Bryant Scores 42 to Lift Lakers

LOS ANGELES, May 11 -- After spending his morning and afternoon in an Eagle, Colo., court room, pleading not guilty to felony sexual assault charges, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant took a chartered jet back to this city and carried his team to victory. Bryant's 42-point performance in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals lifted the Los Angeles Lakers to a 98-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs and evened this best-of-seven series at two games apiece.

His performance in his team's biggest game of the season breathed new life into a team that seemed to be on life support after the Spurs won the first two games of this series. Now, it's a best of-three showdown, with Game 5 Thursday in San Antonio.

"I just feel numb right now. Just tired," Bryant said when asked about his long day of travel. "I want to get some sleep. I can't say that I have [played a better playoff game]. It's very draining but it feels good to step out on that basketball court. It feels so good to get up and down and compete, go up against the Spurs and Bruce [Bowen] and all the other guards that were there. I enjoy it so much It is kind of like a psychiatrist. It takes your mind off so many things. When you love your job it's an escape. The pressure, the stress, you can get out there on the basketball court it's an escape. I'm just happy to be out there doing what you do best."

"That was a big game, the biggest game of the year. I wanted to come out and leave it out on t he floor. Let it all hang out."

Shaquille O'Neal added 28 points and 14 rebounds. No other Laker was in double figures.

"Hats off to Kobe and Shaq. We just didn't have any answers for them," Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said. "I was glad we came and competed. I thought we really gave away an opportunity last game. We were aggressive. We came to play. We competed and hung tough but in the end, we had no answer for Kobe or Shaq. They took it away."

Spurs forward Tim Duncan (19 points, 10 rebounds) had a steady game, he failed to take over at any point. Point guard Tony Parker (18 points) has been kept from going on any prolonged stretches of solid play too, and while role players Manu Ginobili (21 points) and Hedo Turkoglu (16 points) had steady games, the inability of San Antonio's big duo to rise up to the level of Bryant and O'Neal was crucial.

San Antonio's vaunted defense also was shredded as L.A. made 50 percent of its shots, a figure rarely seen in a game this important between teams who have met so many times.

Then again, Bryant was nearly unstoppable. He scored 18 first-half points, then, after a game-turning third quarter, led by O'Neal, Bryant stirred a monsoon of momentum to get his team, down by 10 at halftime, a double-digit lead just minutes into the final period.

San Antonio got as close as 76-73 in the opening stretch of the fourth quarter but Bryant nailed a three pointer and a Dr. J-like scoop shot from under the backboard to quickly get the Lakers to 83-73. From there, with the crowd on its feet, Los Angeles put the finishing touches on a performance that is going to generate cries that maybe, just maybe, they can win the championship that this team was built to capture.

Tuesday night was the fourth time this season Bryant has flown back to Los Angeles after a court hearing in Eagle, Col. In those games he is averaging 30.7 points, including a 31-point performance on April 28 that helped the Lakers eliminate the Houston Rockets in the fifith game of their first-round series.

"Everybody is impressed with the way Kobe is able to compartmentalize," Popovich said. "He's going through a tough time. You feel badly for him, for the young lady for their families, the whole situation is just awful, for everybody. You wish people didn't have to go through that. That's the reality of the thing and he's handling it the best he can. Doing it silently and with class and doing what he's got to do as far as the basketball court is concerned and the court in Colorado. . . . I'm glad he was able to get here and play.

"He made some unbelievable shots but he's an unbelievable player. It's not like it's an aberration and the next time we see this is when there's going to be an eclipse. The guy does this."

Forward Karl Malone had just 9 points but he was bothered Duncan on defense for the second straight game. Guard Gary Payton was steady and, as usual, the Lakers got very little from the small forward spot. However, with Bryant adding yet another showcase performance to his already lengthy list of incredible games, the Lakers needed little else.

The Lakers erased a 10-point, halftime deficit with an overwhelming third quarter, which, after they held the Spurs to just five field goals, ended with L.A. up 74-69 going into the decisive fourth. Los Angeles, which came out of the break playing with a sense of despair, outscored San Antonio 31-16 in the quarter as Bryant and O'Neal went to work. The tandem combined for 25 points in the quarter while, in step with their teammates, held San Antonio just 25 percent shooting.

Meanwhile, the Lakers were in lockstep offensively, making 12 of 19 shots, and, their aggression was highlighted by their 13-5 rebounding edge in the quarter.

Bryant did his best to get the Lakers back in the game after re-entering the game four minutes in the second period and L.A. down 10. He scored 11 of his 18 first-half points in the quarter, some in spectacular fashion, however the Spurs seemed to always have an answer, including a late surge that stretched their lead to 53-43 at halftime.

Los Angeles, which trailed by 10 early in the second quarter, got as close as 41-40 after a highlight-film drive and over-the-shoulder runner by Bryant but San Antonio countered with a 13-2 run.