PHILADELPHIA – Rookie forward Kyle Korver made key plays down the stretch, and Eric Snow hit a jumper with 20 seconds left to help the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 81-74 Sunday night.

Aaron McKie had 18 points to lead the Sixers, who snapped a four-game skid despite playing without injured stars Allen Iverson and Glenn Robinson. Snow added 13 points, and Kenny Thomas had 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Kevin Garnett scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Minnesota, which leads the Midwest Division but has lost two of three.

Iverson missed his fourth straight game with a bruised right shoulder. Robinson missed his second with a strained right elbow.

Iverson informed the team earlier in the day that he was experiencing stomach problems and did not attend the game.

Both teams went cold in the second half, but Garnett had six points during a 12-2 run in the last 7:01 of the third quarter to erase a nine-point Philadelphia lead and give Minnesota its first advantage since 29-28.

Lakers 100, Nets 83

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – With a lineup that includes Kobe, Shaq and Gary Payton, sometimes the easiest thing to overlook is the Los Angeles Lakers’ defense.

The Lakers held New Jersey to 18 field goals and 51 points in the first three quarters of a 100-83 win Sunday. Payton scored 16 points after complaining about his minutes and Phil Jackson’s triangle offense.

Shaquille O’Neal added 19 points, 14 rebounds and a spectacular one-handed slam on a third-quarter fast-break pass from Kobe Bryant in helping the Lakers win for the ninth time in 11 games.

Bryant, who averaged 32.6 points in his last five starts, had 11 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in 31 minutes in which the Lakers got contributions from everyone.

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

Bucks 108, Heat 104

MILWAUKEE – Michael Redd scored 27 points, and Desmond Mason added 21, helping the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Miami Heat 108-104 Sunday for their third victory in a row.

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.

But the Heat allowed the most points they have all season and lost their third straight game.

Milwaukee had a 21-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but Miami got within three late in the game.

Kings 108, Suns 94

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Peja Stojakovic scored 32 points Sunday night as the Sacramento Kings never trailed in defeating the Phoenix Suns 108-94.

The return of Brad Miller had the balanced Kings offense running with its typical efficiency. Sidelined the previous seven games with a sprained right foot, Miller had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

With Miller back in the lineup, the Kings can look forward to Tuesday’s home game against the Los Angeles Clippers, when Chris Webber is expected to play for the first time this season.

Webber, who has been out with a knee injury most of the season, missed the last eight games while on suspension.

Sonics 97, Rockets 80

HOUSTON – Rashard Lewis scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and the Seattle SuperSonics rallied after squandering an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter, snapping a three-game losing streak with a 97-80 over the Houston Rockets on Sunday.

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.

Trailing 68-57 at the start of the fourth quarter, Houston rallied and tied the score at 71 with 5:30 remaining on a driving layup by Mark Jackson.

Lewis then put Seattle ahead for good, converting two free throws that resulted from a flagrant foul by Maurice Taylor with 5:14 left.

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, leading the Detroit Pistons to a 100-88 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.

The Pistons overcame the poor shooting of Rasheed Wallace and the ejection of coach Larry Brown to win their fourth straight.

Ben Wallace recorded his 30th double-double of the season, finishing with 13 points and 13 rebounds for Detroit.

Rasheed Wallace scored nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter after shooting 1-for-12 in the first three quarters. He finished 5-for-17 and had 10 rebounds.

Hamilton played his second game since breaking his nose when he was elbowed by Chicago’s Marcus Fizer on Wednesday. He is scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday after playing Monday night at Utah.

Nuggets 107, Knicks 96

DENVER – Carmelo Anthony had 25 points and Voshon Lenard added 16 as the Denver Nuggets ended a five-game losing streak with a 107-96 victory over the New York Knicks.

New York has dropped six in a row.

Anthony, who shot 8-for-15, played only a minute into the fourth quarter. Francisco Elson had 12 points and Nene and Earl Boykins 11 points each for the Nuggets, who also ended a three-game losing streak to the Knicks.

Kurt Thomas led New York with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Reserve Shandon Anderson had 17 points and Tim Thomas 16 as the Knicks matched their longest losing streak of the year.

Boykins had four points in a 6-0 spurt early in the fourth quarter to put Denver ahead 90-72. But the Knicks had a 7-0 run, and baskets by Nazr Mohammed and Anfernee Hardaway get New York to within 93-83 with 6:25 remaining. Baskets by White and Lenard and two free throws by Nene put the Nuggets up by 99-86.

New York made a final run on jumpers by Anderson and Kurt Thomas with 3:10 remaining. The Nuggets got a rebound dunk by Chris Andersen and a layup from White. The Knicks had only a 3-pointer by Tim Thomas and one free throw from Anderson the rest of the way.

Already ahead by nine, Andre Miller hit two jumpers between an airball by Dikembe Mutombo to put Denver ahead 56-43 early in the second half. Elson had four points and Anthony a 3-pointer in a four-minute stretch that gave the Nuggets their biggest lead, 80-63.

The Knicks cut the deficit to 84-72 by the end of the third quarter on a jumper by Kurt Thomas and basket and free throw by Hardaway.

With its starters on the bench, Denver maintained its 10-point advantage through the first five minutes of the second quarter as Boykins finished fast breaks with a jumper and a 3-pointer.

Allan Houston, who missed the last 11 games with a sore left knee, got it down to 43-35 on a jumper with 4:50 left. But Anthony hit three shots, including a 3-pointer, and two free throws.

Baskets by Hardaway and Kurt Thomas made it a nine-point game at the half.

Houston connected on his first shot of the game and had five points, but the Knicks had nine turnovers in the first quarter to fall behind 31-21. Anthony had seven points and the Nuggets converted the turnovers into 14 points in the period.

Notes: Mutombo received a standing ovation when he entered the game in the second quarter and then was roundly booed when he elbowed Elson to the floor. … The Knicks are 2-4 on Feb. 29; the Nuggets are 1-4. … New York is 10-11 under Lenny Wilkens. … Marcus Camby sat out with a strained right groin. … Denver is 9-9 on the second night of back-to-back games

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