Ike Diogu scored 28 points Wednesday in helping Sacramento end a dismal season on an upbeat with a 97-90 victory over Minnesota. The Kings ended a nine-game losing streak, but their 16-65 record is still the worst in team history.

Michael Finley beat the game clock, but not the shot clock, with a 3-pointer that officials let stand Sunday in the San Antonio Spurs 95-92 win over Sacramento. With the game tied 92-92, Finley collected a pass from a driving Tony Parker and fired the 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left to play.

Ron Artest had 26 points Thursday and the Houston Rockets beat Sacramento 115-98 to take a half game lead over San Antonio and Portland in the NBA West. Yao Ming had 20 points and nine rebounds.

David West scored 40 points Tuesday while Rasual Butler hit a game-winning three at the buzzer, allowing New Orleans to squeak past Sacramento 111-110. A timely screen gave Butler the look he wanted after a timeout and he nailed the winning shot from the top of the arc as time expired.

Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook scored 22 points each Tuesday and Oklahoma City held off Sacramento 99-98. The Thunder got another 17 points from Thabo Sefolosha and Nenad Krstic grabbed 15 rebounds. Oklahoma City has now won five of its last six games while Sacramento has lost 20 of its last 24. Spencer Hawes led the Kings with 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.