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Friday, Feb. 16 7:30pm ET
O'Neal closes with fury, speaks out

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal wants to put the word out: He's back, and he's just as good as ever.

Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant's triple double of 25 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists helped lead the Lakers on Friday.

O'Neal had 38 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in 41 minutes while leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 99-94 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.

It was O'Neal's third game back since a strained arch in his right foot forced him to miss six games and the All-Star game.

"I told people I was coming back with a vengeance," O'Neal said. "For those who don't believe me, they will see."

O'Neal took over the game in the fourth quarter by opening the period with eight straight points. He started the run with a thundering dunk, scored on consecutive 8-foot turnaround jumpers and added a 6-foot hook shot.

Most of O'Neal's fourth-quarter work was done over Charlotte center Elden Campbell.

"No one can guard me 1-one-1, ever. Period!" O'Neal said. "Spread the word because some people still doubt that."

Call the Hornets believers.

"Man, he's a big body," Jamal Mashburn said. "Too big, too quick, too strong. He's just an all-around heck of a player."

Mashburn saw that up close with 2:37 left when O'Neal blocked his shot and knocked it into a tunnel leading off the court.

"This was definitely his best game back," Lakers forward Rick Fox said. "He's an MVP, the reason we won the championship last year, and he looked the same way tonight that he did last year."

Kobe Bryant, the NBA's scoring leader at 30.3 points a game who scored 44 against the Hornets on Feb. 2, was held to just 25 this time and only five in the second half.

But Bryant, who said he had to lay down before the game because he was bothered by a sore throat and other ailments, added 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the second triple-double of his career.

He also came up big for the Lakers in the final minute to preserve the win. The Lakers had a 92-89 lead with under a minute to play when Bryant started a drive to the basket that looked like it would be unsuccessful.

Bryant nearly lost the ball twice as he drove from the right side of the court and under the basket. As the shot clock wound down, he tossed a scoop shot high above the basket that fell straight through the hoop for a 94-89 lead with 50 seconds to play.

"That reverse layup by Kobe that hit nothing but net sealed our fate," said Charlotte coach Paul Silas. "That's why the Lakers are so good, they convert."

Later, after Charlotte's David Wesley made it 96-91 on a long jumper, Bryant drew a foul and hit two free throws to make it 98-91.

"Kobe was very active tonight," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "I thought he played a good game."

Baron Davis hit a 3-pointer for the Hornets with 2 seconds left to make the game look closer than it was.

Mashburn led the Hornets with 26 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Davis had 22 points and nine assists and Campbell had 14 points and 14 rebounds.

The Lakers built a 12-point lead in the third quarter by exploiting Charlotte's lack of size. The Hornets, already without backup center Otis Thorpe because of an eye injury, lost forward Derrick Coleman in the second quarter with a strained left calf. Coleman was placed on the injured list after the game.

Centers Campbell and Jamaal Magloire also had to sit because of foul trouble, forcing the Hornets to use a much smaller lineup that gave O'Neal and the Lakers a huge advantage and allowed them to build a 64-52 lead.

But the Hornets climbed back in the game using an up-tempo offense. Eddie Robinson scored on two quick catch-and-shoots and Mashburn and Davis each hit a 3-pointer in a 13-2 run that cut the Lakers' lead to 66-65 with 3:16 left in the third.

Charlotte never regained the lead, but kept the game close until the final minutes.

Charlotte led 46-33 with 3:37 left in the first half, but the Lakers closed the half with a 14-1 run to take a one point lead into the break.

Game notes
Lakers guard Ron Harper missed his second straight game with a sore left knee. Guard Derek Fisher, who hasn't played this season because of a foot injury, did not attend the game, but is expected to join the team before Sunday's game in Indiana. ... Campbell has shot 11-for-38 over the last four games, including two games in which he failed to make a field goal. ... The Hornets expect Thorpe to return to practice Monday. He's been out since he was poked in the eye on in practice Monday.

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New York 114
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