Kobe tossed, Lakers bounced from Western lead
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It was the Lakers who felt sick afterward.
“I thought from the beginning of the game, the guys had a real sharp focus to come in here and play hard for 48 minutes, offensively and defensively, and it was a focus sometimes we have and more often than not, we don’t have,” Vincent said afterward. “The game just turned out our way tonight.”
The Lakers scored the first 10 points of the final period to move within four points, and a 3-pointer by Vujacic made it 84-81 with 7:45 remaining.
But that’s as close as the Lakers would get. The Bobcats responded with a 16-5 run for a 100-86 lead with 3:40 to play. Carroll’s four-point play capped the spurt, and that’s when Bryant was kicked out for protesting a foul call.
“He just started yelling at the ref,” Carroll said. “I don’t know what was said. They teed him up and that was it.”
When asked if Bryant fouled him, Carroll replied with a smile: “It was a good call.”
Richardson scored five points and Wallace added a 3-pointer in an 8-2 run to start the second half, giving the Bobcats a 65-46 lead. Bryant scored the Lakers’ first 15 points of the third quarter, including five straight before a layup by Odom moved Los Angeles within eight points.
The Bobcats then outscored the Lakers 13-7 for an 82-68 lead entering the final period.
The Bobcats, coming off a 128-106 loss at Utah on Tuesday night, were clearly the better team in taking a 57-44 halftime lead. The Lakers drew within three points before Charlotte extended the lead to 13 in the final 52.3 seconds of the second period on 3-pointers by Carroll, Richardson and Felton and a foul shot by Richardson.
Notes: The Bobcats have won four of their last five games against the Lakers. ... Odom entered having gotten at least 20 rebounds in two straight games, becoming the first Lakers player to accomplish that feat since Vlade Divac did it in 1995. ... The Bobcats are 19-17 at home, but just 7-28 on the road.
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