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Tuesday, Jan. 31
7:30pm
TV: MSG
Radio: ESPN 1050
Bryant leads Lakers in road matchup vs. Knicks
Preview:NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Scoring at a blistering pace in recent weeks, Kobe Bryant takes his act to the Big Apple.
The league's leading-scorer, Bryant looks to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to their ninth win in 13 games Tuesday when they face the New York Knicks.
Bryant is averaging 43.6 points in his last 12 games, including a staggering 81 against Toronto on January 22 - the second-highest total in NBA history - and has six 40-point outings during that stretch.
The Lakers got off to a rough start on their seven-game road trip with Sunday's 102-93 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Bryant scored 39 points and Chris Mihm added 16 with 14 rebounds for Los Angeles.
After opening January with six victories, the Knicks have dropped eight of nine. Only Atlanta and Charlotte have fewer victories among Eastern Conference teams.
Rookie David Lee scored 18 points off the bench and Jackie Butler added 15 for the Knicks in Monday's 120-101 loss to the Hawks.
Antonio Davis was expected to make his return to the lineup after his five-game suspension for climbing into the stands January 18 at Chicago. However, he was forced to sit out with a sore back.
Bryant scored 42 points for the Lakers in a 97-92 triumph over the Knicks in their earlier meeting November 16.
Kobe Night At Garden
nypost:I want to see Kobe Bryant score 100 points. I want him to do it against the Knicks tonight at the Garden. And I'm not alone.
The Knicks once gave up 100 points to Wilt. Nearly 44 years later it's time to give it up to another four-letter superstar. The Super Bowl is Sunday, but every time Kobe takes the floor he becomes Superman.
His Raptorvating 81-point performance against Toronto two Sundays ago has made the NBA fun again. This is not LeBron's League. The NBA is Kobe Krazy. Forget double-doubles, triple digits is where infamy lives.
Phil Jackson remembers when the only magic number was 60 - Babe Ruth's home runs. As for Kobe hitting the holy grail of 100, Jackson said yesterday after practice at The Sports Club/LA Eastside, "Immediately I'd say no, but he had, what 62 in three quarters [against Dallas], so who knows? That's only 38 away from 100. Maybe if he played in the fourth quarter, if his coach hadn't sat him on the bench, he would have hit 100 points."
The 6-7 Bryant said he just wants the Lakers to win. He said he was a bit embarrassed by the 81, but his bright eyes told a different story when asked about the fan reaction from that points party.
"That is very exciting," Kobe said of the feedback since scoring the second-most points in NBA history. "For them to tune in, to watch, I've heard them say that Kobe is Must See TV. I think that's cool. It generates a buzz around the game."
The Garden is Kobe's favorite place to play
FINAL SCORE
Knicks - 97
Lakers - 130
boxscore
Knicks Overwhelmed By Bryant, Lakers
Recap:NEW YORK, Jan. 31 (Ticker) -- One night after accusing the New York Knicks of quitting, coach Larry Brown packed it in early.
Brown was ejected midway through the third quarter as the defenseless Knicks showed little fight in their ninth loss in 10 games, a 130-97 beating at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers, who got 40 points from Kobe Bryant.
The fans filled Madison Square Garden - "The World's Most Famous Arena" - to see Bryant, the world's most famous player since his 81-point eruption nine days ago. Instead, they saw another lackluster effort from the Knicks.
The Knicks were even worse than they were in Monday's 120-101 loss in Atlanta, after which Brown - when asked if his team had quit - said, "It looked that way. Didn't it look that way to you? It sure looked that way to me."
It looked that way again Tuesday. The Knicks surrendered another 60-point first half and were never in it in the second half. With 5:46 left in the third quarter, Brown had had enough and came onto the court to argue with referee Steve Javie, who promptly ejected him.
During their slide, the Knicks have lost by at least 15 points five times and allowed at least 105 points seven times. In their only win, they nearly blew a 25-point lead at home against Orlando.
The Lakers didn't need an explosion from Bryant, who nevertheless scored 25 points in the first half, helping them open a 60-44 advantage. He took a seat with his fourth foul in the third quarter but still notched his league-leading 14th 40-point game of the season.
Bryant made 7-of-17 shots and 23-of-26 free throws. The Lakers shot 58 free throws to 24 for the Knicks, which also may have upset Brown.
In improving to 1-1 on a seven-game road trip, Los Angeles also got a lift from native New Yorkers Smush Parker and Lamar Odom. Parker had 15 points and five assists and Odom added 11 and 13 rebounds.
Everyone got into the act for the Lakers, who shot 57 percent (39-of-68) and scored 130 points for the first time in six seasons. Teenage rookie Andrew Bynum scored 16 points on 7-of-7 shooting in a garbage-time fourth quarter and Sasha Vujacic added 11, making all four of his shots.
Qyntel Woods scored 15 points and Quentin Richardson added 14 for the Knicks, who shot 42 percent (36-of-86) and were outrebounded, 46-35.
but I hope they start after that game. As a Laker fan tonight I root for the Lakers 
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