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Wrath of Kobe Bryant sits out fourth quarter, still dumps 51 on NuggetsPosted: Thursday February 13, 2003 12:01 AMUpdated: Thursday February 13, 2003 1:04 AM
DENVER (AP) -- Kobe Bryant has been on a roll. Still, this was something special. Bryant scored an NBA season-high 51 points -- in less than three quarters -- as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets 113-102 Wednesday night to extend their winning streak to seven games. Bryant was 15-for-28 from the field and 18-of-20 on free throws in the NBA's first 50-point game this season. It was the 11th time he scored 40 or more points this season and his third career game with at least 50. Bryant finished five points short of his career high, set last year against Memphis, despite sitting out the final 13 minutes. "I am playing in such a good rhythm right now," Bryant said. "I don't know where it comes from." The Nuggets started with rookie Vincent Yarbrough guarding Bryant and switched in three others during the game. None of them stood a chance. Bryant has scored at least 35 points in seven straight games, including 42 in a 121-93 victory over Denver on Tuesday night. He had his 35 by halftime Wednesday, hitting 11-of-17 shots to tie a career high with 36 in the half. "We tried a lot of things. Give him credit," Nuggets coach Jeff Bzdelik said. Bryant opened with a baseline jumper off a screen, then became angry after Denver's Donnell Harvey hit him in the jaw on defense. Big mistake. Bryant nodded his head as he backed down the court after a tough fadeaway over Harvey on the next possession, then held his followthrough and shook his head after hitting a 3-pointer that put the Lakers up 7-0. He ended the quarter with a pullup jumper between two defenders and a free throw, outscoring the Nuggets 20-15 as the Lakers led by 11. "When you have a great player like that you just have to ride him," said Shaquille O'Neal, who added 18 points and 10 rebounds before sitting out the fourth. "I think when Harvey gave him the blow to the mouth, it woke him up." Denver missed seven of its first eight shots and fell behind 15-3 in the first four minutes before getting to 31-28 midway through the second. Then Bryant took over. He hit a 3-pointer from about three feet behind the line, then dunked over Nikoloz Tskitishvili after spinning around Chris Whitney. Bryant added another 3, a long jumper from the wing and a tough fadeaway along the baseline. He failed on an attempted 360 in the closing seconds, but still hit the free throws to finish the half with two fewer points than Denver. "He's tough. What more can you say," said Bzdelik, whose team has lost three straight and 10 of 12. "I've been in this league a long time and he is playing better than anybody I've ever seen." Bryant wasn't through. He opened the second half with a layup, followed with a long jumper, then had a few words for Denver's bench after a near-impossible fadeaway along the baseline. He also had the Denver crowd cheering with a hard dunk, and eclipsed the 50-point mark with a pair of free throws with 3:18 left. He never got a chance at his career high, leaving the game with 1:08 left in the third. "I told him the hook was out the way he was shooting the ball every time -- that at the end of the third quarter he better get it before the quarter was over or else he was coming out," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. Juwan Howard led the Nuggets with 22 points and seven rebounds.
Notes: Orlando's Tracy McGrady had the previous NBA high this
season with 47 points against Milwaukee on Nov. 2. ... Whitney
started for the first time since returning from an ankle injury on
Jan. 27. He had eight points and five assists. ... Bryant also had
36 in a half on Jan. 14, 2002, against Memphis -- when he set his
career high. His previous season high was 46, done twice. ...
Denver C Marcus Camby was 0-for-5 with no points in his third game
of the season. He missed 38 games after hip surgery and 10 more
after spraining his ankle. ... Los Angeles improved to 24-8 when
leading at halftime. ... Denver is 1-34 when opponents score 83
points or more.
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