Lakers 92, Timberwolves 85

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kobe Bryant drove the baseline, hung in the air a while to draw contact from Minnesota's Michael Olowokandi, then finally flipped the ball over his head toward the basket.

Somehow, it banked in.

Without changing expression, Bryant shook his head from side to side.

It was like: ”Stop me? Are you kidding?”

Bryant missed the ensuing free throw, but it hardly mattered. The spectacular reverse layup was part of Bryant's 16-point output in the last 6:12 of the third quarter that helped expand the Los Angeles Lakers' two-point lead to 15.

The Lakers went on to beat the Timberwolves 92-85 Thursday night for a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Game 5 is Saturday night in Minnesota.

Bryant finished with 31 points, eight rebounds and four assists in his third courtroom-to-court game of the playoffs and fifth overall.

The Lakers won all five games, and Bryant was brilliant in all five.

”I don't think there's anyone in the game who makes more tough shots than he does,” Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders said. ”He's one of those guys that when he gets one or two shots, he gets things going, the energy gets going, and he really feeds off (the crowd).

”He has an uncanny ability to take over games at different periods of time.”

Shaquille O'Neal added 19 points and 19 rebounds; Derek Fisher scored 15, and Karl Malone had 12 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers, who moved within one win of their fourth trip to the NBA Finals in five seasons.

Only seven teams in league history have won best-of-seven series after trailing 3-1, and teams coached by the Lakers' Phil Jackson are 43-0 in series when they've led.

In addition, Jackson-coached teams are 9-0 in conference finals.

So where does that leave the Timberwolves?

In deep trouble.

”We have to embrace this. I know that guys like Spree and KG are embracing this, because right now people are writing us off,” said Minnesota's Mark Madsen, referring to teammates Latrell Sprewell and Kevin Garnett. ”But we're not writing ourselves off.”

Bryant arrived at Staples Center more than an hour before the opening tipoff after spending the day at a pretrial hearing in Eagle, Colo.

Bryant has pleaded not guilty to raping a 19-year-old woman at the Vail-area resort where she worked last summer, saying the two had consensual sex. If convicted, he faces four years to life in prison or 20 years to life on probation, and he could be fined up to $750,000.

”I just go day-by-day,” he said. ”Whatever I have to do, I will do, and that's pretty much the bottom line.

”When you have a goal and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, you have something more immediate to play for, and the game becomes more fun.”

Bryant's previous two playoff games under the same conditions were similarly outstanding: he had 31 points and 10 assists against Houston in the first round and 42 points against San Antonio in the second round.

”If I had a choice between winning a championship and making things better for that little brother, I'd probably help him out,” said the 40-year-old 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.”

Garnett, the NBA's MVP, had 28 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, and Wally Szczerbiak added 19 points for the Timberwolves, who played all but five minutes without All-Star guard Sam Cassell.

Hampered by recurring back spasms and an injured hip, Cassell entered for the first time with 7:40 remaining in the third quarter and the Lakers leading 54-47. He made a 3-pointer six seconds later, but those would be his only points.

Cassell said he made the decision to try and play at halftime, explaining, ”I'm a fighter, man, I'm a fighter.”

The Lakers went ahead for good by outscoring the Timberwolves 15-2 for a 45-37 lead late in the second quarter. It was 45-40 at halftime.

”The more games we win, the closer we get to our mission,” O'Neal said after another bruising performance.

”Shaq is more than a handful for us and it is all our responsibilities to try and control him,” Garnett said. ”The way he was rebounding, he's in a rhythm, he is snatching all the rebounds.”

O'Neal led the Lakers to a 52-41 rebounding advantage.

”I'm the NFL's best NBA player, because obviously I'm playing football out there,” he said. ”I was born for this — I'm Mr. Roughness.”

Notes: The Lakers were called for five technical fouls — one for defensive three seconds in the lane and the other four against Jackson, Bryant, Gary Payton and Slava Medvedenko. The Timberwolves didn't have a technical. … Sprewell shot just 4-of-18 in scoring 12 points. Other than Garnett, who shot 12-of-24, the Timberwolves were 20-of-60. … The Lakers shot 21-of-31 from the foul line, with O'Neal going 7-of-15. The Timberwolves were 16-of-21. … The Lakers are 78-of-126 in the series while the Timberwolves are 58-of-69.

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