RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- If Shaquille O'Neal hadn't turned his game up
a notch, the Los Angeles Lakers might be hearing that they're the
second-best NBA team in town.
|  | | Shaquille O'Neal puts up a hook shot over the Clippers' Michael Olowokandi in the second quarter. O'Neal had 39 points in the Lakers' 108-103 win. |
Given all they could handle by the upstart Clippers, the
defending league champion Lakers rode O'Neal's 22 fourth-quarter
points -- eight at the free-throw line -- to a 108-103 victory Sunday
night.
"I think we played down to the level of our competition," said
O'Neal, who finished with 39 points -- going 9-for-18 at the line --
14 rebounds and five blocks. "We had a good run early in the first
half and let it slip away, kind of lost the momentum.
"In the fourth quarter, we had to buckle down."
Lakers coach Phil Jackson was surprised the game was so close.
"It was an exciting game. That was the kind of game we didn't
anticipate," Jackson said. "Shaq had a big fourth quarter. It
seemed he was laboring in the third quarter. They were finding a
way to block his shots, and I think it motivated him."
Isaiah Rider gave the Lakers a boost coming off the bench,
scoring 15 of his 22 points to help them overcome a five-point
deficit early in the fourth quarter as they beat the Clippers for
the 14th consecutive time dating back more than three years.
"We just needed the rhythm in our offense and some people to
make some shots because they were collapsing on Shaq. He (Rider)
came in with those shots," Jackson said.
Kobe Bryant added 21 points for the Lakers.
The Clippers, who have the league's second-youngest team behind
Chicago, were not intimidated by the defending NBA champions.
Second-year pro Lamar Odom had 19 points, 15 rebounds and six
assists before fouling out. Jeff McInnis also had 19 points, and
Tyrone Nesby added 17 for the Clippers.
"Our free-throw shooting at the end probably cost us the
game," Odom said after the Clippers went 17-of-30 from the line.
"We learned that we can play. If we follow coach's game plan and
stick with things, move the ball and pass the ball and play
unselfish, we can compete with anyone."
Clippers first-year coach Alvin Gentry was far from satisfied.
"We've got some young players and they're going to continue to
get better," Gentry said. "But the thing I told those guys is
that we can't ever walk into the locker room and feel content about
losing. There are no moral victories.
"To think that we're satisfied that we played them close, I
don't get any satisfaction out of that. It still goes down as a
loss."
Trailing 77-72 with nine minutes remaining, the Lakers reeled
off a 12-2 spurt over the next three minutes to go up 84-79, and
stayed in front the rest of the way.
Rider started the comeback when he hit an off-balance 3-pointer
to barely beat the shot clock. Bryant made two free throws,
then O'Neal and Robert Horry scored on layups before Rider hit a
12-footer and free throw.
The Clippers led 68-65 heading into the final quarter, with
Bryant's 18-footer at the third-quarter buzzer narrowing the gap to
three points.
Playing on the floor both teams call home, the Lakers led by as
much as 34-21 three minutes into the second quarter. But
the Clippers chipped away, running off a 15-5 string over the next
six minutes to cut it to 48-45 by halftime.
The Lakers shot just two free throws in the first half, but they
shot 34 in the second, making 25.
Game notes
Sunday was Gentry's 46th birthday. ... The last time the
Clippers beat the Lakers was on March 14, 1997, when Malik Sealy scored on a dunk with seven seconds left to give the Clippers a
97-95 win at the Forum, the Lakers' former home. ... Odom, in just
his second NBA season, and Sean Rooks, in his ninth, were chosen as
Clippers captains. ... O'Neal had his career-high points, 61, in a
123-103 rout of the Clippers last March.
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NBA Scoreboard
LA Clippers Clubhouse
LA Lakers Clubhouse
RECAPS
Phoenix 104
Houston 99
LA Lakers 108
LA Clippers 103
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