MIAMI — Don't write off Tim Hardaway just yet. Miami Heat coach Pat Riley certainly hasn't.
The 34-year-old point guard scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half and added eight assists as Miami ran its winning streak to four games Sunday by beating the San Antonio Spurs 88-83.
"For all of you guys that ever have a notion about retiring Tim Hardaway, this is why he's here," Riley said.
Hardaway's 3-pointer with 20.7 seconds remaining gave Miami an 86-81 lead. He was 5-for-8 from 3-point range and sealed the victory with a pair of free throws with 10.3 seconds left.
His late 3-pointer came with San Antonio's David Robinson in his face.
"I had a good look at it," said Hardaway, an 11-year veteran. "(Robinson) thought I was going to pick-and-roll. I surprised him and took a 3. He just looked at me."
Tim Duncan had 26 points and 14 rebounds for the Spurs, whose three-game winning streak ended. San Antonio, 26-6 since late January, has won nine of 11.
Robinson added 18 points for the Spurs, who failed to top 90 points for the first time in 14 games.
"Any time Tim Hardaway plays the way he did today, he gives them a chance to win," Spurs guard Avery Johnson said.
"He's the key. He's been the key. He never seems to get enough credit down here."
The Spurs rallied from 12 points down in the third quarter and tied the game twice in the fourth quarter. But poor foul shooting — 13-of-22 from the line — hurt the team down the stretch.
"We made too many mistakes throughout the whole game," said Duncan, who was 6-for-10 from the line. "We didn't give ourselves the opportunity to win the game."
Miami, meanwhile, was 9-for-16 from 3-point range and shot 50 percent from the field overall.
"They were sharp and more aggressive than we were," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We made some adjustments in the second half and got back in the game, but then Tim took over. Tim used his court smarts and took over the game."
Anthony Mason added 16 points and Brian Grant finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for Miami, winners of five straight at home.
LAKERS 84, KINGS 72: At Sacramento, Calif., Shaquille O'Neal had 23 points and 15 rebounds as Los Angeles scored 18 straight points in the fourth quarter and moved into a tie with Sacramento atop the Pacific Division.
Rick Fox had 17 points and Brian Shaw added 14 for the Lakers, who were without the injured Kobe Bryant.
Chris Webber finished with 10 rebounds and 15 points. Doug Christie also had 15 points for Sacramento, which missed 18 of its first 20 shots in the fourth quarter.
With the victory, Los Angeles earned the tiebreaker edge if it finishes tied for the division lead with Sacramento.
CELTICS 102, BULLS 98: At Boston, Paul Pierce scored 13 of his 36 points in the last 3 1/2 minutes as Boston pulled into a tie for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
With a 31-38 record, the Celtics are even with the Indiana Pacers. Each team has 13 games remaining.
The victory also helped Boston avoid another embarrassing home loss to the Bulls. Chicago has won just two road games this year — one of them a 104-86 victory in Boston on Dec. 13, Chicago's biggest win since Michael Jordan retired.
BUCKS 105, HAWKS 98: At Milwaukee, Ray Allen had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Sam Cassell added 22 points and 11 assists as Milwaukee rallied to win its fifth straight game.
The Bucks, who trailed by 17 points with about four minutes left in the third quarter, increased their lead to 4 1/2 games over idle Charlotte in the Central Division.
Tim Thomas scored 17 points, and Glenn Robinson had 14 for the Bucks, who made 24 of 27 free throws.
Atlanta's Toni Kukoc scored a season-high 31 points, including 19 in the first quarter. Alan Henderson had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Hawks.
Milwaukee came back thanks to a 15-0 run early in the fourth quarter. The Bucks took a 97-90 lead with 3:37 left, with consecutive 3-pointers by Allen, Cassell and Thomas.
TIMBERWOLVES 105, NETS 91: At Minneapolis, Terrell Brandon scored a career-high 34 points against Stephon Marbury, the player he replaced as Minnesota's point guard.
Brandon shot 15-of-25 from the field and added six assists as the Timberwolves led throughout.
Stephon Marbury scored 32 points for New Jersey against his former team, including 20 in the second half. Johnny Newman added 24 for the Nets.
The Timberwolves traded Marbury to the Nets on March 11, 1999, in the same deal that brought Brandon to Minnesota from Milwaukee.
RAPTORS 102, GRIZZLIES 92: At Toronto, Vince Carter scored 24 points as the Toronto Raptors beat Vancouver, sending the Grizzlies to their ninth straight loss in what might be the final meeting between the Canadian teams.
Vancouver owner Michael Heisley has until Monday to inform the NBA where he wants to move the team. Memphis, Tenn., is the front-runner, with Louisville, Ky., New Orleans and Anaheim, Calif., also possibilities.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim had 26 points for the Grizzlies, who went 0-8 on their road trip.
Toronto's Morris Peterson scored 20 points, Dell Curry had 16 points, and Antonio Davis had 13 points and 14 rebounds.
MAGIC 84, PACERS 82: At Orlando, Fla., Orlando's Tracy McGrady had 28 points and eight rebounds, and Indiana's Reggie Miller missed a 3-pointer with 7.3 seconds left.
Orlando and Indiana have split four meetings this season with the home team winning each game.
Jermaine O'Neal had 26 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots for Indiana. Jalen Rose had 13 points and Miller 11 but they were a combined 8-of-34 from the field.