RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- It was not a performance to be proud of, and
the Los Angeles Lakers knew what the problem was.
|  | | Kobe Bryant dunks -- with two hands -- over the Chicago Bulls' Corey Benjamin on Sunday. |
"They were just playing with a lot more energy than we were,"
Kobe Bryant said after scoring 14 of his 22 points in the third
quarter and grabbing 12 rebounds as the defending NBA champion
Lakers struggled to a 104-96 victory over the hapless Chicago Bulls
on Sunday night.
"The energy level is not there right now, I don't know why,"
said Horace Grant, who had 14 points and seven rebounds.
"We should have blown this team away, we played down to their
level," said Shaquille O'Neal, who had 14 points, nine rebounds
and five assists in 38 minutes despite a sprained left ankle that
kept him out of an 87-86 loss at Denver a night earlier. "We just
coasted."
The game was the Lakers' third in four nights and fourth in six,
but O'Neal said that was no excuse.
O'Neal did admit that his mobility was "awful," and when asked
where he'd rank physically on a scale of 1-to-100, he said, "About
a 42."
When asked if he should have played, he replied: "I don't know.
I just wanted to test it out, see where it (his ankle) was at."
O'Neal said he would receive treatment Monday, a day off for the
team, and be ready to play Wednesday night against Golden State.
Ron Harper had a season-high 15 points and rookie Mike Penberthy
a career-high 13 for the Lakers, who only won by eight points
despite shooting 52 percent.
"We shot the ball well, our defense wasn't great," Lakers
coach Phil Jackson said.
The victory was the third over Chicago in as many games for
Jackson, who coached the Bulls to six championships in the 1990s
before taking over as coach of the Lakers last season.
"I'm over that, two years away from it, it's an all-new team,"
he said when asked if he had any feelings about coaching against
his former team.
The loss was the fifth straight for the Bulls, who have lost
nine of 10 overall this season and were routed 109-64 at Utah on
Saturday night.
Ron Mercer led the Bulls with a season-high 27 points, six
rebounds and five assists. Elton Brand had 17 points, 15 rebounds
and five assists and Khalid El-Amin also had 15 points.
"Last night, we got embarrassed," Mercer said of the game at
Utah. "It's good to come out and play a close game against the
world champions. You never want to get embarrassed two nights in a
row."
The Lakers went ahead for good by outscoring Chicago 16-6 for a
72-62 lead midway through the third quarter.
The Bulls went on a 13-6 run to draw within three, but that was
as close as they would get. The Lakers scored the last five points
of the third quarter -- four by Bryant -- to make it 83-75, and went
on an 8-2 run to start the fourth period for a 91-77 lead with 6:55
left.
The Bulls got as close as five before two 3-point shots by
Robert Horry made it 99-90 with 2:46 remaining.
"We made some shots to make it a close game, but those
3-pointers (by Horry) really killed us," El-Amin said.
Greg Foster's baseline jumper with one second left in the second
quarter gave the Lakers a 54-52 halftime lead. The Bulls, who never
led, had scored the previous 10 points to tie the game for the
first time.
O'Neal missed his first three field-goal attempts before making
his only one of the first half with 4:42 left in the second
quarter, giving the Lakers a 47-36 lead. He came out of the game
for the first time 21 seconds later.
Game notes
Chicago has a 31-111 record since Jackson left as their
coach and Michael Jordan retired after the 1997-98 season. The
Bulls were 545-193 in nine seasons under Jackson. ... The game was
the first for the Lakers against an Eastern Conference opponent
this season. They were 27-3 against the East last season. ... The
Bulls entered the game last in the NBA in scoring (81.0 points) and
field goal percentage (37.1 percent). Their 96 points were a
season-high. ... Their 45-point loss at Utah tied for the
second-largest losing margin in franchise history. ... Bulls
reserve Fred Hoiberg, averaging six points, didn't play due to a
bruised left shin. ... Chicago rookie Dragan Tarlac, the starting
center for Yugoslavia in the Sydney Olympics, made his first NBA
start. He had no points and three rebounds before fouling out with
1:33 left. ... Bryant was held scoreless until the game was nearly
nine minutes old, and his streak of five straight games scoring
over 30 points came to an end.
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NBA Scoreboard
Chicago Clubhouse
LA Lakers Clubhouse
RECAPS
Portland 110
Orlando 102
Charlotte 105
Detroit 96
New York 88
Golden State 71
LA Lakers 104
Chicago 96
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