Lakers drown Cavaliers, 102-96

By TOM WITHERS

AP Sports Writer

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kobe Bryant scored 47 points — 23 on free throws — and Horace Grant had 19 points and 14 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers survived another night without Shaquille O’Neal and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-96 Tuesday.

Bryant took over when needed, driving the lane for short jumpers and pulling up over Cleveland’s overmatched guards, who at times could do nothing but foul.

Bryant went 23-of-26 from the line and scored 14 points in the third quarter when the Lakers opened a comfortable 19-point lead.

But the Cavs, who can’t seem to put four good quarters together, rallied from 21 down to get within 100-96 with 51 seconds remaining on a three-point play by Bimbo Coles.

The Lakers, though, made sure the ball stayed in Bryant’s hands and he hit two more free throws with 17 seconds left to make it 102-96. Bryant shot 19 free throws after halftime and the Lakers went 32-of-38 from the line.

Los Angeles snapped a three-game road losing streak and won for just the second time in five games. And with Grant and rookie Mark Madsen playing with energy and controlling the boards, the Lakers played as if they truly cared about defending their NBA title.

O’Neal missed his second straight game with an injured foot and didn’t leave the locker room, staying behind to receive treatment while watching on TV.

O’Neal has a tendon ailment in his right arch. He has difficulty pushing off the foot and is being re-evaluated on a day-to-day basis. O’Neal will travel with the Lakers to Minnesota but will probably sit out Wednesday night.

Grant matched his season-highs in points and rebounds and Madsen finished with a career-high 10 rebounds in 28 minutes.

A lingering feud between O’Neal and Bryant over who should be the go-to guy has contributed to the Lakers’ funk the past few weeks. But with the floor all to himself, Bryant made sure the Lakers didn’t lose to another team they should beat.

Andre Miller scored 25 points and Coles had 16 for the Cavs, who lost their third straight and for the 16th time in 21 games. Cleveland was without Lamond Murray, its second leading scorer, who was a late scratch with a sprained left ankle.

Late in the third quarter, Bryant backed down Trajan Langdon to drop in a nice baseline jumper and made six straight free throws as the Lakers pushed to a double-digit lead. Brian Shaw’s 3-pointer with two seconds left gave the Lakers an 82-63 lead after three.

The Cavs didn’t quit and used a 14-2 run to crawl back, but with a sellout crowd of 20,053 finally fired up, Bryant buried a long jumper and scored eight of the Lakers’ final 11 points.

Despite early foul trouble to two of their big men, the Cavs were within four points late in the first half before Bryant scored six in an 8-0 run that gave the Lakers a 53-41 halftime lead.