Too close to call

Triple defending champions Los Angeles Lakers survived the absence of their charismatic coach Phil Jackson, who was resting after undergoing an angioplasty on Saturday, to edge the San Antonio Spurs 99-95 at the Staples Center and level their Western Conference 1/2 finals series at 2 games all.

It was far from easy though as the Lakers were still trailing by 10 points midway through the third period. But Shaquille O'Neal, who scored 39 points and grabbed 17 rebounds on the night, and Kobe Bryant, with 35 points, once again managed to bring their side back on track as the champions close the 3rd quarter on a 16-3 run en route to tying the series.

Meanwhile fellow Californians Sacramento completed the Texan nightmare as they routed to a 99-83 victory over the Dallas Mavericks to even their series at two games each.

The Kings seemed hardly phased by the absence of all-Star Chris Webber - out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury. Sacramento turned in an impressive all-around team performance, with six players scoring between 12 and 17 points on the night.

The Kings, who never trailed, profited the failure of Dallas scorers as well. Nick Van Exel, who led the Mavs in games 2 and 3, shot only 2 from 11 from the field, Steve Nash 3 from 12 and German star Dirk Nowitzki 4 from 14.

Both Western Conference 1/2 Finals series resume on Tuesday, at San Antonio and Dallas respectively.

In the Eastern Conference Allen Iverson inspired his 76ers again as he scored 36 points, including 15 in the 4th quarter, and made 11 assists for the second straight game, as Philadelphia tied the series at 2-2 with a 95-82 win over the top-seeded Detroit Pistons.

Iverson teammate Derrick Coleman added 14 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the 76ers, who will head back to Detroit for game 5 on Wednesday night. The Pistons will aim to bounce back from their two consecutive defeats in a series where the home team has so far won each time.