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Sunday, Apr. 2 6:30pm ET
Bryant, Childs ejected after 'fight' | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Knicks-Lakers game got downright nasty, and it wasn't just because Shaquille O'Neal beat up on Patrick Ewing again. An altercation between Kobe Bryant and Chris Childs detracted from another dominant performance by O'Neal, who scored 24 of his 34 points in the first half as Los Angeles took command early Sunday in rolling to a 106-82 victory over New York. The win was the ninth straight and 28th in 29 games for the Lakers (62-12), who reduced their magic number for clinching the NBA's best record to two. The 28-year-old O'Neal also had 12 rebounds, four assists and five blocked shots in dominating the middle against the 37-year-old Ewing, who is in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career. Ewing, who shot only 6-of-17, had 14 points and eight rebounds to lead the Knicks. "He's a great player and he played well, that's it," was all Ewing would say about O'Neal. Bryant and Childs were ejected following an exchange of punches with 43.4 seconds left in the third quarter and the Lakers leading 71-60. Both players face automatic suspensions for throwing punches. Bryant didn't speak to reporters afterward, while Childs said he was just defending himself. Lakers coach Phil Jackson said the officials had to share in the blame. "There were some fouls that should have been called and were ignored. Those are the things that create a Kobe-Childs situation. It's unfortunate for both teams that we will lose both players," Jackson said. Bryant came around a screen and appeared to clip Childs in the chin with an elbow. While play continued, the two exchanged words and bumped chests before Childs threw two punches, with Bryant responding with a punch of his own. Childs' punches appeared to hit Bryant in the neck and upper chest, while Bryant's punch missed. Neither player was hurt. O'Neal and Ewing exchanged harsh words and the game was delayed for nearly five minutes before Bryant, who had 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds, angrily left the court. Childs, who scored 10 points, left more peacefully. "That was just sheer dirtiness," O'Neal said of the incident, blaming the Knicks. "He hit me in the elbow in the mouth, and I just reacted," Childs said. "He does it a lot and never gets called for it. I just had to defend myself. I wish it hadn't happened, but there's nothing I can do about it now." Lakers guard Ron Harper said the Knicks hold and take cheap shots. "Any time you get a team that does those things, that happens," Harper said. "I'm not mad at them, that's how they play, hard-nosed basketball. They grab you, they hold you. You have to protect yourself." Any combination of two Los Angeles wins or two Portland losses gives the Lakers, who have lost just once since Feb. 1, homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. O'Neal, who had 43 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Lakers past the Knicks 92-85 two weeks earlier, said he had extra motivation in this game, but it had nothing to do with Ewing or the Knicks. "My extra motivation was my grandmother passed away five years ago on April 2nd," he said. "This game was dedicated to her." The win also gave the Lakers a 27-3 record against Eastern Conference teams -- the best record by a West team against the East in NBA history. They play their final eight games against Western Conference teams. The defending Eastern Conference champion Knicks, meanwhile, suffered their most lopsided loss of the season in losing for just second time in seven games. Larry Johnson added 13 points and Allan Houston had 11 for the Knicks. "I give them credit, they're a championship-caliber team," Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy said of the Lakers. "And what they showed us is how far away we are. "Their defense and their rebounding are far superior to ours. We're not at their level. We have 17 days to try to get ourselves improved enough to be in the best teams' league," Van Gundy said. With Ewing leading the way, the Knicks outscored the Lakers 13-4 to start the second half to draw within nine points, but that was as close as they would get. It was 75-60 entering the fourth quarter, and the Lakers clinched the victory shortly thereafter. O'Neal served notice on Ewing early, blocking his first shot and then scoring the game's first basket. The Lakers, who never trailed, led 28-21 entering the second quarter and 58-40 at halftime. O'Neal scored the final seven points of the half. Game notesThe Lakers had winning streaks of seven, 16 and 19 games earlier this season. The 19-game streak, snapped at Washington on March 16, was one short of the second-longest in NBA history. ... The win was also the 14th straight at home for the Lakers, whose last loss at Staples Center came against Portland on Jan. 22. ... All indications are that Harper, who scored 12 points, will be placed on the injured list in the near future, giving him a chance to get some needed rest before the playoffs. The 36-year-old Harper, who has tender knees, would have to miss five games. ... Filmmaker Spike Lee, a rabid Knicks fan, had a courtside seat, like he does at Madison Square Garden. ... The previous Western Conference record against the East was 33-5 by the 1971-72 Lakers, who went on to win the NBA championship. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard New York Clubhouse LA Lakers Clubhouse RECAPS Detroit 113 New Jersey 92
LA Lakers 106 AUDIO/VIDEO   Shaquille O'Neal says Kobe Bryant had to defend himself.wav: 146 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Ron Harper says you have to protect yourself at all times.wav: 89 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6   | |||||