Bryant Sidetracked in Loss to Grizzlies

By TIM BROWN

Dec. 22, 2001 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

MEMPHIS, Tenn. —

Kobe Bryant spat words with almost no breath behind them, not because the Lakers lost to the previously incapable Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night, and not because they lost at all, for only the fourth time in 23 games.

“I’m hurting right now,” he said, and he dipped to the right, favoring the strain in his right side, another injury, another annoyance, and the reason the Lakers lost, for the third time now in two weeks.

The Grizzlies scored 11 consecutive points in the critical, late moments of the fourth quarter and defeated the Lakers, 114-108, before a sellout at the Pyramid. They were aggressive, and they made free throws, and Jason Williams scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, for one of the greatest victories in the history of an organization not yet seven years old. They are 2-23 against the Lakers all-time, but 1-1 while in Memphis.

“We played a perfect basketball game,” Grizzly Coach Sidney Lowe said of a team that won for only the seventh time, but with the victory moved out of last place in the Midwest Division.

As Bryant walked gingerly from the floor after scoring 36 points, 33 before he injured his side, Lowe hugged his coaches, and his players hugged each other, and the fans were delirious. Brevin Knight made nine of 10 shots and scored 20 points, and the Grizzlies had a club-record four turnovers, the fewest by a Laker opponent in franchise history. Their 114 points were the most given up by the Lakers this season.

The Lakers had hoped they were over losses such as these.

“They just kept coming after us,” Coach Phil Jackson said.

It was unknown how long Bryant would need to recover. He said the injury felt similar to the one he suffered in Game 1 of last season’s playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers, but on the other side. Scottie Pippen hit him with an elbow early in that game, Bryant wrapped his ribs and scored 15 fourth-quarter points in a Laker victory. Bryant played four days later, in Game 2.

“There’s certain things you can’t do,” he said. “Hopefully, it’s not as bad. We’ll see [today]. I pray I feel a lot better.”

Laker officials called the injury a strain where the muscle attaches to the rib, higher and not as serious as the strained abdominal muscle that sidelined Mark Madsen for two months in the fall. The team will not play again until Tuesday against the Philadelphia 76ers, and most were optimistic that Bryant would be recovered.

“I hope so, man,” Bryant said. “I hope so.”

He took himself out of the game with less than a minute left in the third quarter, after scoring 33 points, 14 in the third. Trainer Gary Vitti rushed to Bryant, who left bent at the waist.

When he was led out of the arena, the crowd stood and cheered, some because of what his injury would do for the Grizzlies on Friday, others because of what Bryant had done to that point.

He made 14 of 19 field-goal attempts until then. In the few minutes before he left the floor, he scored on a long turn-around jumper, a flying dunk, an alley-oop slam, an 18-foot jumper, two free throws, and a 21-footer from the top of the key, and the Lakers led, 80-78. Fifty, or more, seemed possible.

“Man, I had a nice rhythm going,” he said.

It was then that Bryant signaled to Jackson that it was more than he could bear, and a sympathetic Robert Horry called a hasty timeout.

Bryant returned with 7:43 remaining, but he was a decoy. He ran stiffly, with his back straight and his chin down. He tried a jumper, but it was crooked, and it was all he could do to pretend he didn’t want to go lie down. He did make a three-pointer finally, but not until the Grizzlies had all but won for the second consecutive night, following Thursday’s game in New York.

“We just underestimated them tonight,” Laker center Shaquille O’Neal said. “They played almost perfect basketball.”

Indeed, when Bryant clutched his side, O’Neal tried to bring his most forceful game. He scored nine of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, but missed two late free throws and, indeed, the Grizzlies kept coming.

Overall, O’Neal made only 11 of 25 field-goal attempts, and 17 of 41 in the Lakers’ back-to-back split in Houston and here.

“You know, Shaq should have picked up right behind him,” Jackson said. “That was the natural game against a team that doesn’t have a big middle. We didn’t get anything accomplished much in the middle.

“I thought he tried. But he didn’t feel like he was getting a fair shake out there. I think he got involved with the referees more than the game.”

The Lakers didn’t bring much in terms of defensive effort, so a 33-point fourth quarter for Houston on Thursday didn’t look much different than a 26-point first quarter for Memphis on Friday, or a 30-point second quarter for Memphis, or, finally, a 34-point fourth quarter for the Grizzlies.

“It happens,” O’Neal said. “Long season. We just have to move on.”

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The Big Combo

A look at the point production of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in the four Laker losses:

Nov. 16, 95-83 at Phoenix

O’Neal 28; Bryant 18

55% of team’s offensive production

Dec. 7, 97-91 at Sacramento

O’Neal 31; Bryant 23

59% of team’s offensive production

Dec. 11, 104-93 to Seattle

O’Neal 37; Bryant 16