Shaq who?

Minus star center, Lakers avenge previous loss to Memphis

Kobe Bryant led the Laker onslaught with 28 points. AP

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Lakers, not too good when Shaquille O'Neal was out of the lineup last season, were terrific without him Sunday night.

Kobe Bryant scored 28 points, and Karl Malone had 20 points and 10 rebounds before sitting out the fourth quarter as the Lakers avenged a loss to Memphis earlier this month by routing the Grizzlies 121-89.

The Lakers shot 59.2 percent despite playing without O'Neal, who sat out his first game this season because of a strained right calf muscle.

They were 5-10 when he was sidelined last season, but they didn't have the likes of Malone or Gary Payton at that time.

"I'll say this: When I was on the opposing team and he wasn't in there, I just had a sigh of relief," said Malone, who played 18 seasons for the Utah Jazz before joining the Lakers this season.

"It's a lot different this year," Malone said. "It was neat for guys to step up and do the job tonight. If he's not in there, we have to pick up the slack."

Payton, who also sat out the fourth quarter, added 17 points and 10 assists and Bryon Russell had a season-high 14 points for the Lakers.

Slava Medvedenko, activated from the injured list before the game, had 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for the Lakers. He hadn't played this season because of a bruised left heel.

Horace Grant started in O'Neal's place and scored a season-high eight points in 27 minutes. Grant didn't play in the final period and Bryant came out for good with 9:12 to play.

"You look around, you've got a Karl Malone and a Gary Payton and a Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher coming off the bench," said the 38-year-old Grant, who returned to the Lakers this season to back up O'Neal. "We don't want him to miss too many games, but when he does, we've got enough to get the job done."

O'Neal, injured in the third quarter of Friday night's victory over the Chicago Bulls, is listed as day-to-day. The Lakers' next game is Wednesday against Washington.

Aside from their field goal shooting, the Lakers went 27-of-30 from the foul line and made 26 straight.

"Where they hurt us, where no one has hurt us this year, was in transition," Grizzlies coach Hubie Brown said. "Last year Kobe Bryant had to carry a lot. Now, you've got Malone and Payton and you can see all three guys had a solid game."

The win was the sixth in seven games for the Lakers (11-3) since they committed a season-high 23 turnovers in a 105-95 loss at Memphis earlier this month.

The Grizzlies had a season-high 24 in this game, their most one-sided loss of the season.

The victory also extended the Lakers' regular-season home winning streak to 22, including seven this season.

"Ninety percent of that game was enjoyable for us as a coaching staff," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "I was very pleased with the defense. I thought that was where we were effective. And we shot the ball very well."

Shane Battier led Memphis with a season-high 18 points. Pau Gasol added 14 and Wesley Person 12.

Neither team led by more than five points until a 3-pointer by Bryant triggered a 14-2 run that gave the Lakers a 59-48 halftime lead. Bryant scored nine points and Russell five during the spurt.

"The key to the turnaround was our defensive intensity picking up," Bryant said. "We made a hard push near the end of the second quarter and took it from there."

The Lakers, whose 121 points were a season high, scored nine straight points for an 82-61 lead with 4:12 remaining in the third quarter, and it was 90-67 entering the final period.

Notes: The Lakers are 55-44 without O'Neal in the 99 games he's missed since joining them before the 1996-97 season. ... The Lakers are 30-3 against the Grizzlies' franchise and 17-0 against them in Los Angeles. ... To make room for Medvedenko, the Lakers placed forward Jamal Sampson on the injured list because of back spasms. ... The Lakers' longest regular-season homecourt winning streak since moving to Los Angeles from Minneapolis in 1960 is 24, which they accomplished at the end of the 1987-88 season and the start of the following season. ... Memphis' James Posey played only 11 minutes before fouling out with 10:07 left. He had two points.