Bryant a Favorite for All-Star Game

Kobe Bryant was selected to the NBA All-Star game for an eighth consecutive season, receiving 450,000 more votes than he did last season.

Bryant, the fifth-leading vote-getter last season, had 2.27 million votes and finished second behind Houston center Yao Ming, who had 2.34 million votes.

Bryant, averaging a league-best 35.7 points, had 1.82 million votes last season. Other starters voted to the Western Conference team were San Antonio forward Tim Duncan, Phoenix guard Steve Nash and Houston forward Tracy McGrady.

Miami center Shaquille O’Neal had 2.19 million votes and was voted a starter in the East, along with Cleveland forward LeBron James, Philadelphia guard Allen Iverson, Miami guard Dwyane Wade and injured Indiana forward Jermaine O’Neal.

Clipper forward Elton Brand had only 442,056 votes and was eighth among West forwards, but he is expected to make the team as a reserve. Clipper center Chris Kaman was seventh among West centers and Sam Cassell was 10th among West guards.

Laker center Chris Mihm was fourth among West centers.

The All-Star game is Feb. 19 in Houston.

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A day after the Lakers were throttled in Indiana, Coach Phil Jackson was still unhappy, putting them through more than two hours of film study for what he called “mental tuning.”

Jackson was equally unimpressed by the referees from that game.

Bryant set a team record by making 23 of 26 free throws Tuesday against New York, but he did not shoot a free throw until 10:23 remained in the third quarter against Indiana. He made eight of nine overall against the Pacers.

“In some respects, I think word goes around the NBA really quickly, Kobe shot 26 free throws,” Jackson said. “So the first three times he goes to the basket, there’s no call. He gets bumped or banged at the basket and then nothing’s called. We didn’t make that adjustment as a team, like OK, they know what happened last night, they’re not going to call it.

“It was one of those things where you wonder about retribution or about reaction or reactivity and how quickly it travels around.”

The referees working the Indiana game were Luis Grillo, Matt Boland and Scott Foster.

“Then again, you know, it just might be a different crew,” Jackson said. “One night might be so different in the NBA that they’re so inconsistent between one game and the next, that what counts as a foul one night doesn’t count as a foul the next. So you have to make that adjustment in the NBA.”

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Forward Lamar Odom said he would not play tonight against Charlotte because of slightly torn rib cartilage and a minor case of whiplash.

Odom was injured after running into Indiana post players David Harrison and Jeff Foster while chasing a loose ball in Wednesday’s game.

“Hopefully I just miss one game and can suck it up after this,” Odom said.

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Rookie Ronny Turiaf is still at least one more week from receiving a work visa that would allow him to play in games with the Lakers.

Turiaf, who had heart surgery last summer and signed with the Lakers on Jan. 17, was born on the Caribbean island of Martinique and has French citizenship. He has practiced with the team but is not eligible to play until he receives a U.S. work visa.

“It’s at least a week away,” Laker spokesman John Black said.

Turiaf, who is traveling with the Lakers on a seven-game trip, played four years at Gonzaga with a student visa.

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TONIGHT

at Charlotte, 4:30 PST (5:30, Ch. 9)

Site -- Bobcats Arena.

Radio -- 570, 1330.

Records -- Lakers 24-21, Bobcats 11-36.

Record vs. Bobcats -- 1-0.

Update -- The Lakers barely beat the Bobcats, 99-98, in a Dec. 4 game that Shaquille O’Neal watched from a courtside seat at Staples Center. The Bobcats, 18-64 as an expansion team last season, have the league’s worst record and have lost 13 consecutive games.