41.   The Kings missed Chris Webber, who sat out his ninth consecutive game with a sprained right ankle.

42.   The Knicks won their ninth straight game at Madison Square Garden not because Johnson gave them a scoring threat in the low post and not because Houston played aggressively.

43.   The ninth game was also dramatic, with Paulus saving four break points.

44.   The Sao Paulo club has won its ninth straight game to pull into second place in the Paulista league.

45.   Then Chang served for the set in the ninth game, giving up just one point while winning on an ace to the forehand side.

46.   There was no grunting from Monica Seles, not until the ninth game of the first set.

47.   Two of his best saves came in the third period on consecutive shots by Wayne Gretzky, who failed to score for the ninth consecutive game.

48.   Who knows when David Shula will win his ninth game?

49.   Ziggy Palffy was held without a goal for the ninth consecutive game.

50.   Philippousis, who lives by the power of his service, served a double fault in the ninth game of the third set, which reached deuce six times.