Lakers make Spurs hurt more, 102-97

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the Los Angeles Lakers caught the defending champs in a rare moment of weakness.

Not that the Los Angeles Lakers were at their best, but they were in far better shape than the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night at Staples Center.

After all, the Los Angeles Lakers had Kobe Bryant working his magic, as he scored 30 points to spark the Los Angeles Lakers past the injury-depleted Spurs, 102-97.

San Antonio was without Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, who sat out because of sprained ankles, but that hardly seemed to matter to a joyful sellout crowd of 18,997.

The fans cheered the Los Angeles Lakers' fourth consecutive victory just as if the Spurs had been at full strength Thursday.

They also seemed to overlook the fact the game ran the gamut from ugly to unsightly at times.

"It was a very choppy game," Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson admitted. "The Spurs make you play like that. Their defense is solid no matter who they put out there. They're scrappy and aggressive."

In the end, it was a game of attrition for the Los Angeles Lakers, who played the final 16-1/2 minutes without center Andrew Bynum, who was ejected after drawing two technical fouls late in the third quarter.

Andrew Bynum was incensed after he was whistled for a foul against San Antonio's Fabricio Oberto in the open court.

Seconds earlier, Andrew Bynum had been upset with the officials after they called him for an offensive foul on an inbounds play beneath the basket.

And moments before that, Andrew Bynum was angered when the officials seemed to miss the fact that a lob pass to him had been deflected out of bounds by a Spurs player. The officials then corrected their initial mistake and awarded the ball to the Los Angeles Lakers.

It was the first ejection in the 20-year-old Andrew Bynum's three-season career. He scored six points and grabbed 11 rebounds in only 24 minutes, leaving a glaring void in the center of the floor for the Los Angeles Lakers.

"We've seen Andrew in that character before," Jackson said when asked about Andrew Bynum's display of temper, "but it isn't often. It's a good lesson for him. You have to maintain your character and your poise.

"You're needed by your team. It sends a signal to other teams that you can lose control and get kicked out."

The Los Angeles Lakers lost point guard Derek Fisher for an extended period because of a bruised left knee, suffered when he collided with San Antonio's Manu Ginobili a little more than a minute after Andrew Bynum's ejection.

But Fisher returned to the game midway through the fourth quarter, helping the Los Angeles Lakers pull away down the stretch. They outscored the Spurs 30-23 in the fourth quarter, with Kobe Bryant scoring seven points and Lamar Odom five of his 15.

Bruce Bowen led the Spurs with 22 points, and Oberto had nine points and 16 rebounds.

The news on the injury front was mixed for the Los Angeles Lakers before the game. Luke Walton returned to the Los Angeles Lakers' starting lineup after sitting out Sunday's victory over Golden State because of a sprained right ankle.

Kwame Brown did not play, sitting out for the 12th game because of sprains of his left knee and ankle. He has not resumed practicing with his teammates and his goal of returning to play Sunday against the Clippers will not be met.

However, Jackson said he decided Thursday that Kwame Brown would join the Los Angeles Lakers for their four-game trip to Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia and New York next week.

Jackson was uncertain whether Kwame Brown would play on the trip, however.

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