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Friday, Mar. 16 7:00pm ET
Bryant showing no ill effects

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Los Angeles Lakers led by 11 points in the first quarter before the Washington Wizards cut it to three. An 11-point second-quarter margin was whittled to five. A 10-point lead in the third quarter was narrowed to two before one more run by the Lakers put the game away.

Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant had 26 points and five steals to lead the Lakers past the Wizards.

Kobe Bryant scored 10 of his 26 points in the decisive 21-8 stretch at the end of the third quarter Friday night as the Lakers won 101-89 for their third straight victory.

"That's what great teams do," Washington coach Leonard Hamilton said. "They pick their spots. They're very confident. They execute well. People say they've lost 21 games and they're not as good as last year, but when they want to turn it on, they're a great basketball team."

Shaquille O'Neal had 18 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers, who had five players in double digits after three quarters.

The victory, one night after an overtime win at Detroit, kept the Lakers one-half game behind first-place Sacramento in the Pacific Division. The Kings beat Philadelphia on the road Friday night.

Courtney Alexander scored 20 points for the Wizards, who had won two straight. Leading scorer Mitch Richmond missed the game after straining his right knee Wednesday night against Detroit.

The only Lakers player not happy afterward was Isaiah Rider, who played just five second-quarter minutes without scoring in his return from a five-game suspension for violating the NBA's drug policy.

"I'm a scorer, I'm a ballplayer," Rider said. "But they're not really high on me, I sense that. ... We come down and iso Kobe or iso Shaq, not many shots after that, so my main goal is to try and win a ring and wait and see what happens next year. That's just where I am right now. A lot of people tell me I should've took the money ... with Miami."

Coach Phil Jackson said Rider's attitude dictated the limited minutes.

"He didn't go in there with the kind of mindset that I wanted him to," Jackson said. "Instead of letting the game come to him, he tried to take the game on."

The game was a triumph of talent and flash over enthusiasm and persistence. The makeshift Wizards lineup, without Richmond, made several impressive runs to shrink double-digit deficits, but the Lakers responded every time.

Bryant, bothered recently by sore ankles, followed a 39-point performance against the Pistons with an impressive show at both ends of the court. His pesky double-team help in the post led to several steals and transition baskets. He finished with five steals, five assists, five rebounds and two blocked shots.

Bryant started the fourth quarter with five straight Lakers points, including an alley-oop layup that required a midair adjustment and major league hang time. He also made a 35-foot jumper at the first-half buzzer, then celebrated with a big smile as he pumped his index finger toward the Lakers bench.

"In the first half, Kobe stayed inside the offense," Jackson said. "He got whacking away there in the fourth quarter, which is like a green light for him. Once we take Shaq out, the green light goes on and he goes after it."

Game notes
Popeye Jones had a season-high 14 points for the Wizards. ... Washington shot 60 percent in the first quarter, but just 36 percent the rest of the game. ... The game was played on the first anniversary of a stunning 109-102 victory for the Wizards over the Lakers, which ended Los Angeles' 19-game winning streak. ... The teams meet again Wednesday in Los Angeles.

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RECAPS
Indiana 103
Atlanta 97

Sacramento 100
Philadelphia 79

LA Lakers 101
Washington 89

Cleveland 114
Charlotte 109

Orlando 103
Vancouver 99

Seattle 90
Chicago 80

San Antonio 95
New Jersey 86

Boston 87
Denver 83

Portland 90
Utah 87

LA Clippers 94
Golden State 76

AUDIO/VIDEO
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 Shaquille O'Neal and Derek Fisher work the give-and-go before Shaq finishes off with the jam.
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