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LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Kobe Bryant hopes to be healthy and ready for the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night when they host the Sacramento Kings in Game Three of the Western Conference finals. Bryant suffered from a case of food poisoning and was visibly hampered by it in Monday's 96-90 loss in Game Two at Sacramento. He scored 22 points on 9-of-21 shooting. Bryant was in and out of practice on Wednesday and was forced to see the team doctor after vomiting several times. He felt much better at practice on Thursday but said that he had not eaten in more than 24 hours. With three days off between games, the war of words between the teams has continued in the media. The Lakers were vocal about their belief that Kings center Vlade Divac, a former Laker, flops to draw offensive fouls on Shaquille O'Neal and have continued with such criticism after the loss. Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson has been especially critical about how the officiating affects O'Neal's game, claiming that the rules are different for his center than for other players. That has prompted responses from Sacramento criticizing Jackson for trying to live up to his nickname as the "Zen Master." On the court, Sacramento used strong performances from Chris Webber and Mike Bibby to post its victory in Game Two and end a six-game postseason losing streak to the Lakers. Webber had his second double-double of the series with 21 points and 13 rebounds while Bibby had a solid floor game with 20 points and eight assists. The Kings played the first two games without All-Star forward Peja Stojakovic, who was out with a sprained ankle. Stojakovic has been in practice but is unsure if he will see action as the ankle is still bothering him. O'Neal collected 35 points and 12 rebounds but Los Angeles did not get enough from its role players. Robert Horry fouled out with eight points and 20 rebounds while Derek Fisher made 1-of-9 shots for just four points. Los Angeles is 5-0 at home against Sacramento over the previous two postseasons. |
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