In National Basketball Association action, Los Angeles superstar Kobe Bryant scored 30 points to lead the Lakers 106-105 in overtime over the Golden State Warriors.
Los Angeles was playing its first game since Bryant's sparkling 81-point performance Sunday against Toronto, that gave him the second highest point total in a single game in NBA history.
In Friday's contest in LA, Bryant netted 25 points in the fourth quarter and the five-minute extra session. His two free throws in the final seven seconds in regulation time tied the score 94-94 and forced overtime.
The NBA-leading Detroit Pistons enjoyed their 10th straight win, topping the visiting Memphis Grizzlies 95-89. Chauncey Billups led the Pistons with 34 points. Detroit has lost only five games all season, and has 36 victories.
Former Pacers' star Ron Artest scored 15 points in his debut with Sacramento, but it was not enough to keep the Kings from falling 84-74 to the Boston Celtics. Paul Pierce led host Boston with 18 points to beat the Kings for just the second time in 12 meetings. Artest was traded to Sacramento from the Indiana Pacers earlier this week in exchange for Peja Stojakovic.
The Pacers also lost Friday, stumbling 93-89 to the Cleveland Cavaliers led by big man Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The two-point-two meter tall Lithuanian hit 12 straight free throws in the fourth quarter, and had 27 points for the night. Stojakovic did not play in Friday's game.
Elsewhere in the NBA, the Pacific division-leading Phoenix Suns defeated the Atlanta Hawks 110-106, the New York Knicks snapped a six-game skid, 97-94 over the Orlando Magic, and the Miami Heat beat the Charlotte Bobcats 91-85. The Milwaukee Bucks trounced the Toronto Raptors 108-87, the Chicago Bulls thumped the Washington Wizards 90-79, and the Minnesota Timberwolves slipped past the Houston Rockets 96-92, and the Los Angeles Clippers crushed the Denver Nuggets 105-87. Also, the Portland Trail Blazers beat the New Jersey Nets 88-83.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
