a coach after six straight losses.

The series will return to Dallas on Wednesday for Game 5. But no team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a seven-game series, and the Mavericks haven’t lost four in a row all season.

After trailing 52-49 at the break, the Blazers had a 21-0 run in the third quarter and went on to lead by as many as 24 points.

Randolph tied it at 54 with a layup at 8:52 of the third quarter, and Rasheed Wallace hit a go-ahead 3-pointer before Randolph added a jumper to make it 59-54.

Randolph’s slam dunk and layup made it 67-58 before Damon Stoudamire’s fast break layup and free throw put the Blazers ahead 70-58.