Busy Bryant scores 31
LOS ANGELES — Only Karl Malone saw the wink.
Though Kobe Bryant said little in the locker room and less during warmups, the Lakers knew his mind was on the game, not back in a Colorado courtroom.
The Mailman glanced at him right before tipoff — and Bryant gave a hint that he was ready to put on a show.
“That wink — I knew it was on then,” Malone said with a grin.
After returning to Los Angeles less than two hours before tipoff, Bryant scored 31 points and led the Lakers to a 92-85 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Thursday night.
Shaquille O’Neal added 19 points and 19 rebounds for the Lakers, who took a 3-1 series lead and moved to the brink of their fourth trip to the NBA Finals in five seasons.
For the third and final time in the postseason, Bryant returned from a hearing in his upcoming sexual assault trial in time to propel the Lakers to a victory with a spectacular performance. He poured in 18 points in the third quarter as Los Angeles took a 15-point lead, hitting open jumpers and difficult layups with equal aplomb.
“I just go day by day. Whatever I have to do, I’ll do,” Bryant said. “No matter what it is, no matter what it takes. … We see the light at the end of the tunnel, and the game becomes more fun.”
Game 5 is Saturday night in Minneapolis. If the Timberwolves win, Game 6 will be Monday in Los Angeles.
Bryant walked into the locker room at Staples Center shortly before 5 p.m. — more than an hour before tipoff, and less than three hours after he left the courthouse in Eagle, Colo.
Though Bryant’s iconoclasm and selfishness have annoyed his teammates in the past, the Lakers express nothing but admiration for his focus this spring.
“If I had a choice between winning a championship and making things better for that little brother, I’d probably help him out,” said Malone, who left the Utah Jazz last summer for a chance at his first title. “That’s how much he means to me, and this team. He’s being strong right now, real strong.”
Bryant’s previous two playoff games under the same conditions were similarly outstanding: Bryant scored 31 points against the Houston Rockets in the first round, and 42 points against San Antonio in the second round.
After one of the most tumultuous regular seasons in recent league history, the Lakers have reclaimed the aura of invincibility that surrounded them during three straight championship runs from 2000-02. They’ve won seven of their last eight games.
“We’ve been this way for a while now,” Bryant said. “I think that has to do with the playoffs coming around and everybody sensing that this is the time we’ve been waiting for.”
Kevin Garnett had 28 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists while desperately trying to keep the Timberwolves close in what he dubbed a must-win game.
But the grim-faced league MVP was no match for the freewheeling Lakers’ best performance of the series. With everything from Kobe’s unbelievable finishes to Shaq’s basket-rocking dunks, Los Angeles finally put a little Showtime in the conference finals.
“The effort was there, (but) I’m a little at a loss for words right now,” Garnett said. “Could I have done more? Sure. I feel like you’ve got to be real with yourself. You can’t be down 3-1 to the Lakers.”
O’Neal had yet another strong game on the boards, bullying the Timberwolves’ big men underneath. The officials ignored Minnesota coach Flip Saunders’ pleas for more fouls — and though it left Garnett and Saunders steaming, Shaq was in his element.
“I think it gets them tired,” O’Neal said. “I feed off that. It’s not something I run away from. I’m the NFL’s best NBA player. That’s obvious, because I’m playing football out there.”
All-Star Sam Cassell’s injuries kept him out of the starting lineup and limited him to five minutes for Minnesota. Derek Fisher thrived in Cassell’s absence, scoring 15 points for the Lakers.
Wally Szczerbiak scored 19 points, but Los Angeles limited Garnett’s supporting cast to 33 percent shooting. Latrell Sprewell had yet another poor night, going 4 for 18.
Hornets hire Scott
Byron Scott will be the next coach of the New Orleans Hornets.
Scott said Thursday on ESPN, where he works as an analyst, that he has accepted the job and can’t wait to start work in New Orleans.
“They were real interested in me, as I was in them, and I jumped on it,” Scott said.
Hornets owner George Shinn was not available for comment, and a team spokesman also declined comment. Shinn had said Scott was among his top choices to replace Tim Floyd, who was fired on May 7 after one season.
Scott, 44, coached the Nets to the NBA finals the past two seasons, with losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. He had a 149-139 record in 3 1/2 seasons before he was fired from the only head coaching job he has held in the NBA.
Reggie Miller fined $5,000
Reggie Miller was fined $5,000 by the NBA for kicking the ball into the stands after the Indiana Pacers lost to Detroit in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
This was the second time the Pacers have been fined in the series. Ron Artest was fined $10,000 on Tuesday for making an obscene gesture during Game 2.
Miller, a playoff hero many times for Indiana, scored just 3 points, shooting 1 for 4 from the field in the 85-78 defeat Wednesday night at Auburn Hills, Mich.
The Pacers trail 2-1 in the best-of-7 series, with Game 4 tonight on the Pistons’ home court.
Rivers names two assistants
New Celtics coach Doc Rivers hired Tony Brown and Dave Wohl as assistants Thursday.
Wohl was on Rivers’ coaching staff in Orlando, and Brown has been an assistant coach in Toronto and Detroit.
Wohl has 30 years of NBA experience. He also was an assistant for the Lakers, Clippers and Sacramento Kings and head coach of the New Jersey Nets from 1985-87. He also worked in Miami’s front office.
Rivers was hired to replace interim coach John Carroll. He went 171-168 in five seasons with Orlando before he was fired in November when the Magic opened the season 1-10..