It’s One of Doze Games

On a Tuesday night in a place where the Lakers almost never lose, the weight of too many games without Shaquille O’Neal and too many jump shots gone astray became too much to bear.

“I look around the locker room and I don’t see any fire in anybody’s eyes,” Kobe Bryant said. “Everybody’s just kind of dozing off a little bit. I don’t know if they’re waiting for Shaquille to get back or whatever. I don’t know. But there’s just no intensity.”

So the discontent grew again for Bryant, who sprained an ankle and a thumb in a 98-72 loss to the unbeaten Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center, and then wondered where the life was.

The Lakers, who shot an L.A. franchise-low 30.8% (28 of 91) after nearing the record several times in three horrendous weeks, have lost six of their last seven games, eight of 11 overall, and it all looked that much sorrier held up against the giddy Mavericks, winners of 11 in a row to start the season.

Bryant said he’d seen the same disconnected expressions at halftime of the Boston defeat nearly two weeks ago, and for Bryant it began a short period in which he was sullen and distant in the presence of his teammates. An hour after Tuesday’s loss -- he scored 16 points on seven-of-21 shooting, Steve Nash had 21 points and Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley each had 18 -- Bryant warned that O’Neal’s return might not be enough.

“I can’t really tell you what they’re thinking,” he said. “I don’t know. The shots that they’re getting should be going down. They’re the same type of shots they’re going to get when Shaquille gets back, that they’re going to have to make. They have to be more aggressive and play within themselves and things will work out for them.”

While Maverick owner Mark Cuban danced gleefully on the far end of the floor, the Lakers made seven of 27 shots in the second quarter, five of 19 in the third quarter and six of 22 in the fourth. Nine years ago, the Lakers made 31.2% of their shots in a game against Denver, and until Tuesday it had stood as the futility standard.

No more. Not when Rick Fox misses 11 of 15 shots and Derek Fisher misses six of nine and Slava Medvedenko misses five of six and Kareem Rush misses nine of 11 and Brian Shaw misses six of nine. Bryant, who missed 14 shots, summoned the authority to flog his teammates with his own disappointment.

“It’s frustrating, but it just kind of fuels my hunger,” he said. “It makes me even hungrier. I hear the fans in the stands talk this, talk that. It’s a long season. We’re going to be there at the end of the season.”

In the meantime, he said, “Each individual player has to dig inside themselves and find the confidence within themselves. I try to do that throughout the game.... That’s the way it has to be.”

Coach Phil Jackson, the holder of perspective and keeper of optimism, did not disagree with Bryant. Standing outside the somber locker room, he was the first to disparage the effort of his players, veterans mostly who frequently pride themselves on unyielding determination, if not outright talent.

The Lakers had slogged behind the Mavericks in most areas -- they were outshot, outrebounded and outplayed at all turns -- particularly after falling behind by 15 points at halftime. The Lakers cleared 70 points, the L.A. franchise low set in Cleveland two weeks ago, with less than a minute left.

“It’s our resolve I’m disappointed in,” Jackson said.

For those assuming this couldn’t possibly get worse, it threatened to just over three minutes into the game, when Bryant rose up for a jump shot and upon landing rolled his left ankle.

He lay on his side, gripping the ankle with both hands. When he got to his feet, he took two steps and slapped his hands together in disgust.

Only a few hours earlier, he had the last of the four stitches removed from his lip, and he had to figure things were getting better.

So, he yelped a little every time he landed on the ankle. Then, early in the third quarter, the ball deflected off his left hand, and he shook that for a few possessions as the Maverick lead grew toward 20, and Laker jump shots continued to find the heel of the rim. After a timeout, Bryant returned to the floor with his thumb wrapped.

Finally, Bryant managed a wry smile.

“My ankle’s hurting,” he said. “But I figure if Donovan McNabb can play with a broken ankle, I can play with a badly sprained one. I’ll play tomorrow.”

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BY THE NUMBERS

72: Points by the Lakers, two off the L.A. franchise low set two weeks ago against Cleveland

26: Dallas’ margin of victory, the largest by the Mavericks against the Lakers (previous record: 23, in 1988)

30.8: Lakers’ field-goal percentage, breaking the club record low of 31.2 against Denver in 1993

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A Year Later

Comparing the Lakers’ first 11 games this season to the first 11 last season:

2001-02 2002-03

*--* 10-1 Record 3-8 99.9 PPG 89.3 90.6 Opp. PPG 94.5 46.2 FG% 38.6 40.0 Opp. FG% 42.5 65.6 FT% 80.1 44.5 RPG 45.6 -1.0 Reb. Marg -3.0

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Perfection

The Dallas Mavericks improved to 11-0 by beating the Lakers. A look at the best records to start the season:

*--* Wins Team Year 15 Washington Capitols 1948 15 Houston Rockets 1993 14 Boston Celtics 1957 12 Seattle SuperSonics 1982 12 Chicago Bulls 1996

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