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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- All is not well with the defending NBA
champion Los Angeles Lakers these days, and it's not just the
simmering feud between Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant that was
made public last week.
|  | | Shaquille O'Neal had the Lakers celebrating, but Vancouver wondered about his last-second shot's validity. |
The struggling Lakers, playing at home, needed a disputed follow shot by O'Neal with less than a second remaining in overtime
to beat the lowly Vancouver Grizzlies 113-112 on Monday night.
O'Neal rebounded a missed shot by Robert Horry, and was fouled
as he banked in a short jumper. A television replay showed the ball
left O'Neal's hand just after time expired, but the officials ruled
the clock should have been stopped when the foul was committed,
with 0.4 seconds to play, and O'Neal was given the basket as
continuation after the foul.
O'Neal missed the free throw -- his eighth miss in 13 tries -- and
time ran out.
"Well, that's an unlikely way to win a basketball game, I'll
tell you that," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "He was fouled
before the buzzer went off; the shot counted, obviously. You could
see the light (on top of the basket) from where I was sitting."
Not surprisingly, the Grizzlies saw it differently.
"That's a blown call by three cowards," said Shareef
Abdur-Rahim, who scored 23 of his 32 points after halftime and had
12 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies. "They can fine me for that, I
don't care. If referees get fined, all three of them should get
triple whatever they get fined."
Isaac Austin, whose baseline jumper with 8.1 seconds left gave
the Grizzlies a 112-111 lead, said he heard the horn sound before
he fouled O'Neal.
"It's a sad thing for it to come down to something like that,"
Austin said. "They made the wrong call, and we just have to live
with it. We feel we played well enough to win, and we should have
won."
O'Neal, who had 31 points and 15 rebounds, didn't stick around
to discuss the crucial play. He hasn't spoken with reporters on the
record since last Wednesday, when he and Bryant traded
unpleasantries through the media.
Bryant, meanwhile, had his first NBA triple-double with 26
points, 11 rebounds and a season-high 11 assists, and said
afterward he was going for it.
"It's special to me," he said. "It shows people I can do more
than just score. I wanted to get one tonight; it was cool, it was
fun."
Bryant and O'Neal spoke with former Lakers star and current team
vice president Magic Johnson separately about their issues late
last week, and Bryant said he was inspired to get a triple-double
by his talk with Johnson.
Bryant's triple-double was the first by a Laker since Vlade
Divac accomplished the feat on April 5, 1996. The Lakers traded
Divac to Charlotte for the rights to Bryant three months later.
O'Neal, who missed four consecutive free throws late in the
fourth quarter, made a pair with 40.3 seconds to play, giving the
Lakers a 111-107 lead.
However, Vancouver went ahead on a 3-pointer by Abdur-Rahim with
27.7 seconds to go and the jumper by Austin after a turnover by
Tyronn Lue.
Michael Dickerson added 26 points, and Mike Bibby had 15 points,
eight rebounds and seven assists for the Grizzlies.
The win was the 10th in 13 games for the Lakers, who are 2-1
since O'Neal and Bryant had their exchange last Wednesday. The
first win was a narrow 101-98 triumph over the struggling Cleveland
Cavaliers at home last Friday night.
The Grizzlies, who have lost 15 of 19 games, led 90-85 midway
through the fourth quarter before appearing to have the game won in
overtime.
But it wasn't to be.
Abdur-Rahim made a short jumper with 25.8 seconds left in the
fourth quarter to tie the game at 100. Bryant missed a jumper from
the left baseline to give the Grizzlies the last shot, but Bibby
didn't come close on a scoop shot from close range as time expired,
forcing overtime.
Game notes
The Lakers have beaten the Grizzlies in 21 of the 22 games
between the teams including three this season since Vancouver
joined the NBA in 1995. ... The Grizzlies' only win was a 93-83
triumph on Feb. 23, 1999, and Lakers coach Del Harris was fired the
next day. ... The Grizzlies are 3-12 on the road this season and
have lost their last eight since winning a 98-87 decision at Boston
on Nov. 26. ... The Grizzlies are 4-21 against Western Conference
teams and 7-5 against Eastern Conference opponents. ... By the
beginning of the second quarter, 11 of the 12 Lakers had played.
The only exception was seldom-used Stanislav Medvedenko. ... The
Grizzlies outrebounded the Lakers 34-24 after halftime for a 48-46
overall advantage.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Vancouver Clubhouse
LA Lakers Clubhouse
RECAPS
New York 104
San Antonio 82
Milwaukee 101
Washington 95
Philadelphia 84
Charlotte 79
New Jersey 84
Atlanta 78
Sacramento 116
Dallas 105
Boston 107
Minnesota 102
Cleveland 107
Golden State 101
Indiana 89
LA Clippers 74
Orlando 113
Chicago 104
LA Lakers 113
Vancouver 112
Denver 122
Seattle 111
Utah 116
Houston 104
AUDIO/VIDEO
 The Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal knocks down the controversial game-winner.
avi: 1530 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Vancouver coach Sidney Lowe suggests the NBA should implement instant replay.
wav: 133 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
The Lakers' Kobe Bryant says the botched call is just a part of the game.
wav: 107 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Kobe Bryant Official Site
Rick Fox Official Site
Mark Madsen Official Site
Mike Bibby Official Site
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