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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal wants to put the word
out: He's back, and he's just as good as ever.
|  | | Kobe Bryant's triple double of 25 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists helped lead the Lakers on Friday. |
O'Neal had 38 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in 41 minutes
while leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 99-94 victory over the
Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.
It was O'Neal's third game back since a strained arch in his
right foot forced him to miss six games and the All-Star game.
"I told people I was coming back with a vengeance," O'Neal
said. "For those who don't believe me, they will see."
O'Neal took over the game in the fourth quarter by opening the
period with eight straight points. He started the run with a
thundering dunk, scored on consecutive 8-foot turnaround jumpers
and added a 6-foot hook shot.
Most of O'Neal's fourth-quarter work was done over Charlotte
center Elden Campbell.
"No one can guard me 1-one-1, ever. Period!" O'Neal said.
"Spread the word because some people still doubt that."
Call the Hornets believers.
"Man, he's a big body," Jamal Mashburn said. "Too big, too
quick, too strong. He's just an all-around heck of a player."
Mashburn saw that up close with 2:37 left when O'Neal blocked
his shot and knocked it into a tunnel leading off the court.
"This was definitely his best game back," Lakers forward Rick
Fox said. "He's an MVP, the reason we won the championship last
year, and he looked the same way tonight that he did last year."
Kobe Bryant, the NBA's scoring leader at 30.3 points a game who
scored 44 against the Hornets on Feb. 2, was held to just 25 this
time and only five in the second half.
But Bryant, who said he had to lay down before the game because
he was bothered by a sore throat and other ailments, added 10
rebounds and 10 assists for the second triple-double of his career.
He also came up big for the Lakers in the final minute to
preserve the win. The Lakers had a 92-89 lead with under a minute
to play when Bryant started a drive to the basket that looked like
it would be unsuccessful.
Bryant nearly lost the ball twice as he drove from the right
side of the court and under the basket. As the shot clock wound
down, he tossed a scoop shot high above the basket that fell
straight through the hoop for a 94-89 lead with 50 seconds to play.
"That reverse layup by Kobe that hit nothing but net sealed our
fate," said Charlotte coach Paul Silas. "That's why the Lakers
are so good, they convert."
Later, after Charlotte's David Wesley made it 96-91 on a long
jumper, Bryant drew a foul and hit two free throws to make it
98-91.
"Kobe was very active tonight," Lakers coach Phil Jackson
said. "I thought he played a good game."
Baron Davis hit a 3-pointer for the Hornets with 2 seconds left
to make the game look closer than it was.
Mashburn led the Hornets with 26 points and a career-high 15
rebounds. Davis had 22 points and nine assists and Campbell had 14
points and 14 rebounds.
The Lakers built a 12-point lead in the third quarter by
exploiting Charlotte's lack of size. The Hornets, already without
backup center Otis Thorpe because of an eye injury, lost forward
Derrick Coleman in the second quarter with a strained left calf.
Coleman was placed on the injured list after the game.
Centers Campbell and Jamaal Magloire also had to sit because of
foul trouble, forcing the Hornets to use a much smaller lineup that
gave O'Neal and the Lakers a huge advantage and allowed them to
build a 64-52 lead.
But the Hornets climbed back in the game using an up-tempo
offense. Eddie Robinson scored on two quick catch-and-shoots and
Mashburn and Davis each hit a 3-pointer in a 13-2 run that cut the
Lakers' lead to 66-65 with 3:16 left in the third.
Charlotte never regained the lead, but kept the game close until
the final minutes.
Charlotte led 46-33 with 3:37 left in the first half, but the
Lakers closed the half with a 14-1 run to take a one point lead
into the break.
Game notes
Lakers guard Ron Harper missed his second straight game
with a sore left knee. Guard Derek Fisher, who hasn't played this
season because of a foot injury, did not attend the game, but is
expected to join the team before Sunday's game in Indiana. ...
Campbell has shot 11-for-38 over the last four games, including two
games in which he failed to make a field goal. ... The Hornets
expect Thorpe to return to practice Monday. He's been out since he
was poked in the eye on in practice Monday.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
LA Lakers Clubhouse
Charlotte Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 108
LA Clippers 93
LA Lakers 99
Charlotte 94
New York 114
New Jersey 104
Orlando 108
Houston 93
San Antonio 91
Minnesota 85
Vancouver 92
Golden State 79
Sacramento 117
Denver 84
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