Sasha Vujacic scored a career-high 16 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 28.5 seconds left, to seal the win for the Lakers. He was 6-of-7 from the field, including 4-of-5 from three-point range.

    "Always, always," the 22-year-old Slovenian guard said regarding his confidence level. "My teammates found me for open shots. I just wanted to take the responsibility.

    "It feels great. The beginning of the season, I didn't start well. I just want to be more consistent, show the coach he can trust me."

    Kobe Bryant, who scored 14 of his 26 points in the final period and also had eight rebounds and six assists, said Vujacic always contributes something.

    "I'm really happy for Sasha, how well he played tonight," said

    "He comes in off the bench and always plays extremely well defensively, even when he's not shooting well," Bryant said. "I'm proud of him. He's taken his lumps here, the fans have been pretty hard on him. He's a tough kid, he doesn't back down, he's not lacking in confidence."

    Luke Walton had 21 points and six assists for the Lakers, who presented coach Phil Jackson with his 900th victory.

    The 61-year-old Jackson ranks ninth on the NBA's all-time wins list, and became the fastest to reach 900, doing so in 1,264 games. Former Lakers coach Pat Riley accomplished the feat in 1,278 games.

    "Nine hundred wins is remarkable," Bryant said. "I can't even fathom 900 games. It was special."

    The loss was just the fourth in the last 31 games for the Mavericks, whose 27-8 record is the best in the NBA.

    Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and 13 rebounds, Josh Howard had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Jerry Stackhouse scored 14 for the Mavericks.

    In other games, it was: Timberwolves 103, Rockets 99, OT; Spurs 110, Grizzlies 96; Raptors 116, Wizards 111; Magic 87, Celtics 79; Suns 128, Warriors 105; and Heat 93, Trail Blazers 90.

    At Toronto, Chris Bosh had 24 points and 15 rebounds to lead Toronto over Washington.

    T.J. Ford, back after missing three games with a sprained right ankle, added 20 points for the Raptors, who had six players score in double figures.

    With the win, the Raptors moved into first place in the Atlantic Division. It's the weakest division in the NBA with all five teams under .500.

    Gilbert Arenas had 33 points, but went 7-for-19 from the field for the Wizards, whose three-game winning streak ended.

    At Minneapolis, Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 13 rebounds, and Mark Blount continued his strong play for Minnesota adding 21 points and 10 rebounds.

    The Timberwolves have won four straight, including the last three in overtime.

    Tracy McGrady scored 31 points for Houston, which saw its five-game winning streak end. It was McGrady's fourth 30-point performance in five games. Shane Battier added 20 points for the Rockets and Juwan Howard 19.

    At Memphis, Tennessee, Manu Ginobili scored a season-high 34 points to lead San Antonio.

    Ginobili was 10-of-15 from the field, including 6-of-8 from three-point range.

    At Orlando, Florida, Grant Hill scored 21 points and Dwight Howard had 18 points and 12 rebounds as Orlando won its fourth straight.

    Tony Allen led Boston with 21 points and a season-high nine rebounds.

    (Source: Shanghai Daily/Agencies)

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