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Wednesday, Jan. 19 10:30pm ET
Shaq attack flattens Cavs | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant drew his coach's ire Wednesday night for everyone in the capacity crowd of 18,997 at Staples Center to see. And then he went about his business. Bryant scored 10 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, and Shaquille O'Neal had eight of his 27 in the final period as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied for a 95-86 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. O'Neal also had 23 rebounds and six blocked shots, and Bryant pulled down another 13 rebounds as the Lakers, whose 33-7 record is the NBA's best, came back from a 15-point third-quarter deficit to win for the 18th time in 20 games. Jackson blew up at Bryant in the final period when the 21-year-old guard committed one of his six turnovers. "I just wanted to let it register with him, we don't want it to happen," Jackson said, referring to Bryant's occasional out-of-control play. "Kobe played a fine game, stats-wise." When asked if he had ever been that animated with Bryant before, Jackson smiled and replied, "No, I'm real patient." Bryant said he told Jackson he "tries to make plays," that he's "out there trying my heart out." "He said, 'It's cool, put it behind you."' Bryant said. "That's his job. He's here to teach, I'm here to learn. I just live and learn, learn from experience, go from there." O'Neal left without speaking to reporters after one of his team's most lethargic efforts of the season. The Lakers seemed a step slow all night, and made just 34.6 percent of their shots. "Regardless of whether you're making your shots, you still have to play hard, execute," guard Derek Fisher said. The Lakers didn't appear to do much of either during the first 2½ quarters, trailing 63-48 midway through the third period. However, they outscored the Cavaliers 47-23 after that. "For three quarters, things went our way, but down the stretch, we didn't get the calls," Cavaliers coach Randy Wittman said. "I thought we played well all night, all four quarters. I didn't think we got a fair shot down the stretch." It was the 12th time this season the Cavaliers, beaten at Seattle 99-80 Tuesday night, blew a lead of nine points or more and lost. Glen Rice added 17 points for the Lakers, who outscored the Cavaliers 28-13 in the final period after trailing 73-67 after three quarters. The Lakers got 20 rebounds in the fourth quarter to only seven for Cleveland. Rookie Andre Miller led the Cavaliers with 20 points. Brevin Knight added 15 points and Shawn Kemp, limited to 24 minutes by foul problems, had 14 points and eight rebounds before fouling out with 5:14 left. The Lakers, who trailed most of the way, scored 10 straight points -- four each by O'Neal and Bryant -- to take an 83-79 lead with 5:14 to play. The Lakers led the rest of the way. A 3-point shot by Fisher, who had 11 points, made it 88-81 with 2:22 remaining, and the Lakers pulled away from there. The Lakers, who shot just 34 percent in a lethargic first half, fell behind by 15 points in the third quarter when the Cavaliers scored 11 straight points -- seven by Kemp. The Lakers made just 6-of-21 shots and were outrebounded 19-14 in the first quarter, but trailed just 24-21. O'Neal had only two points in the opening 12 minutes, but scored his team's first 10 of the second quarter. However, with Miller providing a spark off the bench, the Cavaliers stayed on top throughout the period. It was 50-42 at halftime, and some in the crowd booed as the Lakers left the court. Game notesThe Lakers haven't lost two straight games this season, and hadn't lost two of three until their recent losses to Indiana and Seattle sandwiched around a win over Minnesota. ... The Cavaliers had their three-game winning streak against the Lakers in Los Angeles snapped. Cleveland had also won six of the last eight games and 11 of the last 15 between the teams. ... The Lakers, 19-3 at Staples Center, have the most home wins and second-most road wins (14) of any team in the league. ... The Cavaliers are just 4-15 on the road and have lost 11 of their last 13 away games. They're 12-8 at home. ... The Lakers have a 12-2 record against Eastern Conference teams; the Cavaliers are 5-7 against the West. ... New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza, a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first five-plus seasons of his career, watched the game from a courtside seat. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Cleveland Clubhouse LA Lakers Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 94 Toronto 90
LA Lakers 95
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