9.mérkőzés 3-6

Bryant bites back

Overcomes chipped tooth to end Laker losing streak
Posted: Saturday November 16, 2002 1:31 AM
Updated: Saturday November 16, 2002 2:01 AM

Kobe Bryant shoots over the Warriors' Jason Richardson. He scored 45 of the Lakers' 96 points. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/
Getty Images
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant, who chipped a tooth late in regulation, scored 45 points Friday night as the Los Angeles Lakers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 96-89 overtime victory over the San Francisco Warriors.

Robert Horry had seven of his nine points and Bryant added four in overtime for the Lakers, still without Shaquille O'Neal. The Warriors went the final 4:09 with a field goal.

The victory kept coach Phil Jackson from losing five in a row for the first time since 1994, and also kept the three-time defending NBA champions out of the Pacific Division cellar.

Golden State's Jason Richardson hit a 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds remaining to tie it 85-all in regulation. After Gilbert Arenas' 3-point try bounced off the rim, Antawn Jamison rebounded and quickly fed Jamison, who stepped behind the line on the left side and made the pressure shot.

As the Lakers inbounded the ball after a timeout, Bryant collided face-to-face with Jamison, with Jamison's forehead banging Bryant in the mouth. Both players went down and the pass bounced out of bounds.

Bryant, passing less and shooting more since his teammate haven't been hitting shots during the losing streak, was 18-of-40 from the field. The only other Los Angeles scorer in double figures was Samaki Walker with 12 points and 14 rebounds.

Jamison led the Warriors with 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Erick Dampier had 19 points and 16 rebounds. Troy Murphy added 14 points and 13 rebounds.

O'Neal said earlier this week that he will probably play his first game of the season Nov. 22 at home against Chicago. He had surgery on his right big toe on Sept. 11 and has been slowly working his way back.

The Lakers also were without Devean George, sidelined by an ankle sprain; Mark Madsen, on the injured list with a strained left hamstring; and Soumalia Samake, who served the second game of a five-game suspension for violating the league's steroids policy.

The Warriors, who had trailed since the opening minute, took their first lead at 54-53 on Richardson's running 15-footer four minutes into the third quarter. Stanislav Medvedenko's jumper with 2.3 seconds left in the period provided Los Angeles a 67-65 edge to start the fourth quarter.

Bryant had 24 points by halftime for Los Angeles, which held a 40-25 lead with 4:38 remaining in the second quarter. The Warriors, however, whittled the deficit down to 44-40 by halftime.

Notes: The Warriors are 1-6 on the road. ... The Lakers' George is day-to-day with his sprained right ankle, but he likely will miss Sunday's contest against Houston. ... Lakers coach Phil Jackson said going deep into the postseason can take a toll on players that carries over. Talking about his team's myriad injuries early this season, he said, "This is par for the course when you play for championships, play late in the season, it creates wear and tear on players." ... If Jackson's worried about the Lakers' slow start this season, he's certainly hiding it well. "I've always predicted slow starts," he said. "It's not a problem."