Bryant leads Lakers past Knicks 116-114

[December 17, 2008]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant scored nine of his 28 points in the last 7 1/2 minutes, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit to beat the New York Knicks 116-114 on Tuesday night.

Trevor Ariza scored the go-ahead basket with 1:03 remaining to give the Lakers (21-3) their 14th win in 16 games.

Nate Robinson, who scored a season-high 33 points, had a chance to give New York the lead, but missed a short jumper with about 12 seconds to play. Two foul shots by Derek Fisher with 6.4 seconds left made it 115-112, and the Lakers then intentionally fouled Robinson, who made two foul shots with 3.8 seconds left to make it a one-point game.

Fisher made another foul shot with 2.7 seconds left, and Chris Duhon missed a desperation shot from the backcourt as time expired.

The Lakers played without Pau Gasol, who has strep throat. Gasol, averaging 18.0 points and 9.3 rebounds, came to Staples Center for the game, but was sent home. Lamar Odom made his first start of the season in Gasol's place and had season-high totals of 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Fisher had 15 points and a season-high seven assists; Luke Walton scored a season-high 14 points, Ariza added 13, and Andrew Bynum had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The Lakers outrebounded the Knicks 49-38 and shot 47.4 percent to New York's 45.7 percent. The Knicks made 13 of 31 3-pointers to 6-of-23 for Los Angeles.

David Lee had 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Quentin Richardson also scored 18 points for New York. Tim Thomas scored 13 points, Duhon had 12 points and 11 assists, and Al Harrington also scored 12 for the Knicks (11-14), who played without backup forward Jared Jeffries.

Bryant's 19-foot jumper with 1:38 left gave the Lakers a 111-109 lead, but Robinson made a 3-pointer 20 seconds later to give the Knicks a one-point lead. Ariza then scored off a pass from Odom with 1:03 to go, putting Los Angeles on top for good.

Bryant scored seven points during an 11-2 run that put the Lakers on top 103-101 with 5:18 remaining -- their first lead since the first quarter. Neither team led by more than four points after that.

The Lakers outscored the Knicks 11-2 to begin the second half, trimming New York's lead to 67-61, and scored seven straight points later in the third quarter to draw within three. It was 88-84 entering the final period.

A night after going 5-of-37 from 3-point range in a 111-103 loss at Phoenix, the Knicks shot 11-of-23 from beyond the arc in the first half in taking a 65-50 lead. The sellout crowd of 18,997 at Staples Center booed the Lakers off the court at halftime.

Richardson scored 13 points, Robinson added 10, and the Knicks outscored the Lakers 23-8 to finish the first period for a 37-26 lead. Los Angeles trailed by 11 despite not committing a single turnover, but New York had only two, shot 52 percent, and won the rebounding battle 16-11.

Notes: Banished Knicks guard Stephon Marbury attended the game and spoke briefly with reporters at halftime. "I didn't create this, this is all their doing," he said of his status as a non-player with the Knicks despite being under contract. "I'm still earning my check by doing nothing. I'm staying in shape. My mind-set is to enjoy my life." Marbury hasn't played this season and the sides are working on a buyout. He is under contract for about $21 million. ... The Lakers entered the game as the NBA's highest-scoring team with a 108.0-point average, and the Knicks were third at 104.9 points. So it was no surprise to see such a high-scoring game between the teams. ... The Lakers are 14-1 at home this season, including 11 straight victories since a 106-95 loss to Detroit. ... The Lakers are 7-2 against Eastern Conference opponents and the Knicks are 5-5 against the West.

Associated Press]

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