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Tuesday, Jan. 30 7:30pm ET
Kobe show delivers in Cleveland

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Watching on TV from the Los Angeles Lakers' locker room, Shaquille O'Neal saw the latest installment of The Kobe Bryant Show. And even he would have to admit that Bryant, at least for one night, looked capable of carrying the team.

Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant made 23 free throws Tuesday in scoring 47 points -- four shy of his career high.

Bryant scored 47 points -- 23 on free throws -- and Horace Grant had 19 points and 14 rebounds as the Lakers survived another night without O'Neal and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-96 Tuesday.

Bryant, playing with both of his shoulders and right elbow aching, took over when needed. He drove the lane for short jumpers and pulled up over Cleveland's overmatched guards, who at times could do nothing but foul.

Bryant went 23-of-26 from the line, breaking eight different free-throw records, and scored 14 points in the third quarter when the Lakers opened a seemingly comfortable 19-point lead.

"I'm really hurting right now," Bryant said. "It feels worse than before the game. But I didn't think about it. I went out there, blocked it out and sucked it up."

O'Neal missed his second straight game with an injured foot and didn't join his teammates on the bench, instead staying behind to receive treatment while watching on TV.

O'Neal has a tendon ailment in his right arch and is having difficulty pushing off the foot. He'll travel with the Lakers to Minnesota but will sit out Wednesday night's game against the Timberwolves.

He's scheduled to visit Dr. Phil Kwong, a Lakers' foot specialist, and undergo an MRI and CAT scan on Thursday.

"Shaq's injury is not something we want," said Rick Fox. "But we'll deal with it. Everybody turned it up a notch."

No one more than Bryant, who knows that with O'Neal out, the scoring burden falls on him.

"I was going to try and be aggressive," he said. "I tried to go to the line and I tried to draw some contact. Obviously, my jumper isn't feeling as comfortable as it usually does."

The Cavs, who can't seem to put four good quarters together, used a zone trap to rally from 21 down and got within 100-96 with 51 seconds remaining on a three-point play by Bimbo Coles.

The Lakers, though, made sure the ball stayed in Bryant's hands and he hit two more free throws with 17 seconds left to make it 102-96. Bryant shot 19 free throws -- the most ever by a Cavs opponent -- after halftime and the Lakers went 32-of-38 from the line.

Los Angeles snapped a three-game road losing streak and won for just the second time in five games. And with Grant and rookie Mark Madsen playing with energy and controlling the boards, the Lakers played for three quarters as if they truly cared about defending their NBA title.

"We needed a win," said Grant, who matched season-highs in points and rebounds. "I just came out playing aggressive and we wanted to get this thing started right. They didn't block me out."

A lingering feud between O'Neal and Bryant over who should be the go-to guy has contributed to the Lakers' funk the past few weeks. But with the floor all to himself, Bryant made sure the Lakers didn't lose to another team they should beat.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson has had to spend time being a diplomat in the war between his superstars, but he's glad at least he's got one of them playing.

"He was aggressive and that's OK," Jackson said. "I debate going in there when there's a crowd and finding an open man is a better policy. But he accomplished what we had to get accomplished."

Andre Miller scored 25 points and Coles had 16 for the Cavs, who lost their third straight and for the 16th time in 21 games. Cleveland was without Lamond Murray, its second leading scorer, who was a late scratch with a sprained left ankle.

Late in the third quarter, Bryant backed down Trajan Langdon to drop in a nice baseline jumper and made six straight free throws as the Lakers pushed to a double-digit lead. Brian Shaw's 3-pointer with two seconds left gave the Lakers an 82-63 lead after three.

The Cavs didn't quit and used a 14-2 run to crawl back, but with a sellout crowd of 20,053 finally fired up, Bryant buried a long jumper and scored eight of the Lakers' final 11 points.

"It's just another example of when we are the aggressor and when we are not," Cavs coach Randy Wittman said. "We can't wait that long. We have to somehow find the answer."

Game notes
Murray seemed fine during warmups and Wittman said he didn't know his player couldn't go until gametime. ... Bryant's 23 made free throws and 26 tried, broke records by a Cavs opponent that were held by Michael Jordan. ... The Lakers are 6-1 against Central teams. ... Bryant's career-high is 51 points against Golden State on Dec. 6.
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard

LA Lakers Clubhouse

Cleveland Clubhouse


Shaq will see foot specialist in L.A.


RECAPS
LA Lakers 102
Cleveland 96

Orlando 93
Indiana 86

Toronto 96
Philadelphia 89

Miami 103
Houston 85

Portland 92
Chicago 81

Utah 102
Seattle 88

Sacramento 105
Golden State 79

FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT

Kobe Bryant Official Site

Rick Fox Official Site

Mark Madsen Official Site


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