LOS ANGELES, 30 April 2004 — Kobe Bryant top scored with 31 points as the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated the Houston Rockets from the NBA playoffs with a 97-78 victory on Wednesday.
The Lakers guard had spent the last three days attending pretrial hearings in a Colorado courtroom where he faces charges that he raped a 19-year-old woman. He completed the 900-mile (1440km) journey back to Los Angeles just in time for the tip off but was still able to produce an explosive performance.
The victory secured the Lakers a 4-1 series victory and set up a confrontation with the champions, the San Antonio Spurs, in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Rockets competed strongly in the first half and led 48-47 at the break but fell apart during the third quarter in which they scored only nine points.
The Lakers then built a lead of more than 20 points midway through the fourth quarter allowing coach Phil Jackson to take Bryant out of the game. The player received a rousing ovation from a capacity crowd.
Bryant initially made a shaky start, taking almost eight minutes to score his first basket, while his opposite Cuttino Mobley scored 14 points during the first quarter, prompting Jackson to make a tactical decision to temporarily remove him.
“I think the story of the game is basically his (Bryant’s) man got 14 points in the first quarter and I took him out and just let him sit down for a couple of seconds because he couldn’t get focused on it,” said Jackson.
“So we got him on the bench for a couple of minutes and then let him get back in and play a different position. He got himself going and had a great game,” Jackson added.
The Lakers were also aided by a solid performance by Karl Malone who scored 18 points.
Jackson said the Spurs would provide formidable opposition in the next round.
“They are playing as good as anybody, probably the best of anybody in the NBA right now and we are going to have to elevate our game going into San Antonio to win,” he said.
Bryant was, however, optimistic about the chances of the Lakers gaining revenge against the team that dethroned them last year.
“We’re healthier than last year. This year despite all the injuries we had during the (regular) season, everyone is relatively healthy. I like our chances,” he said.
