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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Shaq scored and Shaq spoke.
|  | | Shaquille O'Neal turns on the Rocket defense for two of his season-high 41 points. |
After staying silent for nine days since his feud with Kobe Bryant went public, Shaquille O'Neal finally answered questions
Friday night after scoring 41 points in the Los Angeles Lakers'
114-101 win over the injury-riddled Houston Rockets.
He still wouldn't directly address his differences with Bryant, which stem from their roles in the offense this year, saying, "If I can't say what I want to say, why say anything at all? I just won't say anything. I'll just play."
Shortly afterward, however, O'Neal said: "We need to play together as a team. We win as a team, we lose as a team. I think everybody understands that and everybody needs to play team ball."
Bryant, shooting the ball more this season than during the Lakers' run to the NBA title last year, scored 29 points.
"It was better execution tonight and Shaq did a better job coming across the paint aggressively, posting up hard in the middle of the lane," Bryant said. "When we gave him the ball, he had some finger-rolls, some Wilt Chamberlain finger-rolls."
O'Neal, who played just 32 minutes, went 17-of-23 from the field, had 11 rebounds and was 7-of-18 from the foul line.
The Lakers finally took control with a 20-6 run for a 91-73 lead with 25 seconds left in the third quarter.
Steve Francis scored 27 points for the Rockets, and Cuttino Mobley had 18, making 12 of 13 free throws while going 3-of-14 from the field.
Despite having three centers and a starting forward out, Houston
kept the game close until the Lakers' third-quarter spurt.
The Rockets' Hakeem Olajuwon, on the injured list since Jan. 9 with a swollen right knee, did not make the trip. Kelvin Cato is
out with a torn rotator cuff, and Carlos Rogers, who has been given time off to attend his grandfather's funeral, missed his fifth consecutive game.
Even the Houston player penciled in to start at center, forward Maurice Taylor, was unable to play because of the flu.
"Phil stressed to the team that they give me the ball because
they didn't have a lot of big bodies," O'Neal said. "Our guys did
a good job of giving me the ball."
Kenny Thomas, a 6-foot-7 forward, was one of the Rockets assigned to guard the 7-1 O'Neal. He didn't even bother jumping on
the opening tip against last season's MVP.
"Not having the big people, we hung in there for a long time, but Shaq is just too strong," Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich said.
Francis said the difference in the game was simple: "Shaq. We
need more than one guy to be able to neutralize him."
The Lakers were up 59-53 at halftime, with Francis' 15 points,
12 in the first quarter, helping keep the Rockets in the game.
O'Neal already had 25 points by halftime, although he had only
five rebounds. Bryant had 14 points and their Los Angeles teammates
had a total of only 19 points, seven of those by Isaiah Rider. He
finished with 13.
Game notes
Mobley, who scored a career-high 41 points at Golden State
on Thursday night, was 0-for-8 from the field in the first half and
finished 3-of-14. ... Taylor did not come to the arena, instead remaining at the team hotel. He was limited to only six minutes in Thursday night's victory at Golden State. ... The Lakers placed rookie forward/center Stanislav Medvedenko on the injured list and activated forward Devean George. Medvedenko, averaging 2.8 points and 0.8 rebounds in four games, has tendinitis in his right knee.
George, placed on the injured list Dec. 19 with a sore throat and ear infection, is averaging 1.7 points and 1.1 rebounds in 17 games. He was on the injured list for 11 games.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Houston Clubhouse
LA Lakers Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 97
New Jersey 86
Toronto 101
Washington 79
Milwaukee 105
Charlotte 98
New York 97
Detroit 91
Denver 91
Cleveland 88
Golden State 103
Phoenix 95
Minnesota 98
Seattle 93
Miami 97
Vancouver 86
LA Lakers 114
Houston 101
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Rudy Tomjanovich Official Site
Kobe Bryant Official Site
Rick Fox Official Site
Mark Madsen Official Site
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