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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – The Los Angeles Lakers won without Kobe
Bryant, and with Shaquille O'Neal scoring less than usual.
|  | | Shaquille O'Neal, center, battles San Antonio's Samaki Walker, left, and Tim Duncan for a first-quarter rebound. |
Six Lakers supplied double-figure scoring to complement
O'Neal's 22 points as Los Angeles beat the San Antonio Spurs 101-99
Wednesday night.
Bryant, the NBA's third-leading scorer with a 29.6 average, sat
out after spraining his right ankle Tuesday night when he stepped
on O'Neal's foot during a 119-109 win over Dallas. Two days
earlier, he strained his left ankle in a 110-109 loss to Indiana.
But Los Angeles got 17 points from Rick Fox, 16 from Isaiah
Rider and 13 from Robert Horry. Horace Grant added 12, and Brian
Shaw, who started for Bryant, had 11. Mike Penberthy had 10.
"This is the way we should play every night," said O'Neal,
whose average was 27.5. "It was a total team effort."
O'Neal added 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Playing without Bryant "felt like going into the woods to fight
a bear with a club instead of a gun," Lakers coach Phil Jackson
said.
But, he said, "the big guy stepped up and made some passes
tonight, played a real solid game and held us together on the
offensive end.
"Also, we had guys who contributed everywhere."
Los Angeles overcame a San Antonio defense that had limited
opponents to 42-percent shooting. The Lakers shot 55.4 percent,
topping their average of 46 percent.
"It was the second game in a row where we played like we had
the 20th-ranked field goal percentage defense," Spurs coach Gregg
Popovich said.
"It was a disappointment, especially without Kobe there," said
San Antonio's David Robinson, who had 13 points.
"We had no flow offensively. It was terrible. We did nothing
real well tonight. We were not real aggressive down in the post
with Shaq."
Derek Anderson led San Antonio with 23 points. Tim Duncan
finished with 22 and Terry Porter added 18 for the Spurs, who shot
51.3 percent.
The Lakers took their biggest lead of the game, 96-84, with 2:59
left in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer by Horry.
Porter then sparked a 7-0 burst with a 3-pointer, a steal that
led to Anderson's dunk and two free throws to cut the Spurs'
deficit to five points, 96-91, with 1:15 left.
But the Lakers used four free throws by Shaw and another by
O'Neal in the final minute to seal the win.
Porter hit two 3-pointers in the last eight seconds for the
Spurs.
The Lakers held a slight lead through most of the game. When the
Spurs led, it was never by more than two points.
Los Angeles surged into the lead early in the fourth quarter by
scoring eight straight points, including two free throws, a
3-pointer and a 15-foot jumper by Horry for an 83-75 lead.
The Spurs cut the lead to 85-82 on Antonio Daniels' dunk with
6:02 left, but were not able to come any closer.
Sean Elliott, who sat out the Spurs' last 20 games with a small
rotator cuff tear, received a roaring ovation when he entered the
game with 4:16 left in the first quarter. He was scoreless in nine
minutes.
Game notes
Lakers play-by-play announcer Chick Hearn, who has
broadcast 3,271 straight games over 35 years, left at halftime with
laryngitis. "Chick is the original Superman, so hopefully he'll be
OK," O'Neal said. ... The Lakers are 6-7 in the second of
back-to-back games. ... With the loss, the Spurs no longer have the
best home record in the league. They're now 21-5. ... Bryant scored
32 points against San Antonio on Nov. 8, and 43 on Dec. 1. ... The
Lakers won for the third time in 15 games against San Antonio ...
Grant, averaging 7.6 points, had 10 in the first quarter.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
LA Lakers Clubhouse
San Antonio Clubhouse
Kobe's status for Friday's game vs. Hawks up in air
RECAPS
Philadelphia 107
Vancouver 91
LA Clippers 100
Cleveland 94
Detroit 90
New York 85
Phoenix 100
Miami 85
New Jersey 113
Toronto 111
Houston 89
Minnesota 83
LA Lakers 101
San Antonio 99
Seattle 127
Denver 98
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