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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Glen Rice, who couldn't seem to buy a basket against his former Charlotte teammates, finally came up with a pair
of crucial 3-pointers.
One of Rice's 3-pointers gave Los Angeles its first lead with
2:36 left, and the Lakers downed the Hornets 87-83 Friday night for
their 13th consecutive win.
|  | | Derrick Coleman muscled the Lakers for 17 points, including the 10,000th of his NBA career. |
"I had some open 3-point shots and that's what I have to do -- step up and hit those shots," said Rice, who was 3-of-8 from the floor but hit both his 3-point tries to help the Lakers rally from
a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Shaquille O'Neal had 23 points and 16 rebounds as the Lakers overcame a 34 percent shooting night to win for the 20th time in 21
games.
Charlotte led 73-60 early in the final period. But Kobe Bryant, who had made just three of 17 shots, scored consecutive baskets
during a 9-0 run in which Rice also hit a 3-pointer to help the
Lakers close to 78-77 with 3:06 remaining.
"All that was going through my mind was, 'We're not losing this
game, especially at home,"' said Bryant, who had 13 points on
5-of-19 shooting. "We were playing bad basketball. But on the
bench in the third quarter, all I kept saying was 'Keep it close
and in the fourth quarter we will break it open and we'll win."'
Rice nailed his go-ahead 3-pointer, skipping and smiling and
thrusting his arms upward, made a steal that set up O'Neal's basket
for a 82-78 lead and then hit two free throws for the Lakers' final
points. Rice finished with 17 points.
Derrick Coleman had 17 points for Charlotte, including the
10,000th of his career, and David Wesley and Bobby Phills added 17
points each for the Hornets, who traded Rice to the Lakers last
season for Elden Campbell and Eddie Jones.
The Lakers (28-5), with the best record in the league, are off
to their best start since the 1985-86 team started with the same
record on its way to an NBA title.
Jones, sidelined with an elbow injury, did not suit up, but the crowd still chanted, "Eddie! Eddie!" early in the game and afterward.
"I had goose bumps all over me. It was incredible. They made me
feel like I never left," Jones said.
"I thought it was a great game. Oh, man, definitely I wanted to
be out there. I'll be ready against them in March; I've already
circled it on my calendar."
Charlotte seemed to be taking control early in the fourth
quarter when the Lakers missed their first seven shots and the
Hornets opened a 13-point lead -- their biggest of the game -- with
seven consecutive points by Phills.
But Charlotte then went cold, going 6:44 between baskets, as the
Lakers closed the gap.
The Lakers kept it close for most of the third quarter, twice
pulling within two points, the last time at 57-55 with 3:45 left in
the period. But the Hornets were up 66-60 at the end of the
quarter.
Coleman had 12 first-half points and Wesley 10 to help the
Hornets take a 47-44 lead.
Los Angeles made just 14 of 42 from the field in the first half,
with Bryant going 2-for-12 as he scored seven points.
The Lakers were particularly frigid early, going more than four
minutes without scoring to fall behind 17-6 eight minutes into the
game. They hit just five of 22 shots in the quarter and trailed
27-18 heading into the second period.
Jones was with Los Angeles from 1994-99, and Campbell played for
the Lakers from 1990-99. Rice was with Charlotte from 1995-98 and
holds several franchise records, including highest scoring average
in a season, 26.8 points.
Game notes
Coleman, who came into the game eight points short of
10,000, became the sixth player to reach the milestone while
playing for the Hornets. ... Jones was often the first one off the
Charlotte bench, but only to join his teammates' huddles during
timeouts. Dressed in a spiffy gray suit, Jones sat at the end of
the bench and cheered for the Hornets. ... The Lakers had trailed
the entire first half only two other times this season, against
Houston and Toronto. They lost both games.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Charlotte Clubhouse
LA Lakers Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 101
Sacramento 93
Chicago 110
Washington 103
Atlanta 105
Toronto 97
Vancouver 101
New Jersey 91
New York 94
Orlando 86
LA Lakers 87
Charlotte 83
San Antonio 102
Phoenix 83
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