Better put that Battle of LA on hold.
Boris Diaw and Shawn Marion each scored 6 points in overtime, Tim Thomas made two huge 3-pointers, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Lakers, 126-118, last night in Los Angeles to force a Game 7 in the first-round Western Conference playoff series.
Kobe Bryant scored all but 1 of the Lakers' 13 points in overtime, and had 50 overall.
Game 7 will be played tomorrow night in Phoenix. The home team has a 75-17 advantage in NBA playoff Game 7s.
The winner of the series will face the Los Angeles Clippers -- co-tenants of
Steve Nash led the Suns with 32 points and 13 assists, while Leonardo Barbosa, starting for the suspended Raja Bell, scored 22 points. Thomas had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Phoenix, while Marion had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Diaw added 19 points and seven assists.
The Lakers had won eight straight games at Staples Center, including Games 3 and 4 of this series.
Thomas forced the overtime by making a 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Bryant, the hero in Game 4, tried for another game-winner at the buzzer, but Marion got a piece of the ball and it fell short of the basket as time ran out.
Two baskets by Diaw and another by Marion gave the Suns a 113-109 lead with 2 1/2 minutes remaining in overtime, and Thomas's 3-pointer with 1:41 left gave Phoenix a 7-point lead. The Lakers weren't closer than 5 points after that.
Lamar Odom added 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists for the Lakers.
Heat 113, Bulls 96 -- Shaquille O'Neal dominated, Dwyane Wade played well despite a bruised left hip, and visiting Miami never trailed in eliminating feisty Chicago.
The second-seeded Heat won the best-of-seven series, 4-2, and will meet the third-seeded New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
O'Neal had 30 points and 20 rebounds while staying out of foul trouble as Miami won its first playoff series against the Bulls and its first postseason game in Chicago. O'Neal was 13 of 24 from the field.
Wade scored 23 points, and although he spent more time on the bench than usual, he was 7 of 12 from the field, including 2 of 3 on 3-pointers.
Wade injured his hip late in the first half of Game 5 Tuesday, when he landed awkwardly after having his layup blocked by Michael Sweetney. He was injected with a painkiller at halftime, returned midway through the third quarter, and scored 15 of his game-high 28 points to lead the Heat to a 92-78 victory.
Chicago's Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon scored 23 and 21 points, respectively, after shooting a combined 6 for 29 in Game 5. Andres Nocioni added 20 points.
Nets 96, Pacers 90 -- New Jersey overcame Anthony Johnson's 40-point effort to beat Indiana in Indianapolis and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals against Miami.
Richard Jefferson scored 30 points and Vince Carter added 24 for the Nets, who won the best-of-seven series, 4-2. Jason Kidd approached a triple-double with 8 points, 11 assists, and 11 rebounds.
Jermaine O'Neal scored 21 points for the Pacers, who played without Peja Stojakovic for the fourth time in the series because of a sore right knee. The team's second-leading scorer in the regular season, Stojakovic played in Indiana's only two wins in the series.
