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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Gary Payton decided to take matters into his own hands.
Payton's 3-point shot with 15.9 seconds remaining capped a
36-point performance Monday, lifting the Seattle SuperSonics to an
82-81 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
|  | | Seattle's Gary Payton plays in-your-face defense against Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal. |
The win was the fifth straight for the Sonics since they blew a
19-point third-quarter lead in a 110-100 loss to the Lakers at
Seattle on Jan. 8.
"Sometimes when I disappear in the second half and try to get
everybody else involved, we struggle, so I need to step up a little
bit more," said Payton, who scored 23 points in the Jan. 8
collapse, that sent Seattle to six losses in eight games. "In this
game, I did step up a little bit more and didn't let it get away
from us.
"Up in Seattle, I tried to pace everybody and get everybody
into the game. But today, I decided I've got to stay strong and
keep attacking."
Payton's approach worked to perfection.
Ron Harper, who was guarding Payton on the deciding play, failed
to get through a screen set by former Laker Ruben Patterson, giving
Payton an open look.
"I'll take the blame, I don't have a problem with that,"
Harper said. "I didn't think he was going to shoot the 3. He shot
it, he made it."
Harper also expressed annoyance at some teammates, saying, "I bust my butt every night. If we're going to be a team, everybody
needs to lay it on the line."
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Another gig for Kobe
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Kobe Bryant, who recently bought a
half-interest in an Italian League team, has still another gig:
song and dance man.
Bryant will team with supermodel Tyra Banks for his debut record
"K-O-B-E" on the "NBA TeamUp Celebration 2000" TV special on
Feb. 12. With Ahmad Rashad and Summer Sanders as hosts, the show
recognizes the dedication of 200,000 teenagers nationwide who have
volunteered more than 1 million hours of service to communities
nationwide.
The performance, broadcast on NBC, TNT, BET and Nickelodeon,
will be Bryant's first before a live audience. His first album,
"Visions," will be released in March.
Bryant said Monday he's been singing for the past two years and
he takes it seriously.
"I wouldn't do it if I wasn't serious," Bryant said. Asked if
he was any good, he said, "Pretty good. I really enjoy it."
Last month, Bryant, 21, bought into Olimpia Milano of
the Italian basketball league, a storied team in Milan that his
father once played for.
So what's next for the Los Angeles Lakers' All-Star guard who's
added team owner and recording artist to his resume?
"To get better at all three of them," he said.
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After Payton's game-winning shot from near the top of the key,
Kobe Bryant missed a jumper from the right baseline with about
seven seconds left. Robert Horry missed a flying dunk attempt off
the rebound, and the ball went out of bounds to Seattle with 1.8
seconds to play.
The Lakers stole the inbound pass, but were unable to get a shot off before time expired.
"I knew it was off," Bryant said of his final shot. "Like the
whole game, a little off. I thought we were going to get them. We
should have done a better job of guarding people."
Lakers coach Phil Jackson said his team "had all the shots at
the end."
"We missed too many opportunities," he said. "It looked like
Kobe got fouled at the end (while battling for the ball before it
went out of bounds) and there was no call by the referees. They did
about as pathetic a job refereeing as we did playing."
Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers with 30 points, 10 rebounds and
six assists. Bryant had 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds,
but made just 6 of 18 shots, including five misses in as many
3-point attempts.
Payton, whose scoring total was two short of his career high and equaled his season best, also had seven assists and six rebounds.
"He's got to be considered an MVP candidate if he keeps playing like that," Sonics coach Paul Westphal said. "I just look around
the league and there's Shaq, Grant Hill and Gary. I don't know who's playing better than those three guys."
Brent Barry added 17 points and Patterson scored 15 for Seattle.
Vin Baker, averaging 17.4 points, was held to three points and
committed eight turnovers, but also had 13 rebounds.
Glen Rice, who had 13 points, made a jumper from the left corner
with 2:51 to play that gave the Lakers a 79-78 lead. Payton's foul
shot a little over a minute later tied it.
Rice made a free throw with 1:22 left to give the Lakers an
80-79 lead, and O'Neal made another free throw with 30.2 seconds
left to make it 81-79 and set the stage for Payton.
The Lakers, whose 32-7 record is the NBA's best, have lost two of three games following a 16-game winning streak.
With Payton leading the way, the Sonics outscored the Lakers
15-2 over the final 4:43 of the third quarter for a 66-62 lead.
That came after the Lakers opened the period with a 15-5 spurt for
a 60-51 lead -- largest of the game for either team.
The Sonics led 28-25 after one quarter of play and 46-45 at
halftime.
Game notes
Playing before a sellout crowd of 18,997, the Lakers had
their 14-game winning streak at Staples Center snapped. ...
Patterson, who averaged 2.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 24 games as
a rookie for the Lakers last season, has started 36 of Seattle's 38
games and is averaging more than 12 points and nearly six rebounds.
... O'Neal has reached double figures in both points and rebounds
in 33 of 38 games this season. ... Jackson sported a "Bill Bradley
for President" button on his shirt. Jackson has been a longtime
supporter of Bradley; the two were teammates with the New York
Knicks in the 1970s. ... A moment of silence was observed before
the game in memory of Charlotte guard Bobby Phills, killed in an
automobile accident last week.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Seattle Clubhouse
LA Lakers Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 105
Washington 101
Milwaukee 107
Atlanta 101
Philadelphia 101
New Jersey 96
Seattle 82
LA Lakers 81
Golden State 113
Orlando 100
New York 105
Detroit 94
Charlotte 115
Toronto 94
Minnesota 101
Indiana 100
Houston 121
Dallas 111
San Antonio 99
LA Clippers 93
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