LOS ANGELES, 6 November 2003 — Hearing the boos since being charged with sexual assault in July, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant silenced the hostile Milwaukee Bucks’ crowd with an on-court attack down the stretch.
Bryant had 10 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter, to go along with eight assists and seven rebounds Thursday night, rallying the unbeaten Lakers past the stubborn Milwaukee Bucks, 113-107.
“I think we’re really on the same page now,” said Lakers all-star center Shaquille O’Neal, who seems to have resolved petty differences with Bryant. “Any night, any one of us can go crazy. Tonight was Kobe’s night. He carried us. It’s fun to be on a team like this with other legends.”
O’Neal collected 23 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, (4-0), and Gary Payton added 19 points in his first appearance in Milwaukee after bolting to Los Angeles last summer. Devean George had 12 points and veteran newcomer Karl Malone finished with 11 and 11 rebounds.
Michael Redd led Milwaukee with a career-best 36 points as Milwaukee dropped its fifth straight to the Lakers after blowing a 10-point third quarter cushion.
Redd was on fire, especially in the third quarter. He scored 18 points that helped turn a three-point half-time deficit into an 85-75 cushion that was trimmed to, 86-83, entering the final 12 minutes.
Milwaukee ran the lead back to 101-95 on Desmond Mason’s two free throws but the Lakers answered. Bryant buried two 3-pointers around a coast-to-coast layin by Payton, to put the visitors ahead for good, 103-101 with 1:30 to play.
Malone followed with the defensive play of the night, stripping Tim Thomas of the ball on a drive to the basket at the other end.
George grabbed the loose ball, and fed Payton, who quickly pushed the ball up court. He penetrated the lane and found Bryant, who paused momentarily before hitting O’Neal with a no-look pass, he slammed home while being fouled. He made the free throw, pushing the lead to 106-101 with 62 ticks left. Bryant matched Redd’s jumper just 32 seconds left, to ice the victory.
Elsewhere:
Indiana Pacers 71 Denver Nuggets 60: Jermaine O’Neal had 25 points and 20 rebounds, and the Pacers held prize rookie Carmelo Anthony to just two points as the Pacers rocked the visiting Nuggets.
Indiana’s Ron Artest (18 points) and Al Harrington (11 points) hounded Anthony — the No. 3 overall selection in last summer’s draft — into a dismal 1-of-13 shooting effort. Earl Boykins scored a team- best 18 points for Denver, which shot 24 percent from the field.
Houston Rockets 86 New Jersey Nets 75: Steve Francis scored eight of his 17 points in a 14-1 closing run, to go along with 10 rebounds and six assists as the Rockets clipped the host Nets.
Cuttino Mobley led Houston with 20 points. Maurice Taylor added 14 points, while Yao Ming finished with 10 and 11 rebounds.
Richard Jefferson had 21 points and Jason Kidd followed with 16 and nine assists as the Nets connected on just 4-of-18 field goals in the fourth quarter.
San Antonio Spurs 80 Miami Heat 73: Manu Ginobili scored 15 points, while Malik Rose added 14 and 11 rebounds, as the short-handed Spurs kept the punch-less Heat winless after five games.
Newcomer Rasho Nesterovic had 14 points and 41-year-old reserve big man Kevin Willis added 13 for the reigning NBA Champion Spurs, who played without injured stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and suspended head coach Gregg Popovich.
After Lamar Odom’s driving layup pulled the Heat to within 74-73 with 2:13 remaining, a minute late Ginobili found Nesterovic for a dunk. Jason Hart and Ginobili each sank a pair of free throws in the final 16 seconds to cinch the win. Eddie Jones led Miami, (0-5) with a game-high 26 points before fouling out with less than five minutes left. Odom added 14 points and 12 rebounds.
