Bryant Falls Short of 50 in Lakers Win

By JOHN NADEL

LOS ANGELES – Kobe Bryant scored 43 points, and with tongue in cheek, described his performance as an "off night."

Several participants and both coaches praised Golden State’s defensive effort in limiting Bryant’s production, and they were serious.

That’s the way it’s been going lately for the Los Angeles Lakers star.

"We held him to 43, by God," Warriors coach Don Nelson said.

Bryant’s effort and a startling 63-33 rebounding advantage were the key factors as the Lakers beat the Warriors 115-113 Sunday night, extending their winning streak to a season-high five games.

Bryant entered having scored at least 50 points in four straight games to become the second player in NBA history with such a streak, joining the late Wilt Chamberlain.

Chamberlain scored 50 or more in a record seven straight games in December 1961. He also had a five-game streak and three four-game streaks during the 1961-62 season, when he averaged a record 50.4 points.

"What? No!" Bryant said emphatically when asked if he felt any disappointment about falling short of 50. "I’ve always said Wilt’s a human video game. For me to be in the same breath with him, even if it’s a short little breath, is pretty cool."

When Bryant scored 17 points in the first 9 minutes, it appeared his streak was destined to continue. But the Warriors used multiple defenses and a lot of double teams after that, making it tough for the Lakers’ star to get open.

"They did everything to take the ball out of his hands tonight," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "It was a real good defensive effort by them."

Bryant began his 50-point streak following a seven-game losing streak – the longest of Jackson’s career as a head coach.

"I think it energized us as a team and it energized the city. I think that’s great," Bryant said. "Before that, it seemed like we were kind of dead in the water. We’re playing with a lot more energy right now."

Bryant shot 15-of-33 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the foul line. He also had nine rebounds, no assists, and seven of the Lakers’ season-high 26 turnovers.

"We were just trying to make him uncomfortable," said Golden State’s Al Harrington, who scored 23 points.

"He’s good enough to win a game all by himself. It’s nothing for him to score 80 points."

Lamar Odom had 24 points and 19 rebounds to equal his career high, and Smush Parker scored 13 points for the Lakers (38-32), who have beaten the Warriors eight straight times and in 13 of the past 14 games between the teams.

Monta Ellis matched his career high with 31 points to lead the Warriors (33-38), who lost for just the third time in 11 games. Stephen Jackson scored 16 points and Andris Biedrins had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Golden State.

Bryant began his 50-point streak on March 16, scoring an NBA season-high 65 points in an overtime victory over Portland. He kept it going against Minnesota (50), Memphis (60) and New Orleans (50).

Bryant has scored 50 or more points 18 times in his career to rank third on the NBA list. Chamberlain had 118 games of 50 or more points, and Michael Jordan accomplished the feat on 31 occasions.

A 3-pointer by Baron Davis with 27.1 seconds to play drew the Warriors within one point, but a foul shot by Bryant and two more by Odom made it 114-110 with 18 seconds to go.

Jackson’s 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining made it a one-point game again. Bryant made a free throw 1 second later, but missed the second. The Warriors got the rebound and called timeout with 0.6 seconds left. Harrington took the inbounds pass and tried a 3-pointer that missed, but it came after the final buzzer.

The Warriors scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter for a 95-85 lead. It was 98-90 when Bryant made a 3-pointer and a long jumper, triggering a 14-0 run that gave the Lakers a six-point lead with 5:05 left. They were on top the rest of the way.

Bryant entered the fourth quarter with 31 points. He reached 40 by making a short jumper with 4:17 left, but was held to three foul shots after that.

Notes:@ Bryant sat out 1:38 of the second quarter, and played the entire second half. … Bryant was hit with a technical foul late in the first quarter, giving him 12 this season. … The game was the 1,300th for Jackson, who became the 14th NBA coach to reach that milestone. … The Warriors, shooting for their first playoff berth since 1994, have won only eight road games – tied for the second-lowest total in the NBA. … Lakers swingman Maurice Evans missed his third game because of a sore right knee. … Parker made his 152nd straight start despite the sprained left ankle that forced him out of Friday night’s game at New Orleans. Teammate Brian Cook returned to action after missing five games because of a sprained left ankle and went scoreless in four minutes.