Shaq Returns In A Big Way O’Neal Comes Off Injury List To Help Lakers Defeat Suns

Shaquille O’Neal impressed everybody but himself in his return from a 28-game layoff.

O’Neal had 24 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots and helped the Los Angeles Lakers to a 114-98 victory that snapped the Phoenix Suns’ 11-game winning streak Friday night.

“I did OK, missed a lot of easy shots that I didn’t usually miss, so hopefully the rust has ended,” he said. “I wanted to come back strong. I think I did.”

O’Neal, his left knee encased in a purple brace, played as though he had never been away. He scored 10 of the Lakers’ first 13 points on an impressive array of slam dunks that ignited 17,505 cheering fans at the Forum.

“I told them to (look for me early),” he said. “Usually when I hit my first shot, I’m having an OK game.”

At first, O’Neal didn’t want to answer a question about whether the unwieldy brace bothered him.

“Don’t ask me that question. Because then you make me think about it,” he said. “But no, I’ve been playing with that thing for the last month.”

All wasn’t perfect for the 7-foot-1 center. He briefly left the game in the second quarter with a lacerated right eyelid that needed two stitches.

“I was going for a rebound and I guess he hit me accidentally,” O’Neal said of Phoenix’s Horacio Llamas.

And a problem that nagged him before the injury - poor free-throw shooting - persisted. He missed all three of his foul shots.

O’Neal had been out since injuring his knee Feb. 12. Before he left, the Lakers were 36-13 - the best record in the Western Conference and second-best in the NBA. During his absence, they were 16-12 and dropped to fourth in the conference.

“It was good to have the big fella back,” Lakers coach Del Harris said. “It’s what he’s been doing in practice all week. Just killing us.”