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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Call it the Lakers' graduation gift to
Shaquille O'Neal.
Horace Grant tied his season high with 19 points and filled the
rebounding void created by O'Neal's absence with 13 boards as Los
Angeles beat Vancouver 98-76 Friday night.
|  | | Kobe Bryant finished with 17 points for the Lakers Friday night. |
"It felt pretty good, but I'd rather have a 7-1, 300-plus-pound
guy on my team," Grant said. "But he had to take care of
something and we really got it for him."
O'Neal missed the game to accept his college diploma at LSU,
leaving the Lakers to snap their two-game losing streak with Greg
Foster making his second start of the season at center.
Foster had four points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes as Los
Angeles recovered from losing four out of its last five.
"It was fun for me just to get out there and sweat," Foster
quipped.
But it was Grant, a member of NBA title teams in Chicago under
coach Phil Jackson, who worked the middle so effectively against
the hapless Grizzlies and helped the Lakers to a 58-36 rebounding
edge.
"They're missing their best rebounder and we got murdered on
the offensive glass," Vancouver's Shareef Abdur-Rahim said. "They
treated us like little girls on the boards."
Grant thought otherwise.
He got beat up in the middle, ending up on the floor enough
times that he compared the game to the recent Fernando Vargas-Felix
Trinidad fight.
"It was a physical game," he said. "They got some big guys in
there."
Abdur-Rahim had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Vancouver, which
shot 37 percent in the first half and never reduced its
double-digit deficit in the final 40 minutes.
"We said before the ballgame that all five guys had to box out
because all five of their guys can rebound," Grizzlies coach
Sidney Lowe said. "Horace has been doing this for a long time. You
can't just relax on him."
With O'Neal gone, Kobe Bryant became the focus of Vancouver's
defense. He scored 17 points, but was annoyed by several non-calls.
"What bothered me is when you're shooting, a guy smacks your
arm. It's tough to make shots," he said.
Los Angeles was ahead by 19 points after three quarters,
allowing Grant to watch the fourth from the bench. Jackson spread
minutes among five reserves who all scored, including Isaiah Rider,
who had 10 of his 16 points in the fourth.
"When you don't have Shaquille, you can't be one-dimensional,"
Foster said. "When you have different looks, it's a little bit
more fun for the guys out there playing."
Bryant and Rider combined for the Lakers' first nine points of
the fourth. Rick Fox completed a three-point play for their largest
lead, 91-63 with 4:40 remaining.
Game
notes
O'Neal had the Lakers' blessing to skip the game to attend
graduation in Baton Rouge -- eight years after leaving LSU for the
pros. A video clip of the 7-foot-1 center in his cap and gown was
shown on the big screen at Staples Center before the game. "I'm
happy he's doing it," Jackson said. ... The Lakers improved to
39-25 during the last five seasons in games played without O'Neal.
... Vancouver's Tony Massenburg made his third consecutive start at
center. ... Lakers forward Devean George missed the game with a
sore throat and ear infection. He won't be in Toronto on Sunday and
will rejoin the team in Miami on Tuesday.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Vancouver Clubhouse
LA Lakers Clubhouse
Shaq honored by LSU one day after graduation
RECAPS
Cleveland 103
Indiana 95
Dallas 112
Philadelphia 94
Charlotte 103
Washington 89
Sacramento 104
Boston 81
Utah 89
New York 58
Minnesota 99
Detroit 90
Atlanta 85
Chicago 74
Milwaukee 104
Toronto 97
LA Clippers 98
Phoenix 88
Portland 106
Orlando 96
Seattle 99
Miami 81
LA Lakers 98
Vancouver 76
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Kobe Bryant Official Site
Rick Fox Official Site
Mark Madsen Official Site
Mike Bibby Official Site
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