RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) Shaquille O'Neal still can't
hit a free throw. It makes no difference.
The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers beat the Grizzlies 98-89 Saturday behind O'Neal's 27 points and 15 rebounds. The Laker big man went only 3-of-14 from the line, however, as Vancouver employed a hack-a-Shaq defense in the final three minutes when
O'Neal went 2-of-8.
"I don't care whether I shoot 50 percent or 100 percent from the line as long as we win," said O'Neal. "It's all about winning. My life isn't based on percentages."
Laker coach Phil Jackson is more concerned. He knows teams will
continue to foul O'Neal as long as the center is not producing from
the line.
"The slap-a Shaq?" Jackson joked. "I wanted him to get some
free throw practice while he was at it. It's good for him. It's
time for him to really get serious about his free-throw shooting
because it's going to be a continual presence all year long."
Kobe Bryant scored 22 for L.A., while newcomer Horace Grant
finished with 19 points and 11 boards.
Bryant also played a role in shutting down Michael Dickerson,
the Grizzlies' leading scorer, who finished with only 5 points. But
Laker coach Phil Jackson saw one stat he didn't like in Bryant's
game.
"Six turnovers. I'm not happy about that," he said. "The things he did at the end of the game weren't smart, either. So we had our chance to rag Kobe a little bit, but he played a nice game."
Bryant had an answer for his coach, however.
"Well," he said, "I got them back with five steals, though."
The Grizzlies cut a 20-point third-quarter lead to eight with
9:17 left in the game. Los Angeles had nine of their 19 turnovers
in the fourth quarter, but held on to hand Vancouver its first loss
of the season.
Both teams move to 2-1 on the season.
"We actually thought we had a chance down the stretch," said Grizzlies coach Sidney Lowe. "We had three key stops that we needed, but we came down and we took quick shots at the other end. So that hurt us."
Vancouver was led by Shareef Abdur-Rahim's 24 points and nine
rebounds. Mike Bibby had 23 points and eight assists for the
Grizzlies.
Game notes
The Lakers have dominated the Grizzlies throughout their
five-year history, going 19-1 against Vancouver, including 13
straight. Vancouver's lone win was on Feb. 23, 1999, when they won
93-83. Laker coach Del Harris was fired the next day. ... The
Grizzlies have a good opportunity to get back on track as six of
their next seven opponents are teams that didn't qualify for last
season's playoffs. ... After committing a technical foul in each of
the Lakers' first two games, Isaiah Rider kept his mouth shut against the Grizzlies. But he did pick up a flagrant foul on Grant
Long in the fourth quarter. Rider played only 12 minutes off the
bench, scoring 2 points. ... The Grizzlies have never started a
season 3-0 and have only two three-game winning streaks in their
five-year history.
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NBA Scoreboard
LA Lakers Clubhouse
Vancouver Clubhouse
RECAPS
LA Lakers 98
Vancouver 89
Indiana 94
Chicago 81
Toronto 103
Washington 96
Orlando 107
Atlanta 104
Cleveland 91
Boston 89
Philadelphia 84
Miami 82
Utah 112
Dallas 106
Minnesota 99
Sacramento 91
Charlotte 98
New Jersey 87
Milwaukee 97
Detroit 88
Phoenix 102
Denver 99
Portland 97
Seattle 90
San Antonio 117
Golden State 105
LA Clippers 77
Houston 74
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