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LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- The Los Angeles Clippers had enthusiasm, energy and effort. The Los Angeles Lakers had Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal had 39 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks and dominated the fourth quarter as the Lakers fought off the feisty Clippers for the 14th straight time, 108-103. O'Neal scored 22 points in the final period as the Lakers erased a surprising six-point deficit. He even survived another dose of "Hack-a-Shaq" as he made 8-of-15 free throws in the fourth quarter, shaking off an airball. "We played down to the level of our competition tonight," O'Neal said. "They got a little hot and they had a little run in the third quarter. We have to play a lot smarter. Whenever we get in trouble it's not because of what the other team is doing. It was an ugly game but in the fourth quarter we did what we had to do." The 7-2 superstar center got some help from Isaiah Rider, who scored 15 of his 22 points in the final period. The Lakers had 43 points in the quarter as they seemed to turn it on when they needed to. O'Neal scored seven points and Rider six in an 18-4 surge that gave the Lakers the lead for good. Meanwhile, the Clippers no longer could overcome their many mistakes and managed just one basket during a 5 1/2-minute stretch. "You have to give that young talented team a lot of credit," Lakers forward Horace Grant said. "They came in, stuck around, and we're just fortunate to escape with the victory. When we got down to five and six minutes we started to play basketball, so to speak, and that's where our experience kicked in." Lamar Odom and Jeff McInnis scored 19 points apiece for the Clippers, whose talent does not match their exuberance. They played hard the entire game but remained winless against their crosstown rivals since March 14, 1997. O'Neal did not quite beat up on the Clippers as he did the last time the teams met on March 6, when he went for a career-high 61 points on his 28th birthday. However, he was nearly as unstoppable. A 3-pointer by Eric Piatkowski opened the fourth quarter and gave the Clippers their largest lead at 71-65. O'Neal scored seven quick points but two free throws by McInnis still had the Clippers holding a 77-72 advantage with 8:52 remaining. Rider began the run with a tough 3-pointer and later added a three-point play for an 84-79 lead with 6:13 to play. O'Neal scored inside before his parade to the line began. He twice split a pair of free throws around a three-point play to give the Lakers a 90-81 bulge with 4:40 to go. "It's impossible to guard O'Neal in the post," Clippers coach Alvin Gentry said. "We did a good job on him in the first half and he gets 30 or so in the second half. He's like a heavyweight boxer. He just keeps wearing you down and keeps punching. Finally, you have no defense against him. Your only hope is to foul him and send him to the free-throw line. There is nobody capable in the NBA to guard him down there. We chose to put him on the line and it didn't work but I don't think you can play him any other way." The Clippers did not quit, getting within 98-95 on Piatkoswki's three-point play with 2:07 left. But they were a second late with an intentional foul on O'Neal, giving Kobe Bryant a free throw and the Lakers possession. O'Neal's follow shot made it 101-95 with 1:47 remaining and the victory was sealed when Odom missed a pair at the other end. Bryant scored 21 points but had just one basket in the second half for the Lakers, who shot just 42 percent (39-of-93) but held a 46-41 rebounding edge. Piatkowski scored 13 points and former Laker Sean Rooks added 12 for the Clippers, who shot 49 percent (40-of-82) but also had trouble at the line, making just 17-of-30. Odom pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds. "We didn't win but we came and played and we stayed together," Rooks said. "That was the biggest thing. We showed a lot of heart. If we stay into it, stay together, and play with composure we're going to win games." Rooks took a turn defending against O'Neal and expressed frustration,"What can you do? If you lean on him it's a foul and if you don't it's a bucket." Early on, 6-9 teenage rookie Darius Miles soared to swat away a jumper by O'Neal. But that was the only highlight of the first period for the Clippers, who made 6-of-21 shots and trailed, 23-14. "We were focused on winning the game," Miles said. "At halftime we were a little bit surprised. We knew we could make a dream come true. We were there right to the end but fell a little short. We gave them our best shot down the stretch and played defense with the best of them. We just wanted to prove there ain't no more blowing out the Clippers. You're going to have to work for your win." A 20-footer by Rider gave the Lakers a 34-21 lead with 8:06 to play in the second quarter before the Clippers' aggressiveness began to pay off. Piatkowski scored five points in a 15-5 surge that also included six missed free throws and closed the deficit to 39-36 with 2:56 left. The Lakers gave away the advantage in the third quarter. Miles swatted a drive by Bryant against the backboard and Tyrone Nesby scored five points in a 7-0 burst, giving the Clippers a 59-55 lead with 3:44 left.
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