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Bryant suspended as Lakers start season-high road trip

Jan 30, 2007 - 5:58 PM LA Lakers (27-17) at New York (19-27) 7:30 pm EST

NEW YORK (Ticker) -- When the Los Angeles Lakers begin their season-high eight-game road trip Tuesday against the New York Knicks, they will be without superstar Kobe Bryant.

Fourth in the NBA at 28.4 points per game, Bryant was suspended one game without pay by the NBA for hitting San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili in the face in the fourth quarter of Sunday's overtime loss.

Bryant is eligible to return Wednesday at Boston. Without him, the Lakers will have to rely more heavily on versatile forward Lamar Odom, who returned two games ago after missing a month with an injury. Odom played 47 minutes Sunday, collecting 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Los Angeles will be looking for its fourth straight win in the series against New York, which is coming off a loss at Milwaukee on Sunday. Guard Jamal Crawford, who scored a career-high 52 points in Friday's win over Miami, had 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter but missed a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer.

A extremely inconsistent squad, the Knicks have had some impressive wins this season, but none have sparked any prolonged run. New York is just 2-3 in its last five contests despite beating the Heat at home and surprising Indiana on the road.