Lakers Ready for Spurs

Kobe Bryant played Friday night through a flu’s haze.

He took long, hard breaths he hoped would quiet the ruckus in his stomach. He grimaced when he believed no one was watching.

And he scored a career-best 43 points.

In a 109-100 victory against the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center, Bryant played 44 minutes and then drifted, best he could, off the court.

Shaquille O’Neal played through a seven-foot maze.

He stomped and strained and scored 36 points and took 16 rebounds against David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

“It was a long night,” O’Neal said, “and a banging night.”

If there is such a thing as drama in an NBA December, the Lakers hit on it.

Invite the Spurs.

Flood the basketball into O’Neal. Pump Bryant full of antihistamines.

Spend all of a 20-point lead in a single quarter.

And then, finally, when all appears most dismal, go back to O’Neal and Bryant.

On that twisted path, the Lakers defeated the Spurs for only the second time in 11 games.

“There ain’t nothing to prove,” Laker guard Ron Harper said. “It’s a long year. If I got my cash on it, we will see them again.”

The last two NBA champions--asterisk or otherwise--ground through 48 entertaining minutes, the Lakers surging behind Bryant and O’Neal, the Spurs countering mostly with balance.

Duncan scored 24 points despite foul trouble. Robinson scored 16. The Lakers had other issues, though.

Malik Rose came off the Spur bench and scored 12 points. Sean Elliott scored 19 points. Avery Johnson pushed the fastbreaks that brought the Spurs from a 62-42 deficit to a 74-73 lead in the first nine minutes of the second half.

Laker Coach Phil Jackson called one timeout in the run.

“We’re a team that’s going to have to learn how to survive those things,” Jackson said. “I wanted to see them dig their way out of it.”

The Lakers turned to O’Neal, who took only one shot during the San Antonio run, and Bryant.

“It was a big game for us,” Bryant said between sniffles. “We just wanted to keep on attacking, to get the ball inside. It was a big game because they beat us nine of 10 times.”

Maybe it’s a coincidence, or maybe they can’t help but keep one eye on them, but the Lakers have had their worst performances on the eves of games against the Spurs.

They lost, 84-74, in Houston on Nov. 7, scoring their season low, and 24 hours later lost in San Antonio.

Then came Thursday night’s debacle in Seattle, where the Lakers lost by 33 points, got on an airplane and flew home, where the Spurs were waiting.

Then came Bryant, who made 16 of 31 shots.

“He is in a zone right now,” Horace Grant said. “I haven’t seen anything like it since No. 23 retired. He’s in the flow of the offense, getting his shots out of the flow.”

Isaiah Rider and Devean George came to the court wearing matching headbands--gold with one purple stripe. In the spirit of that, perhaps, Jackson played them together at the conclusion of the first half. Rider scored the final points of the half, two free throws that gave the Lakers a 62-42 lead.

On a night when Jackson dramatically shortened the rotation, Rider played only those two minutes. Afterward, Jackson assured Rider he remained in the team’s plans.

O’Neal, who played poorly in the first meeting, went straight to the front of the rim and ended the first half with 23 points.

“I wanted to come out and set the tone,” he said. “I was aggressive in the first half.”

And, then, in the third, when the offense went around him, when the Spurs kept coming, O’Neal said, “I was waiting.”

He scored nine points in the fourth quarter. Bryant scored 15. Even then, the Spurs returned, driving through most of a lead the Lakers pushed to 17 points.

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GAME BREAKDOWN

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Lakers and Spurs 109 Points 100 .512 FG% .469 .250 3-pt FG% .111 .706 FT% .719 37 Rebounds 46 14 Turnovers 8 10 Bench scoring 22

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LEADERS

SCORING

Bryant (LA), 43

Duncan (SA), 24

REBOUNDS

O’Neal (LA), 16

Duncan (SA), 11

ASSISTS

Bryant, Shaw (LA), 6

Anderson, Johnson (SA), 5

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UP NEXT

Dallas at Lakers,

Sunday, 6:30 p.m.

Fox Sports Net

Philadelphia at Lakers, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.

Fox Sports Net, TBS

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INSIDE

LAND OF THE THREE

Long-distance shooting was supposed to be one of the Lakers’ weaknesses, but with Horry, Bryant, Rider and Penberthy dialed in, it has become one of their strengths. D7

KINGS FOR A DAY

Chris Webber scored 28 points to lead Sacramento into first place in the Pacific Division after a victory over Phoenix. D6