Shaq, Lakers shoot past Spurs without Kobe
The great O'Neal
The Los Angeles Lakers won without Kobe Bryant, and with Shaquille
O'Neal scoring less than usual. Six Lakers supplied double-figure scoring
to complement O'Neal's 22-points as Los Angeles beat the San Antonio Spurs
101-99 Wednesday night. Bryant, the NBA's third-leading scorer with a 29.6
average, sat out after spraining his right ankle Tuesday night when he stepped
on O'Neal's foot during a 119-109 win against Dallas. Two days earlier, he
strained his left ankle in a 110-109 loss to Indiana. But Los Angeles got
17 points from Rick Fox, 16 from Isaiah Rider and 13 from Robert Horry. Horace
Grant added 12, and Brian Shaw, who started for Bryant, had 11. Mike Penberthy
had 10. "This is the way we should play every night," said O'Neal, whose average
was 27.5. "It was a total team effort." O'Neal added 10 rebounds and seven
assists. Playing without Bryant "felt like going into the woods to fight a
bear with a club instead of a gun," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. But, he
said, "the big guy stepped up and made some passes tonight, played a real
solid game and held us together on