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Injured Kobe Leads Lakers To VictoryBryant Scores 47 Points Against CavaliersCLEVELAND, 10:56 a.m. PST January 31, 2001 -- As long as Shaq's out, Kobe Bryant has to carry the Los Angeles Lakers. Sore shoulders, bruised elbow, swollen knee and jammed pinky or not. Bryant scored 47 points, 23 on free throws, and Horace Grant had 19 points and 14 rebounds as the Lakers survived another night without Shaquille O'Neal and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-96 Tuesday. Bryant, playing with his whole body hurting, took over when needed. He drove the lane for short jumpers and pulled up over Cleveland's overmatched guards, who at times could do nothing but foul. Bryant went 23-of-26 from the line, breaking 10 free-throw records, and scored 14 points in the third quarter when the Lakers opened a seemingly comfortable 19-point lead. Already missing one of his superstars, Lakers coach Phil Jackson can't afford to lose the other. "You take 56 shots (actually 52), it doesn't help your shoulder too much," Jackson said. "We'll give him some time to rest, but it's going to take him a little longer as busy as he is right now." O'Neal missed his second straight game with an injured foot and didn't join his teammates on the bench, instead staying behind to receive treatment while watching on TV. O'Neal has a tendon ailment in his right arch and is having difficulty pushing off the foot. He'll travel with the Lakers to Minnesota but will sit out Wednesday night's game against the Timberwolves. He's scheduled to visit Dr. Phil Kwong, a Lakers foot specialist, and undergo an MRI and CAT scan on Thursday. "Shaq's injury is not something we want," Rick Fox said. "But we'll deal with it. Everybody turned it up a notch." No one more than Bryant, who knows that with O'Neal out, the scoring burden falls on him. "I'm really hurting right now," said Bryant, who couldn't raise his arm over his head earlier in the day. "It feels worse than before the game. But I didn't think about it. I went out there, blocked it out and sucked it up." The Cavs, who can't seem to put four good quarters together, used a zone trap to rally from 21 down and got within 100-96 with 51 seconds remaining on a 3-point play by Bimbo Coles. The Lakers made sure that the ball stayed in Bryant's hands, and he hit two more free throws with 17 seconds left to make it 102-96. Bryant shot 19 free throws, the most ever by a Cavs opponent, after halftime, and the Lakers went 32-of-38 from the line. Los Angeles snapped a three-game road losing streak and won for just the second time in five games. And with Grant and rookie Mark Madsen playing with energy and controlling the boards, the Lakers played for three quarters as if they truly cared about defending their NBA title. "We needed a win," said Grant, who matched season highs in points and rebounds. "I just came out playing aggressive, and we wanted to get this thing started right. They didn't block me out." Andre Miller scored 25 points and Coles had 16 for the Cavs, who lost their third straight and for the 16th time in 21 games. Cleveland was without Lamond Murray, its second leading scorer, who was a suspiciously late scratch with a sprained left ankle.
Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
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