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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Compared to his past performances
at the Meadowlands, Shaquille O'Neal only graded this one a "C."
Pretty tough self-critique for a guy who scored 35 points and
grabbed 13 rebounds with four assists and three blocks. Then again,
he once scored 50 at the Meadowlands, he also had his only career
triple-double there, and another time he collapsed a basket support
with a vicious dunk.
|  | | Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal looms over New Jersey counterpart Jim McIlvaine. |
"I should have had 50," O'Neal said after leading the Los
Angeles Lakers to a 97-89 victory over the New Jersey Nets to
extend the Lakers' winning streak to eight games. "I missed a
couple of shots and a couple of free throws."
O'Neal finished 15-for-26 from the field and 5-for-12 from the
line and was backed by 21 points from Kobe Bryant and 15 from Glen
Rice.
O'Neal broke the 30-point mark for the 22nd time this season as
the Nets declined to double-team him and let Jim McIlvaine and Even
Eschmeyer guard him by themselves.
"Who else are they going to put on me, (Gheorghe) Muresan? I'll
do the same to all of them. Doesn't matter who they put on me, even
if they put Willis Reed on me," O'Neal said.
There was nothing particularly flashy or fancy about this win,
just a perfect combination of tough defense from everyone and
offensive contributions from the Lakers' three best players.
Los Angeles opened a comfortable lead midway through the second
quarter and led by at least seven the rest of the way, holding off
any thought of a Nets comeback by limiting New Jersey to one field
goal over a seven-minute stretch of the fourth quarter.
The Lakers won for the fifth time on a six-game Eastern road
trip that concludes Wednesday night at Cleveland. Los Angeles is
18-2 against teams from the East, including 9-1 on the road.
"One more left, and we want to close it out," Bryant said.
"It seems like the Eastern Conference is less of a power
conference than it was in the past. The power players are more in
the West, and we beat up on a lot of the East Coast teams by going
inside."
Stephon Marbury scored 33 and Kendall Gill 18 to lead the Nets,
who had their two-game winning streak snapped.
After a tight first quarter, the Lakers put some distance
between themselves and the Nets with a 16-4 run early in the second
quarter for a 34-21 lead. O'Neal scored the Lakers' first eight
points of the third quarter, and two 3-pointers by Rice got the
lead up to 14.
Marbury scored 11 of the Nets' final 13 points of the third
quarter to help the Nets pull within nine entering the fourth, but
New Jersey never made a run over the final 12 minutes.
"We never quit," Keith Van Horn said. "I think the guys went
out there and played hard. They just had the X-factor, Shaquille.
He was great tonight."
O'Neal scored 12 of the Lakers' first 16 of the fourth, and a
jumper by Bryant with 4:53 left made it 91-78.
New Jersey pulled within eight on a dunk by Keith Van Horn with
1:50 remaining, but Bryant dunked his own miss and Brian Shaw
scored on a fast break to end all doubt.
Game notes
A medical test Tuesday revealed that Nets center Jayson
Williams has regained 70 percent of the strength in his right leg,
which he broke last season in a collision with teammate Stephon
Marbury. Williams is targeting March 7 for his return to practice.
... O'Neal said he had no idea if the Lakers will make a trade
before Thursday's deadline. "I'd like to have a scrappy rebounder
who can hit a shot." ... If the Nets make a trade it likely will
include forward Jamie Feick, who is tied for sixth in the league in
rebounding. Cleveland is one of the teams interested, with the
teams believed to be discussing a swap including Andrew DeClercq.
Feick, who has tendinitis in his foot, played only nine minutes and
grabbed one rebound. ... The Nets drew their third sellout crowd.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
LA Lakers Clubhouse
New Jersey Clubhouse
RECAPS
Washington 126
Milwaukee 101
LA Lakers 97
New Jersey 89
Charlotte 102
Houston 97
Minnesota 112
Golden State 89
Vancouver 85
Chicago 81
Phoenix 86
Denver 67
Seattle 127
Orlando 91
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