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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Derek Fisher shocked just about everyone in
Staples Center on Tuesday night, especially himself.
|  | | Derek Fisher returned with gusto Tuesday, with career highs of 26 points and six steals as well as eight assists. |
Playing his first game of the season, Fisher had career-highs of
26 points and six steals along with eight assists as the
short-handed Los Angeles Lakers beat the Boston Celtics 112-107.
"This is amazing," said Fisher, a fifth-year pro playing in
his first game since the NBA Finals last June. "I just wanted to
play hard, help out. I really wasn't sure what to expect. I was
hoping to play eight or 10 minutes, I definitely wasn't expecting
to play 37.
"I'm just thankful to be back here. I've really worked hard to
try and get back in this position."
Fisher scored seven straight Los Angeles points, capped by a
jumper with 3:32 remaining that snapped a 98-all tie, and the
Lakers led the rest of the way. The Celtics weren't closer than
three points after that.
Fisher, sidelined since undergoing surgery to repair a stress
fracture in his right foot Sept. 20, also had five rebounds while
playing all but three minutes in the second half and all but 11
overall.
He scored 12 points in the final period, capped by a pair of
game-clinching free throws with 10.9 seconds left.
"It was an incredible game, that's a remarkable game," Lakers
coach Phil Jackson said. "So much for training camp.
"The six minutes he played were great."
Jackson had said before the game he'd like to get Fisher six or
eight minutes of playing time and go from there.
Shaquille O'Neal had 28 points and 11 rebounds, and Rick Fox had
21 points for the Lakers, who won for the ninth time in 12 games
despite the absence of Kobe Bryant, who missed his second straight
game because of a viral infection.
"He had a whole year of energy stored up in him, and it
couldn't have come at a better time," Brian Shaw said of Fisher.
"The whole team and the whole building fed off his energy,"
O'Neal said. "We haven't had that type of defensive energy in a
long time. Fisher was definitely our hero tonight."
Horace Grant added 16 points, and Shaw had eight points, 12
rebounds and seven assists before fouling out with 10:03 remaining.
The Celtics lost their sixth straight road game and ninth in 12
games overall despite Paul Pierce's 42 points, equaling his career
high. Antoine Walker had 23 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists
for Boston.
"I think this is a game we should have won," said Pierce, who
went to nearby Inglewood High before leaving the Los Angeles area
to attend Kansas. "I'm at home, it was a game I really wanted.
"It hurts to lose. When you have a performance like this in a
game you lose, it feels like a wasted performance. There are no
moral victories for us, we're fighting to win."
The Celtics, who blew a 13-point third-quarter lead, remained
one game behind Indiana in the battle for the eighth and final
playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.
O'Neal, Mark Madsen and Fisher made two free throws each in the
final minute to keep the Lakers safely ahead.
A three-point play by Eric Williams, who scored 14 points,
capped a 13-5 Boston run to start the second half, putting the
Celtics on top 67-54.
Then, with Fisher, Fox and O'Neal leading the way, the Lakers
outscored the Celtics 26-11 to finish the third period for an 80-78
lead.
The Celtics led by as many as five points early in the fourth
quarter before the Lakers rallied.
Fisher was inserted into the starting lineup, and helped the
Lakers get off to a fast start.
When he came out for the first time after playing 7 1/2 minutes, he
had four points and three steals and the Lakers led 21-10.
The Celtics then went on a 19-4 run to finish the first quarter
and start the second for a 29-25 lead.
Fisher returned and played the final 8:40 of the first half,
which ended with the Celtics on top 54-49.
Game notes
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Lakers,
who haven't lost three straight regular-season games since April
1999. ... The Lakers also avoided their first three-game homecourt
losing streak since January 1994. They were coming off overtime
losses to San Antonio and Seattle at Staples Center. ... The Lakers
had only 10 players in uniform for the second straight game because
Isaiah Rider was suspended for five games last week for failing to
comply with the NBA's drug policy. ... Bill Russell, who led the
Celtics to 11 championships in a 13-year span starting in 1957,
attended the game. ... Lakers' forward Devean George fouled out
with 8:35 left after playing a total of only seven minutes.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Boston Clubhouse
LA Lakers Clubhouse
Bryant sits again with illness as L.A. plays Boston
RECAPS
Milwaukee 101
Toronto 97
Atlanta 109
Vancouver 99
New York 98
Cleveland 79
Sacramento 114
Orlando 108
Dallas 122
New Jersey 98
Houston 127
Indiana 118
Seattle 99
Portland 90
LA Lakers 112
Boston 107
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