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Bryant tries to duplicate 52-point outing vs. Clippers

Dec 2, 2006 - 5:07 PM LA Lakers (10-5) at LA Clippers (7-7) 10:30 pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- It's often difficult to take your eyes off Kobe Bryant when he gets on a roll. You never know what he'll do next.

Coming off a season-high 52-point outing - including 30 points in the third quarter - Bryant has a tough act to follow Saturday when the Los Angeles Lakers battle the Los Angeles Clippers.

Last season's scoring champ, Bryant made all nine shots and all 10 free throws in the the fourth-highest scoring quarter in league history. He hit 11 consecutive shots at one point and finished 19-of-26 to lead the Lakers to Thursday's 132-102 triumph over the Utah Jazz.

After recording 27 40-point games last season, including a stunning 81-point outing against the Toronto Raptors on January 22 - the second-highest total in NBA history - Bryant fell five points shy of the league's season high set by Michael Redd of the Milwaukee Bucks on November 11.

Maurice Evans scored 17 points and Lamar Odom added 14 with 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who have won six of eight.

After opening with six wins in their first eight contests, the Clippers lost five in a row before rebounding with Wednesday's 105-90 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Cuttino Mobley scored 24 points and Elton Brand added 20 for the Clippers, who shot nearly 53 percent (37-of-70) from the floor and posted a 39-36 rebounding edge.

The Lakers opened the fourth quarter by missing their first 11 shots before pulling away to post a 105-101 victory over the Clippers in their earlier meeting November 21. Bryant scored 40 points while Brand and Corey Maggette led the Clippers with 20 each.