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Bryant leads balanced attack as Lakers top Clippers

Dec 3, 2006 - 6:17 AM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- After Kobe Bryant carried the Los Angeles Lakers in their last contest, he got some help from his friends this time around.

Bryant scored 29 points and Lamar Odom added 18 and eight rebounds as the Lakers took advantage of sloppy play by the struggling Los Angeles Clippers in a 97-88 victory.

In just 11 minutes, Vladimir Radmanovic scored 10 points off the bench for the Lakers, who shot 50 percent (40-of-80) from the field and had four double-digit scorers to pick up their second straight win.

"I get a big sense of enjoyment to see my teammates play well," Bryant said. "I see how hard they work. We've been working hard with this triangle offense. (Radmanovic) was able to recognize spots where he could operate. I was very happy for him."

Coming off a season-high 52-point outing, including 30 points in the third quarter, on Thursday vs. Utah, Bryant had a tough act to follow two days later. The superstar guard did not disappoint, shooting 11-of-23 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the foul line.

However, the Lakers shared the ball well and did not have to rely on Bryant to bail them out. Odom benefited from all the attention paid to Bryant, shooting 8-of-13 from the field and 2-of-5 from the arc.

"The Utah game was a team win. It just so happens that Kobe goes for 30 points in one quarter," Odom said. "Defensively, the Clippers probably watched the tape of that game and probably said that wasn't going to happen to us.

"They did a good job of cutting off his lanes and everybody was able to stay involved in the game. He made plays the whole game and I was able to stay aggressive. And that really helped us."

Smush Parker netted 11 points and Luke Walton and Kwame Brown combined for 12 as all the Lakers' role players stepped up.

"When they went to a lineup that was favorable to us very, very small and taking out (Elton) Brand and going with (Corey) Maggette," Odom said. "So when they went to that lineup, we tried to go inside with using Luke and Kwame and those guys we were able to get inside."

Clippers point guard Sam Cassell, normally solid with the ball, committed five of the team's 18 turnovers, leading to 28 points. Cuttino Mobley and Brand scored 17 points apiece for the Clippers, who shot 44 percent (34-of-78).

"I thought our turnovers were just way to costly," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy. "The turnover department was the one that hurt us. I thought our guys missed too many easy shots around the basket. I don't know the reason why we haven't been finishing, but it is a big difference for us."