He’s Baaack: O’Neal (41) Lifts Lakers

OK, that was a statement, or maybe several of them, all lined up, repeating the same theme and representing one powerful commandment:

Thou shalt play the Lakers at your own risk.

But only if they have Shaquille O’Neal rippling and roaring until the final buzzer sounds.

In a game that echoed and amplified almost all of the previous presumptions, the Lakers burst past the Sacramento Kings, then had to hold them off, 121-114, on Friday before 18,997 at Staples Center.

Before the game, Coach Phil Jackson joked that he expected 50 points and 20 rebounds from O’Neal after the certain most valuable player was sidelined for two games because of a sore ankle.

O’Neal had 41 points and 16 rebounds, but Jackson was joking, right?

“Close,” Jackson said with a wide grin after the game. “He came close. It was a good game. . . .

“I was surprised. I asked Shaq to let me know how he was doing in the game and he went all the way until the end of that third quarter until he gave the nod that he wanted to come out.”

The Kings, who have played the Lakers toe-to-toe all season, came into this game feeling good about their chances against the Lakers in a potential first-round playoff meeting.

With only a week left in the regular season, they left it having taken the Lakers (66-13) to the limit again, having forced O’Neal to play 45 minutes in his return from a two-game layoff, and having almost every reason to believe they can do it again three or four times in a tough playoff series.

Kobe Bryant added 31 points and Glen Rice 24--the two combined for 29 in the third quarter alone.

Chris Webber once again tormented the Lakers, scoring 36 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Jackson summed up Sacramento’s challenge for the Lakers as “speed, size and Webber,” and said that he wasn’t sure about a potential matchup with the Kings in the playoffs.

“I think our players feel confident,” Jackson said, “but I don’t.”

Rice, though, said the Lakers would welcome the Kings as soon as possible.

“They always plays us tough--it’d be a tough matchup,” Rice said. “But I think in no way are we trying to dodge the challenge.”

Rice said his hot shooting was helped by his game-saving shot against Seattle on Monday and that he was determined to be aggressive in the third quarter after going two for five in the first half.

“A lot of times I saw myself in scoring position and I didn’t take advantage of it,” Rice said. “I came out in the third quarter and was very aggressive.

“I had to take it, basically. The opportunities are there, and I’ve just got to take it. They do scatter a great deal and one of the things in this offense that you’re able to do is get to the open spots.”

Said Jackson: “The guys found him. . . . He was smoking.”

Trailing by eight points at halftime after the Kings had double-digit leads in the first half, the Lakers outscored Sacramento, 35-17, to start the third quarter, obliterating the lead and stamping the game with their heavy imprint.

In that nine-minute explosion, Rice made all six of his shots--three from three-point distance--and the Lakers as a team made 15 of their 17 field-goal tries.

Rice scored 15 points in the quarter, Bryant added 14 of his own, and when the smoke cleared and the third quarter finally ended, the Lakers led, 94-86, after putting up 37 points (and holding the Kings to 35% shooting) in the period.

Also, Ron Harper had four of his 10 assists in that period.

After that, O’Neal almost closed the door by scoring 11 consecutive Laker points in the fourth quarter.

But the Lakers got sloppy and the Kings cut the lead to 111-108 with 3:05 left.

O’Neal looked winded by the end of the wild first half, as players whizzed up and down the court, exchanging dunks, behind-the-back dribbles and 40-foot passes.

In the first quarter, Sacramento made 17 of its 24 shots (70.8%) on its way to a 39-28 lead, including points on nine consecutive possessions near the end of the period.

But the Kings cooled off, and O’Neal and the Lakers gradually took control.

Webber was succinct about the Kings’ remaining goals:

“You want to get as a high a seed as possible and face as few seven-footers as possible.”