# Game #11: Bulls @ Lakers



## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

<center>








Chicago Bulls (0-7, 5th Central)  
@








Los Angeles Lakers (5-5, 4th Pacific)


Sunday, Nov. 21
6:30 pm
vs. Bulls
TV: FSN, NBALP
Radio: KLAC-AM 570/KWKW-AM 1330









Odom had a double-double on Friday. 

*TV/Radio Broadcasts*
  
  
  

Los Angeles Lakers

*Probable Starting Lineup*





































PG: Chucky Atkins
PF: Lamar Odom
C: Chris Mihm
SF: Caron Butler
SG: Kobe Bryant

*Key Reserves:*















Brian Grant
Brian Cook

Chicago Bulls

*Probable Starting Lineup*





































PG: Kirk Hinrich
PF: Tyson Chandler
C: Eddy Curry
SF: Andres Nocioni
SG: Eric Piatkowski

*Key Reserves:*















Luol Deng
Antonio Davis

*Last Meeting:* 
March 14, 2004 - CHICAGO (AP) -- Kobe Bryant shrugged off a sore shoulder and took over the game when he sensed the Los Angeles Lakers were in trouble. With Michael Jordan -- whose career was defined by late heroics -- watching, Bryant scored 12 of his 35 points in the final five minutes Saturday night, sending the Lakers to an 88-81 win over the Bulls. ``I made some pretty big shots for us. I just think about how fun it is to be out there playing the game. I didn't think about the pain,'' Bryant said. ``We were kind of stagnant. We didn't have a good offensive punch, so I picked it up a little bit.''

*Upcoming Games:*

Tue, Nov 23
Lakers vs. Milwaukee 
7:30 pm 
(TV: FSN, NBALP) 

Fri, Nov 26 
Lakers vs. Sacramento 
7:30 pm 
(TV: ESPN, FSN)

Sun, Nov 28
Lakers vs. New Orleans 
6:30 pm 
(TV: FSN, NBATVHighDef)

Chicago Bulls Forum Game Thread</center>

Sorry no poll this game


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## jazzy1 (Jul 16, 2002)

Lakers win Kobe with a low 20 points triple double again. Butler, Atkins , Odom and Cook in double figures. Lakers win by 15.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

Lakers win by a billion.


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

This is the game where I see Da Bulls getting their first win of the year, sadly.. 

Btw isnt Vlade suppose to return? Or not? Mihm not sick anymore from Amare-itis?


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## Locke (Jun 16, 2003)

There is no way the Lakers lose this game. No way in hell. If they do I'll sport a Chicago Bulls avatar for a week.


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## Lynx (Mar 6, 2004)

Lakers by 25.


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## Hov (Aug 12, 2003)

Nothing like a good ol game with the Bulls to get back on track.


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## AC-Milan (Nov 21, 2004)

lakers will beat bulls, hopefully kobe will be fully recovered


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

Chicago (0-7) at Los Angeles Lakers (5-5) 9:30 pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- The Los Angeles Lakers attempt to win their third straight game at the Staples Center when they start a four-game homestand Sunday against the winless Chicago Bulls.

On Friday, the Lakers squandered a 17-point lead in a 107-102 loss against the Phoenix Suns.

Kobe Bryant posted his 10th career triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and Caron Butler added 21 points and six rebounds for Los Angeles, which fell to 2-4 on the road.

The Lakers made 14 3-pointers in defeat - their third-best 3-point shooting performance in franchise history.

Despite being hampered by a left foot injury, Bryant has averaged 27.8 points per game this season - second best in the league.

Los Angeles, which swept a two-game series against the Bulls last season, is 5-0 this season when limiting opponents to under 100 points. The Lakers are 0-5 when allowing opponents to eclipse the 100-point mark, however.

Rookie Andres Nocioni scored a career-high 22 points and Kirk Hinrich added 10 and 10 assists, but the Bulls dropped a 99-81 decision against the Denver Nuggets on Friday.

Chicago, which has reached the midway point in its season-long seven-game road trip, fell to 0-7 with the loss. With two more losses, the Bulls would match the 1967-68 team for the worst start in franchise history.

Rookie Luol Deng, who is leading the team in scoring, has failed to score in double figures in the last two games and is averaging just 11 points during the road trip.


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## Lakerman33 (Oct 16, 2004)

If the lakers do not win. I might go on the street throw a beer at sum guys face then kick his *** just for the hell of it:upset: :upset:


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## Cris (Jun 18, 2003)

lakers take 17 point lead
bulls make it a 6 point game
lakers take 13 point lead
bulls go on run near end of game
lakers win by 6
[/list=1]


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Cris</b>!
> 
> lakers take 17 point lead
> bulls make it a 6 point game
> ...





That's the pattern so far. :laugh:

But honestly, the Bulls are hungry for a win, and no matter how bad a team is, sometimes a team that hungry will play amazing ball. 

Let's just hope the Lakers don't play down to the competition.


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## Pan Mengtu (Jun 18, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>EHL</b>!
> Lakers win by a billion.


No need for exaggerations. They'll will by 550 million, tops, and you know it.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Pan Mengtu</b>!
> 
> 
> No need for exaggerations. They'll will by 550 million, tops, and you know it.


Agreed.


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## PauloCatarino (May 31, 2003)

Lakers by 9.


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## HallOfFamer (May 26, 2003)

Vlade was suppost to play today, but we should still be able to pull this out by at least 10.


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## Lakerman33 (Oct 16, 2004)

IF kobe was hitting from the line we would have alot more breathing room. Deng playing very well. Odom playing solid on both ends. atleast lakers cant blow a lead since were up by 2 

20 LA
18 CHI


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## Pejavlade (Jul 10, 2004)

kobe 4-11 from the stripe


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## Fracture (Mar 31, 2004)

Kobe's shot doesn't seem to be there today. He's getting to the FT line but he's not making them.:whoknows:


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## Cris (Jun 18, 2003)

:no: :no: :no: :no:


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## Hov (Aug 12, 2003)

Kobe's jumpshooting has been really off this season. :no:


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

Absolutely pathetic half. Kobe playing like dog crap, 4-11 from the line is just ridiculous. 3-10 from the floor.  Jesus, you're injured Kobe, give the foot a rest and stop playing basketball.


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

I thought all that added muscle would improve Kobe's shooting mechanics and fg%?


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## HallOfFamer (May 26, 2003)

Kobe with some nice passes on the last couple possessions. Mihm with some high energy and abusing Curry.

BTW, I really like the way Hinrich plays, dont get to see him much, but from the little Ive seen of him, hes pretty good and entertaining to watch.


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

Lakers win 102-93


```
Name  	Min  	FG  	3Pt  	FT  	Off  	Reb  	Ast  	TO  	Stl  	Blk  	PF  	Pts 
Butler 	42 	7-20 	3-8 	4-4 	2 	7 	3 	1 	2 	1 	3 	21 
Odom 	36 	3-8 	1-2 	5-6 	4 	12 	5 	3 	0 	0 	4 	12 
Mihm 	33 	7-11 	0-0 	4-4 	7 	10 	0 	1 	1 	0 	4 	18 
Bryant 	46 	10-22 	1-2 	8-17 	2 	10 	7 	9 	1 	1 	4 	29 
Atkins 	39 	5-12 	4-9 	0-0 	1 	4 	4 	1 	1 	0 	4 	14 
Walton 	11 	1-1 	1-1 	0-0 	3 	4 	4 	1 	1 	0 	3 	3 
Grant 	15 	0-1 	0-0 	0-0 	0 	2 	0 	1 	1 	0 	3 	0 
Brown 	9 	1-3 	1-1 	0-0 	0 	1 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	3 
Cook 	9 	1-3 	0-1 	0-0 	0 	2 	1 	0 	0 	0 	3 	2 
Medvedenko 	DNP - Coach's Decision
Rush 		DNP - Coach's Decision
Vujacic 	DNP - Coach's Decision
Totals 	240 	35-81 	11-24 	21-31 	19 	52 	24 	17 	7 	2 	28 	102
```


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## HallOfFamer (May 26, 2003)

That Packer game was good eh B34C?:grinning:


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## Hov (Aug 12, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Amareca</b>!
> I thought all that added muscle would improve Kobe's shooting mechanics and fg%?


I remember he struggled with his jumpshot in the beginning of the season when he added muscle back in 02-03, but it wasn't as bad as it is this year.
I'm sure his jumpshot will come back by the all-star break.

Kobe's FT% went from 87.1% to 81.9% tonight :sour:


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>HallOfFamer</b>!
> Vlade was suppost to play today, but we should still be able to pull this out by at least 10.


Mmmm...nah, the Lakers have been expecting him to come back either Tuesday against Milwaukee or Chicago against Friday. After seeing how fat Vlade was before his back got better, it's obvious that he needs to get into much better condition before he can start playing. It wouldn't surprise me if he came back after the Sacramento game, either.


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## HallOfFamer (May 26, 2003)

For an offnight for Kobe, his line in the stat column looks awesome.


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>HallOfFamer</b>!
> That Packer game was good eh B34C?:grinning:


Yes I was :gopray: forever when they were down 13-3 goin to the last quarter.. But I had that feeling Brett would lead em back like usual.. Boy I'm gonna **** myself next week against the Rams if the Pack win on a FG again as time expires :laugh: 

Kobe shot like Shaq at the line but had great numbers overall.. Solid win..

I was also scared at the time it was tied at 75 :laugh:


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## Pinball (Aug 3, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>HallOfFamer</b>!
> For an offnight for Kobe, his line in the stat column looks awesome.


He needs to cut down on the TOs. 9 TOs is just pathetic no matter how well you play. He's been averaging about 4 TOs per game and he needs to bring that number down to about 2.5-3. I like the way he's been passing and rebounding, though. I liked Butler's assertiveness tonight. Odom played a solid all around game and Mihm came up big. The Lakers need to string together consecutive wins instead of winning one and losing one all the time.


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## VincentVega (Oct 12, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>HallOfFamer</b>!
> 
> BTW, I really like the way Hinrich plays, dont get to see him much, but from the little Ive seen of him, hes pretty good and entertaining to watch.


Well, some people on the Chicago board think we should bench him.

Personally, I think he's a top 10 PG and a future All-Star.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

They recorded those 9 TO's wrong, no way he had that many. Maybe 5 or 6, but no 9. I think the stat keepers counted some TOs on Kobe when Odom and Butler bobbled passes from Kobe a few times. 

Either way, I was afraid that would happen, playing down to the competition is dangerous. That said, Kobe’s jumper was horribly off tonight, as were his FTs. He really needs to rest that foot. Shutting it down for a few games would help.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>VincentVega</b>!
> 
> 
> Well, some people on the Chicago board think we should bench him.
> ...


Definitely.


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## Pinball (Aug 3, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>VincentVega</b>!
> 
> 
> Well, some people on the Chicago board think we should bench him.
> ...


I'd take him in a heartbeat in LA. I like Hinrich much more than I like Gordon because Hinrich has a set position and is the type of PG that creates for other players before getting himself involved.


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## bballlife (Oct 5, 2003)

Ya Kirk played really well tonight, its too bad he wasnt looking for his shot a little more early on.

Kobe played pretty bad in certain stretches. My theory is that his foot is bothering him so much that it is starting to affect his focus. And that in turn is hurting him with free throws, TO's, losing the ball, etc. 

Kobe just doesnt shoot 8 for 17 from the line, I didnt think I would ever see him shoot that bad from the line. 


Taking 5 games off wouldnt be a bad idea once Divac gets back.


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## Pinball (Aug 3, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>bballlife</b>!
> Ya Kirk played really well tonight, its too bad he wasnt looking for his shot a little more early on.
> 
> Kobe played pretty bad in certain stretches. My theory is that his foot is bothering him so much that it is starting to affect his focus. And that in turn is hurting him with free throws, TO's, losing the ball, etc.
> ...


Unfortunately, it's not going to happen. Kobe is not going to ask out of games and the coaching staff doesn't have enough clout to force him to miss some action. Kobe has got to use his brain here. There are still several months left in the season. The only way his foot is going to feel better is if he rests it for a couple of weeks. I think the best thing to do is give him 7-8 games off during an easy stretch where we can win half or more of our games.


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## jazzy1 (Jul 16, 2002)

Ugly win our pg problems showed up bigtime tonight as well as our inability to cover any sort of pick and roll. 

I agree with Pinball Kobe has to get his to's down but with how much he handles the ball and the responsibility he has to create everything for everyone its not likely to happen. 

He has too much playmaking responsibility there are too many dependant players Kobe has to set up like Mihm, Cook, Butler, Atkins and Brown. 

Plus Kobe's not all that familiar with everyone's game yet. 

Kobe at the line was an odd thing him missing so much. 

But I like what Kobe did tonight he stopped shooting J's and forced the ball inside when he does that he's unguardable.But I think his foot prevents him from penetrating . 

Having Divac back will help Kobe limit his to's. He can run the offense through him in the high post Kobe will get some easy backdoor cuts with Divac back. 

Have to play better as a team against the Bucks though to win. 

Mihm only plays well at home on the road he's terrible tonight as usual he was good again. 

Butler is starting to come on , odom was just his normal self doing alittle bit of everything.


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Pinball</b>!
> I'd take him in a heartbeat in LA. I like Hinrich much more than I like Gordon because Hinrich has a set position and is the type of PG that creates for other players before getting himself involved.


So, Hinrich for Kobe sound good?  

Either way, yeah I think Hinrich and Deng are going to be very good. Hinrich has 10 turnovers and 51 assists in the past 6 games. Deng is a such a unique player because he is so new to the game, and already has a sweet touch. He is only 19, in 4-5 years he could be one of the best shooters in the league in my opinion. He works hard at it. 

Either way, ya'll didn't play well and still won. Bulls have no interior defense and it shows every game. If the Bulls could get their hands on a guy who could defend the paint, a coach who had better offensive sets, and swap Gordon for a guy like Desmond Mason, they'd do pretty well I think. 

Either way, Kobe once again shows the ability to not have a good game and still have great numbers. the kid is the best shooting guard in the league right now, point blank.


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## jazzy1 (Jul 16, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Pinball</b>!
> 
> 
> Unfortunately, it's not going to happen. Kobe is not going to ask out of games and the coaching staff doesn't have enough clout to force him to miss some action. Kobe has got to use his brain here. There are still several months left in the season. The only way his foot is going to feel better is if he rests it for a couple of weeks. I think the best thing to do is give him 7-8 games off during an easy stretch where we can win half or more of our games.


But Pinball there's no way Kobe can sit out and the team survive. This team will surely lose most of the games if Kobe doesn't play they just need to cut his minutes is all. 

No way with that sort of injury can he miss 7-8 games. He won't heal up that much anyway even if he misses that many games. It'll only get sore when he starts back playing again. 

Just something he has to deal with.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)




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## jazzy1 (Jul 16, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Johnny Mac</b>!
> 
> 
> So, Hinrich for Kobe sound good?
> ...


I love Hinrich he's my favorite pg in the league right now. He gets almost 8 assist per game on the Bulls roster. Put him on a team with real shooters and scorers and he could get 11-12 assists a night. 

He's the new version more athletic Mark Price. 

I love his game. 

He and Deng are real pieces to the puzzle everyone else is expendable to me. 

The Bulls should never even think about moving either of them. Hinrich is headed for stardom once he gets players around him. 

Deng is so tough and competitve I think he's gonna be special also. Much better athlete and much better from outside than people thought he'd be.


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>jazzy1</b>!
> I love Hinrich he's my favorite pg in the league right now. He gets almost 8 assist per game on the Bulls roster. Put him on a team with real shooters and scorers and he could get 11-12 assists a night.
> 
> He's the new version more athletic Mark Price.
> ...


Yeah man, I'd also throw in Nocioni as a guy to keep, but realistically he should be a bench player this year and next year. Too turnover prone, too foul prone, and all the rookie tendencies on top of the adjustment to the NBA rules from international rules. Unfortunetly Bulls don't have such luxuries. 

Anyone change their mind about Curry/Mihm tonight?


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## Lakerman33 (Oct 16, 2004)

Kirk is saweet! Wow if he was on the Lakers....I could only imagine...:grinning: we would be asome. DENG! gotta love thoes laker play by play guys:laugh:. but deng played really well 2night he cooled off when the put #8 on him but the bulls have a bright future. NIcolias or w.e his name is just passed emmit smith for most yards. Also he mad a a ss of himself when he jumped for thoes pumpfakes. Atkins played well hes starting to gel. Odom worries he looks very sad.


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## jazzy1 (Jul 16, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Johnny Mac</b>!
> 
> 
> Yeah man, I'd also throw in Nocioni as a guy to keep, but realistically he should be a bench player this year and next year. Too turnover prone, too foul prone, and all the rookie tendencies on top of the adjustment to the NBA rules from international rules. Unfortunetly Bulls don't have such luxuries.
> ...


Eddie Curry is the lazy ******* who drank all the kool-aid. 

He is SO lazy I mean SO Lazy Mihm outworked him didn't outplay him but outworked him. 

He fought harder for boards and just got any postion in the post he wanted.


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

Which is why I would swap Curry for Mihm in a heartbeat. Mihm is an actual piece, whereas Curry is the guy you think will be a much bigger piece, but always seems to let you down.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Johnny Mac</b>!
> 
> 
> Anyone change their mind about Curry/Mihm tonight?


Nope.


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## Lakerman33 (Oct 16, 2004)

POG: ATKINS MIHM CARON.... TIERRE BROWN (3 PT'er WOW!:grinning: )


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

Interesting statistic: 

Player FG% (Last Year, Career, This year)

Odom .430 .441 *.485*

Butler .380 .408 *.505*

Mihm .488 .443 *.537*

Atkins .397 .416 *.478 *

Conclusion; Kobe can setup his teammates very well, but sucks at keeping his career FG% (45%) the same. He's shooting barely 40% on the year. Sure, he has a bad left foot, but that's not the entire reason. 

If Rudy let's Odom set up Kobe and other teammates more, it would really improve this team. If he let Odom *and* Vlade do it more (setup a basic motion offense like in Sac), and really practice it hard...man, this could be a really good team without any trades. Though obviously, trades still need to be made. 

These are early stats, but they give you a good idea of what we're going to see.


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

LA Lakers 102, Chicago 93

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant had one of his strangest games Sunday night.

The good: he had 29 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers past the winless Chicago Bulls 102-93.

The bad: He missed nine foul shots including one he tried to bank in, and committed nine of his team's 17 turnovers.

``Yeah, it was (strange),'' Bryant said with a smile. ``Well enough for the win. I won't lose any sleep over it.''

Bryant entered the game having shot 101-of-116 (87.1 percent) from the foul line. He was 8-of-17 in this game, missing six of his first eight attempts. 

His eighth try, late in the first period, hit the backboard and the front rim before bouncing away. He said he was, indeed, trying to bank the ball in.

`I shot it a little too hard,'' he added.

Bryant shot 4-of-11 from the foul line in the first quarter and 4-of-6 in the final three minutes.

All five Los Angeles starters scored in double figures, and the Lakers (6-5) outscored the Bulls 18-9 to finish the game.

``I think they played good -- really good,'' Lakers coach Rudy Tomjanovich said of the Bulls. ``Kobe had a rare night at the free throw line. That tightened the game up a little bit. We're going to have games like this. They were smelling that first (win). I feel very fortunate, those guys played their hearts out.''

By losing their eighth straight game, the Bulls are within one loss of tying the 1967-68 team for the worst start in franchise history. They play Monday night at Phoenix against the streaking Suns (8-2), who beat the Clippers 122-111 earlier Sunday at Staples Center.

``We didn't play a bad game,'' Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. ``This was the third game on this trip that we could have won.'' 

The Bulls have three games left on a seven-game road trip.

``When the time comes to make the big plays in order to win, we're not able to make them,'' Skiles said. ``It was a game we felt like we should have won, but we weren't able to get it. We're not looking for any medals just because we stayed in the game.''

Caron Butler had 21 points and seven rebounds; Chris Mihm added 18 points and 10 rebounds; Chucky Atkins scored 14 points, and Lamar Odom had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers.

Kirk Hinrich led Chicago with 24 points and a season-high 12 assists. Rookie Luol Deng added 21 points; rookie Ben Gordon scored 15, and Eddy Curry had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls.

Chicago's starters outscored the reserves 47-46 after being outscored by 35-14 in the first half. Los Angeles' first-stringers outscored their reserves 94-8.

The Lakers outrebounded the Bulls 52-33.

Hinrich's fourth 3-pointer of the game tied it 84-all with 5 1/2 minutes remaining. Mihm put the Lakers ahead for good by scoring from underneath 19 seconds later, and Odom's three-point play with 4:09 left gave the Lakers an 89-84 lead.

Hinrich's air ball was followed by Butler's 3-pointer off an assist from Bryant, giving the Lakers an eight-point lead with 3:20 left. Bryant's long 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with one minute to play made it 99-89 and clinched the victory.

``We were able to play good team defense in the fourth quarter, get some stops when we needed them,'' Odom said.

The Lakers outscored the Bulls 27-8 to finish the second quarter and start the third for a 67-53 lead. Bryant scored 10 points and Atkins and Mihm added six each during the run.

But Hinrich made three 3-pointers, and Gordon one during a 16-4 spurt that enabled the Bulls to draw within two points.

It was 73-69 entering the fourth quarter, and three baskets by Curry to start the period gave the Bulls a two-point lead.

``You hate to lose, but at the same time, I think that we are definitely improving as a team,'' Curry said. ``Once we correct a few things, there's no reason why we shouldn't win a lot of games this season.''

*Notes:*
The Bulls and New Orleans Hornets (0-8) are the NBA's only winless teams. Mihm returned after missing the Lakers' 107-102 loss at Phoenix on Friday night because of stomach flu. ... Tomjanovich believes C Vlade Divac (herniated disk) and Jumaine Jones (strained right calf) will be healthy enough to play sometime this week. ... Despite having never started an NBA game, Deng leads the Bulls in scoring. He showed why in the first quarter when he surpassed his previous average of 15.3 points by scoring 17. ... Gordon scored 10 points in the second period to surpass his previous average of 7.9.


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

Lakers Barrel Past Bulls









Lamar Odom moves the ball past Tyson Chandler in Sunday night action.

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 21 (Ticker) -- Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers had too much down the stretch for the road-weary Chicago Bulls.

Kobe Bryant led five players in double figures with 29 points and keyed a late run as the Lakers posted a 102-93 victory over the Bulls, who are winless in eight games this season.

Los Angeles nearly lost a big lead against one of two teams in the league without a win. But Bryant, who fell three assists shy of a triple-double, scored seven points in the final 2:41 to highlight an 18-9 run.

Bryant's only 3-pointer of the game, with 60 seconds left, beat the shot-clock buzzer and capped the closing surge, pushing the Lakers' lead to 99-89.

"I always believe that whatever happens the first 3½ quarters, that towards the end of the game when there are big shots, I'm going to make them no matter what," Bryant said.

Los Angeles' All-Star guard struggled from the line (8-of-17), however, and turned the ball over nine times. The rest of the starters picked him up early.

Chris Mihm scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. His hook in the lane with 5:12 left gave the Lakers the lead for good, 86-84. Caron Butler scored 21 points, Chucky Atkins 14 and Lamar Odom 12.

"I knew there were opportunities for me," Mihm said. "I wanted that and I got my hook shot so all was good."

Mihm, Bryant and Odom combined for 32 rebounds, matching the Bulls' team total. Nineteen were on the offensive end, including seven by Mihm.

"We did a great job on the boards and that gradually wore them down," Mihm said.

"This is a game we feel we should have won," Chicago coach Scott Skiles. "You can't give up 19 offensive rebounds and still win."

Los Angeles' bench provided just seven points.

Kirk Hinrich and rookie Luol Deng led the Bulls' second-half charge. Hinrich scored 24 points and dished out 12 assists. Deng, just 19 years old, quickly is emerging as one of Chicago's top players and led a strong performance by the Bulls' bench with 21 points.

"You can't explain (how it feels to be 0-8)," Hinrich said. "It's about as frustrating as it gets. We need a win for the psyche of this team. I think a win would help tremendously.

"The game was very winnable. They made plays down the stretch. Kobe, obviously the one he threw in from 40 feet, or whatever, was the dagger."

After making a 22-6 run to reclaim the lead early in the fourth, Chicago had little left down the stretch and fell within one loss of matching the worst start in franchise history.

The Bulls, who lost their first nine games of the 1967-68 season, are four games into a seven-game road trip -- their longest of the season.

"You can't help but feel discouraged," Skiles said. "But overall, I would say they're still working hard and paying attention."

"They're new with each other," Butler said. "Once they get into a system and the chemistry starts rolling and they're with each other, they're gonna be a scary team to watch."


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## Lynx (Mar 6, 2004)

Missed freebies and turnovers by Kobe and Lakers still won.  

Expect the unexpected this season, fellas.


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