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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Kobe Bryant came back from his ankle injury
again, and this time he was ready.
|  | | Kobe Bryant puts the hammer down on the Suns' Vinny Del Negro. |
Perhaps not so coincidentally, the Lakers looked ready to begin defense of
their NBA championship.
Bryant made a triumphant return with 20 points, four assists and six steals to equal a career-high as the Lakers overpowered the Phoenix Suns 106-80 on Tuesday night.
Bryant, the NBA's third-leading scorer, had missed nine of his team's 10 games since spraining his left ankle in the final minute of a 107-100 loss March 21 at Milwaukee.
He tried to come back April 1, but left for good after playing the first 11½ minutes in a 79-78 loss to the New York Knicks. He held up well this time, playing 35 minutes before leaving with 7:46 to play.
"I felt pretty good. I was able to slide my feet defensively and that was my major concern; would I be able to slide defensively? I was able to do that, so I was pretty happy," said Bryant, who shut down Jason Kidd and also helped get the Phoenix star in foul trouble.
"It doesn't matter how many points you score. If we stop people, we're going to win," he said.
Shaquille O'Neal had 32 points and 13 rebounds as the Lakers won
their fifth straight and handed the Suns just their third loss in 12 games.
"It was our best game of the season," O'Neal said. "If we can develop some consistency and keep playing this way, we have a better shot of doing what we did last season."
Of Bryant, O'Neal said: "He did a great job on Jason Kidd, and everybody fed off his energy. Kobe played well, everybody played well."
The Lakers, who remained one game behind the Pacific Division-leading Sacramento Kings, have three games to play -- all at home -- before the playoffs begin the weekend of April 21-22.
The Kings have five left -- four on the road and one at home.
Rick Fox and Horace Grant added 10 points each for the Lakers,
who shot 52.4 percent while holding the Suns to 36.1 percent.
"Before the game, Kobe came up to me and said he felt as close to 100 percent as he has since he had his first sprain," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "He was very active tonight.
"It was a breakout game for us. After a slow start, we were able to keep them at bay for most of the game."
Rodney Rogers led the Suns with 19 points, and Shawn Marion had 17 points and nine rebounds.
"I told the team at halftime that it looked to me in the second quarter like the Lakers picked up their defensive intensity like they'd like to win the title again," Suns coach Scott Skiles said. "They were very good for long stretches tonight."
Cliff Robinson, averaging a team-leading 17.2 points, shot 1-of-10 in scoring five points in only 23 minutes, and Kidd had nine points in just 18 minutes. The Suns went strictly with reserves in the fourth quarter.
"We were weak-minded tonight," Kidd said. "When Shaq and Kobe
are playing like that, it's hard. Everybody feeds off those two. That was probably their best all-around game of the year as a team."
Bryant made two free throws and had two steals and two assists
as the Lakers scored the first 12 points of the third quarter to
take a 64-38 lead. Kidd, saddled with four fouls, didn't play after
that.
It was 75-52 entering the fourth quarter.
Kidd made a 3-point shot five minutes into the game to put the Suns ahead 14-7, but picked up his second foul 22 seconds later and was benched until the first minute of the second quarter.
The Lakers took advantage, outscoring Phoenix 19-4 for a 26-18
lead before the Suns scored the last four points of the first quarter.
With Bryant on the bench, O'Neal scored the first seven points of the second period to trigger a 15-6 run, putting the Lakers on top 41-28.
Bryant returned at that stage and played the remainder of the
first half, which ended with the Lakers on top 52-38.
Game notes
Bryant, who missed all four of his shots against the
Knicks, made five of six and scored 12 points in the opening
period. He finished 7-of-14 from the floor. ... The Lakers beat the
Suns seven straight times before losing 104-83 in Phoenix on March
26. That was one of the games Bryant missed. ... The Lakers were
7-2 without Bryant. ... Kidd had been playing some of the best ball
of his seven-year career lately, entering the game having averaged
25.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 2.8 steals in his
previous 13 games. ... Isaiah Rider, placed on the injured list
before the game because of back spasms, watched from the Lakers'
bench in civilian clothes. The move means he won't play again in
the regular season. ... Lakers forward Robert Horry was limited to
five minutes, all in the first half, because of back spasms.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Phoenix Clubhouse
LA Lakers Clubhouse
RECAPS
Cleveland 101
Orlando 78
Miami 83
Philadelphia 81
Milwaukee 105
Chicago 84
Denver 100
Houston 99
San Antonio 91
Dallas 79
Portland 116
Golden State 88
Minnesota 104
Vancouver 91
LA Lakers 106
Phoenix 80
Sacramento 116
LA Clippers 109
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