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Friday, Mar. 30 10:30pm ET
Shaq hits 14 of 17 from line, scores 35 in win

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

LOS ANGELES (AP) – What, Shaq worry about free throws?

Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal, right, elbows into Dallas' Calvin Booth, earning an offensive foul. O'Neal had 35 points and 13 rebounds.

"I won't worry about that ever again," the Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal said Friday night after he continued his recent run of success at the line with a 14-of-17 performance on his way to 35 points in Los Angeles' 98-89 victory over Dallas.

O'Neal, a 50-percent career shooter from the line who dipped below 40 percent earlier this season, has been making them at around a 70-percent clip over the past seven games.

If he can keep it up, that will bury the "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy of fouling him constantly.

"We can't Hack-a-Shaq him when he's shooting 70 percent from the free throw line," said Dallas coach Don Nelson, generally regarded as the first coach to use that strategy against O'Neal.

"If it gets below 50 percent, then that can be a tactic, but no more (than 50 percent)."

Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson, whose team ended a two-game losing streak and avoided its first three-game skid since April 1999, obviously is pleased that one of the Lakers' weaknesses – O'Neal at the line – seems to be disappearing.

"He feels very confident about playing the game and not worrying about having to get off a shot before he gets fouled," Jackson said. "He takes the foul and makes them pay for it."

O'Neal also had 13 rebounds and the Lakers made up for the absence of Kobe Bryant, out for the fifth consecutive game with a sore left foot, with a balanced scoring attack.

Brian Shaw had 14 points for Los Angeles, and Derek Fisher, Horace Grant and Isaiah Rider each added 12.

Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 24 points, but scored just five after halftime. Michael Finley had 18 points in the loss, which ended the Mavericks' three-game win streak.

O'Neal, 5 inches shorter than the Mavericks' 7-foot-6 Shawn Bradley, still dominated the inside, either dribbling around or shooting over the Dallas center, who at 265 pounds is 65 pounds lighter than O'Neal.

"He's big, he's strong and he knows how to position his body so that he can counter whatever way you decide to guard him," said Bradley, who had 12 points and three rebounds.

Bryant, who is also expected to sit out Sunday's game against the New York Knicks, watched the win over the Mavericks in street clothes from the end of the Lakers' bench.

The defending NBA champions have gone 3-2 in his absence.

The Lakers, fourth in the conference standings and the scramble for homecourt advantage in the playoffs, moved 1½ games ahead of the Mavericks.

Los Angeles led most of the way, including a 76-68 edge heading into the fourth quarter and the Mavericks never seriously threatened the rest of the way.

Game notes
The 24-second clock went out for a couple of minutes early in the first half, and the public address announcer was calling out the time left at 15, 10 and 5 seconds. ... Jackson, asked about the league's Board of Governors discussing rule changes to speed up the game, smiled and said before the game: "They think 100 points is the magical number. They should come and watch our games; we give up 100 points every night." ... Bryant, the NBA's third-leading scorer with a 29.2-point average, hurt his ankle in the final minute of the Lakers' 107-100 loss at Milwaukee on March 21.

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RECAPS
Philadelphia 102
Golden State 89

Toronto 110
New Jersey 99

Indiana 92
Boston 87

Denver 103
Charlotte 96

Detroit 100
Orlando 97

Utah 95
Cleveland 88

Portland 96
New York 79

Seattle 94
LA Clippers 84

LA Lakers 98
Dallas 89

Sacramento 110
Minnesota 98


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