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Saturday, Dec. 11 3:00pm ET
Shaq powers Lakers past Grizzlies | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- With all eyes on Kobe Bryant in the starting lineup, the Los Angeles Lakers instead got a solid bench performance to pull out a 106-94 victory over the Vancouver Grizzlies on Saturday. "We came in in the fourth quarter and were able to give us a little cushion," said Rick Fox, who scored seven of his 11 points in fourth. "We were told to be prepared to play some minutes that may influence the outcome of the game." Robert Horry, who scored nine of his 11 points off the bench in the final 12 minutes, wasn't surprised by the team's bench performance. "We've been winning. That's the important thing," Horry said. Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers with 30 points while Bryant, making his second start of the season, added 14 points and a career-high five blocks. Glen Rice, meanwhile, scored nine of his 22 points in the final 2:09 as the Lakers handed the Grizzlies their sixth straight road loss. The Lakers, who never led by more than four points through the first three quarters, broke it open in the fourth with a 14-4 run, capped by Fox's 3-pointer that made it 89-79 with 4:40 left. The Grizzlies, who went a 4:28 stretch without hitting a field goal, cut the lead to 91-88 when Mike Bibby completed a three-point play with 2:25 left. But Rice hit a 16-foot baseline jumper, Horry made a 14-foot jumper at the 24-second buzzer and -- following Shareef Abdur-Rahim's basket -- Rice was fouled driving into the right post, made the layup and completed the three-point play to give the Lakers a 98-90 edge with 1:01 remaining. Coach Phil Jackson was impressed with his bench's performance, calling it "a big relief." Not only did the bench play well, but Jackson noted that it enabled him to rest starters Ron Harper, A.C. Green and Rice as the Lakers play again Sunday at home against Detroit. Bibby had 23 points and eight assists for the Grizzlies, who lost for the 13th time in 14 games. Abdur-Rahim was held to 19 points and nine rebounds. "I thought we kind of lost our defensive focus a little bit," Grizzlies coach Brian Hill said. "We gave up 36 points in (the fourth quarter). You're not going to beat anyone giving up 36 points in the fourth quarter of a close basketball game." The Lakers are suddenly searching for their chemistry with the return of Bryant to their lineup. "The team and Kobe are on different biorhythms. He's been out for a long time and we created a flow to our games and a rhythm that was pretty successful," Fox said. "He, being a big addition to us in going forward, is trying to find his way." Bryant admitted he's still adjusting after missing 15 games with a broken hand. "Obviously, it's going to take a while. We haven't played together for a month and a half. It's going to take a little longer," Bryant said. "We're out there trying to find the rhythm, find the timing." Game notesLos Angeles is 16-1 overall against Vancouver. ... The Grizzlies activated center Bryant Reeves off the injured list. Reeves, who missed seven games because of a sore right knee, scored two points in 17 minutes. ... The teams opened the game shooting poorly, going a combined 6-for-21 from the field, and the Lakers ahead 7-6 with 5:44 left in the first quarter. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard LA Lakers Clubhouse Vancouver Clubhouse RECAPS LA Lakers 106 Vancouver 94
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