A major difference between the top two teams in the NBA's Pacific Division is that the Sacramento Kings have shown they can win without key players in the lineup and the Los Angeles Lakers haven't.

That was evident on Thursday night when Team USA's Mike Bibby hit a pair of clutch three-pointers in the final 90 seconds as the Kings pulled out a 103-101 victory over the Lakers.

The Kings won, despite not having Chris Webber, Brad Miller and Bobby Jackson.

"It just means how we played good as a team, how we trust each other and how much confidence we have in the guys that didn't have the opportunity to play before," said Kings forward Peja Stojakovic, the leading Serbo-Montenegrin in the NBA.

Sacramento has not missed a beat without injured players, winning four in a row and six of seven games since the All-Star break.

The Lakers are a hurdle for Sacramento, who are still seek their first NBA title.

In both meetings between the rivals, one team has been shorthanded. In Sacramento's blowout win on January 16, the Lakers were without Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone and were in the midst of their worst stretch of the season.

Sacramento got big performances from Bibby and Stojakovic in Tuesday's win over New York and the duo was clutch again. Bibby scored a season-high 31 points and Stojakovic led the Kings with 37.

Bibby and Stojakovic combined to shoot 12-of-21 from the arc, with Bibby's last two 3-pointers making the difference.  He gave Sacramento a 100-98 lead with 89 seconds left, then extended the advantage to five points with 45 seconds to play.

Bryant led the Lakers with 35 points.  He hit a clutch three-pointer with 37 seconds to play, but had a potential game-winning three-pointer bounce off the rim as Los Angeles had a five-game winning streak snapped.

After scoring 18 points in the third quarter to get the Kings within 81-80, Stojakovic had just five in the final period. All of them came during an 8-1 spurt that gave Sacramento a 92-86 lead with 6:38 remaining.

O'Neal countered with six of his 24 points in an 8-2 burst, capping it with a dunk over former Laker Vlade Divac to forge a 94-94 tie with 3:45 left.

After Bryant's layup made it 96-94, Anthony Peeler's three-point play put Sacramento in front with just over two minutes to play.  But O'Neal, who was 6-of-13 from the free-throw line, missed a pair before Bryant made two for a 98-97 edge with 98 seconds remaining.

The Kings clinched their sixth straight winning season, beat the Lakers for the fourth time in six meetings and opened a six-game lead in the division.

They shot 48% (36-of-75) from the field, including 12-of-24 from the arc.