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Hornets Feel Kobe's StingInjured Bryant Scores 44 PointsLOS ANGELES, 7:52 a.m. PST February 3, 2001 -- For the moment, the Lakers are Kobe's team. Bryant, playing with a sore right shoulder, scored 44 points Friday night, leading Los Angeles to a 93-87 victory over Charlotte. Shaquille O'Neal, missing his fourth consecutive game with a strained right arch, sat on the Lakers sideline in street clothes. Although Bryant was the only Los Angeles player in double figures, 10 Lakers scored three points or more. "It'll probably benefit us down the road,"Bryant said, referring to the reserves getting more playing time with O'Neal out. "If, God forbid, we get into one of those situations like last year when Shaquille gets in foul trouble or he fouls out of a game, we have to have the confidence that we can pull out of any situation." The Lakers held the Hornets to 34 percent shooting while shooting 46 percent themselves. "I think we're learning how to play better team defense without Shaquille in there," Bryant said. "I think that's been a key. In the past, we've been able to just gamble at the perimeter because we know he (O'Neal) is back there in the lane." "Now we can't do that, so we kind of have to square guys up and prevent them from penetrating the lane." Bryant's shooting shoulder has bothered him for several games. "It started feeling OK and started loosening up," he said. "But I took a little spill in the first half and it kind of brought me back to ground zero, but what are you going to do?" In his case, keep shooting and scrambling around the court. He was 15-of-30 from the floor and perfect on 14 chances from the line in the seesaw game against the Hornets. There were 19 lead changes, five in the fourth quarter, before Rick Fox's dunk gave the Lakers the lead for good at 84-83 with 3:55 remaining. The Hornets made just one field goal the rest of the way. Jamal Mashburn had 28 points and David Wesley 18 for Charlotte, which has lost eight of 10. Lakers coach Phil Jackson, sometimes less than thrilled with Bryant's solo performances, liked this one. "I thought he played a really fine game," Jackson said. "There were some points in the game where he was trying his darndest to score. Some were successful and some of them weren't." The Hornets made just 31 of 90 shots, while the Lakers were good on 36 of 78. "It's tough to beat any team when you're shooting 34 percent,'' Charlotte coach Paul Silas said. "They shot 46 percent and I think that's pretty much the game." Coming in, the defending NBA champion Lakers had lost four of six. O'Neal, the NBA's regular-season and finals MVP last year, is averaging 26.9 points and 12.9 rebounds this season. He has missed four games because of a strained right arch and is expected to be out for at least two more. He also might miss next weekend's All-Star game in Washington, D.C. It was the sixth time Bryant has scored more than 40 points this season, with his career high of 51 coming Dec. 6 at Golden State. His shoulder pain was particularly obvious late in the first half, when he drove for a layup and fell to the floor. Wincing as he got up, he held his right arm close to his body for several moments.
Copyright 2001 by Channel 2000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
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