Lakers Defy Odds Without Shaq

April 21, 1999 / 2:16 AM EDT / CBS/AP

It was fitting Michael Jordan was in the crowd, because Kobe Bryant's performance was downright Jordanesque.

Bryant hit a string of clutch shots, capped by a buzzer-beating tip-in to force overtime, and the Los Angeles Lakers, who trailed by 20 points at the start of the fourth quarter, came back to beat the Golden State Warriors 106-102 Tuesday night.

"I just wanted to take my time and let the game come to me," said Bryant, who scored 25 of his 27 points after halftime. "I just wanted to relax. We were rushing and we just had to calm down."

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Los Angeles coach Kurt Rambis said the win was one of the Lakers' best this season, and could signal a turning point after the tumult of a coaching change and the release last week of Dennis Rodman.

"It's unbelievable. They showed great heart, great character, tremendous confidence. Holy Cow!" Rambis said. He added of Bryant, "Kobe lives for games like this."

The Lakers overcame the loss of Shaquille O'Neal, the NBA's leading scorer, who was ejected after drawing his second technical foul late in the second quarter.

"We knew we were going to be shorthanded, but we never doubted ourselves," said the Lakers' J.R. Reid. "It shows we can play without the big fellow, but of course we like to have him in there."

The game was played before a sellout crowd that included the retired Jordan, who sat at courtside with baseball Hall of Famer Joe Morgan.

Robert Horry added 17 points, including a key 3-pointer in overtime to help the Lakers take a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Reid added 15 points and Glen Rice 14 for the Lakers.

John Starks led Golden State with 20 points, but couldn't get a clean shot off near the end of OT to try to tie it. The Warriors missed a chance to pull into a tie with Seattle and Sacramento for the eighth and fina playoff berth in the Western Conference with nine games remaining in the lockout-shortened season.

"We need to defend and we need to stay aggressive on offense. We really did neither," Golden State coach P.J. Carlesimo said. "They made some shots and became the more aggressive team."

The Lakers, held to just 10 first-quarter points, appeared in disarray for much of the game, but got it together in the end.

Golden State led 49-33 at halftime and took a 73-53 advantage into the final period.

The Lakers cut the deficit to 77-67 on a jumper by Rice with 5:54 left, but Chris Mills answered with a 3-pointer. When Muggsy Bogues converted a three-point play, Golden State was in front 84-69 with 4:44 left.

The Lakers scored the next 10 points, getting a 3-pointer from Bryant and a three-point play from Horry to pull to 84-79 with 2:42 left.

Bimbo Coles made a pair of free throws, but Rice scored five points for the Lakers, including a 3-pointer that pulled Los Angeles to 86-84 with 1:29 remaining.

Starks then hit a 20-foot turnaround jumper with 49 seconds left. Tyronn Lue tried to answer for the Lakers, but missed and Golden State cleared the rebound.

But Bryant came back on the next Lakers' possession to hit a desperation 3-pointer with just over four seconds left. Coles was fouled on the inbounds pass and made both free throws with 3.7 seconds remaining.

After a timeout, the Lakers inbounded and Rice was fouled. He made the first and missed the second on purpose. Horry kept the rebound alive and Bryant swept in to tip the ball in as the buzzer sounded, deflating the Warriors and bringing a gasp from the crowd.

Golden State couldnt seem to recover in overtime, falling behind 99-91 after a thundering putback by Bryant.

O'Neal, averaging 26.7 points per game, had just 10 points. He ejected with 3:09 left in the second period after drawing his second technical following a shoving match on the court.

Coles and Horry were jawing with each other at midcourt when Coles suddenly pushed Horry. O'Neal came up from behind and shoved Coles. Teammates from both sides rushed in to restrain O'Neal and Coles, preventing an escalation.

O'Neal, who drew a technical earlier in the period for arguing with officials, was then led off the court into the locker room. Notes: The Lakers' 33 points at halftime was a season-low, but their 16 points in OT was a season high. ... Jordan gave Golden State guard Muggsy Bogues a hug and kissed him on the head before the game, and then took his seat at courtside, acknowledging a roaring ovation from the crowd with a wave. ... The attendance of 20,108 is the largest since the Oakland Coliseum Arena was expanded three years ago.