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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Shaq not only was back, he was well-rested
and as dominant as ever.
|  | | Kobe Bryant overcame some tough defense to score 31 for the Lakers. |
After being sidelined two games with a sore left ankle,
Shaquille O'Neal had 41 points and 16 rebounds Friday night to
power the Los Angeles Lakers to a 121-114 win over Sacramento in a
possible first-round playoff preview.
Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson was impressed by O'Neal's
endurance after a week off. O'Neal played 45 of a possible 48
minutes.
"I told Shaq to let me know how he was doing throughout the
game and I was surprised that he went all the way to the end of the
third quarter," Jackson said.
Only then did O'Neal nod toward his coach that he needed a rest,
and he was only there for three minutes. He came back with a fury,
scoring the Lakers' first 18 points of the fourth quarter, thus all
but nine of their 27 points in the period.
"I'm feeling fine," the Lakers' center said after going
16-of-29 from the floor and 9-of-15 from the free throw line. "I
missed a couple of chippies (layups) that I shouldn't have missed,
but I'm fine."
Sacramento coach Rick Adelman, whose team beat the Lakers once
this season and played them close in the other three meetings, said
O'Neal and Co. are "really tough to handle."
"I think I might have to do what (Pat) Riley did and say that
they've got an unfair advantage out there. The big guy (O'Neal)
does whatever he wants to do," Adelman said.
The game was marked by scoring runs -- early by the Kings, in the
third quarter by the Lakers, then by the Kings again as they pulled
to 111-108 with 3:24 remaining before Los Angeles held them off.
The Lakers, after trailing by as many as 15 points in the second
quarter, outscored the Kings 31-11 during a run that ended with Los
Angeles up 90-78 with three minutes remaining in the third.
Rice led that comeback, scoring 15 of his 24 points in the
period on 6-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
Kobe Bryant, who had 31 points, had 14 in the third quarter,
missing just one of seven shots as the Lakers went 16-of-21 from
the floor.
It was enough to make Adelman cringe.
"Shaq got so many easy baskets there in the paint, and then
Kobe got it going, and then they find Rice and you've really got
your hands full," the Sacramento coach said. "When those three
guys get it going, it's really difficult."
Chris Webber led the Kings with 36 points and 10 rebounds. Nick
Anderson added 22 points, but Jason Williams was held to four
points, well below his 12.4 average, on 2-of-8 shooting.
The Lakers went 1-1 while O'Neal was out, losing 98-80 to San
Antonio -- their worst defeat of the season -- before coming back to
beat Seattle 106-103 in overtime.
Webber had 21 points by halftime, missing just three of his 12
shots, and Anderson added 14 as the Kings led 65-57 at halftime.
The Kings got off to a blistering start, going 17-of-24 from the
floor to shoot out to a 39-28 lead at the end of the opening
quarter.
The Kings went on to led by as many as 15, 52-37 with four
minutes played in the second quarter, before Los Angeles slowly
began to close the gap.
Game notes
The Lakers placed backup guard Derek Fisher on the disabled
list because of a bone spur in his right ankle and activated rookie John Celestand to replace him on the roster. Fisher, who had not missed a game this season and was averaging 6.3 points, was dressed in a business suit and played cheerleader on the bench. ... The
Kings could provide the Lakers a run for their money in the
playoffs. Webber led Sacramento with 20 points and 12 rebounds in
the Kings' 103-91 victory over Los Angeles in the first meeting
between the teams this season. The Lakers won the second meeting
109-106, with Bryant scoring 40 points in the victory. O'Neal had
34 points and Bryant 24 points and 14 rebounds in the third game, a
90-89 L.A. victory on March 26 at Staples Center.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Sacramento Clubhouse
LA Lakers Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 106
Chicago 91
Philadelphia 104
Atlanta 92
Orlando 96
New Jersey 88
Indiana 105
Miami 101
Charlotte 109
Milwaukee 106
Toronto 86
New York 71
Dallas 117
Seattle 103
Denver 105
Golden State 97
Phoenix 112
LA Clippers 88
Minnesota 104
Vancouver 94
LA Lakers 121
Sacramento 114
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