NBA

Bryant, Lakers escape Raptors

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (front left) makes the game-winning jump shot over Toronto Raptors forward James Johnson in the Lakers’ 94-92 victory Sunday.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (front left) makes the game-winning jump shot over Toronto Raptors forward James Johnson in the Lakers’ 94-92 victory Sunday.

— After leading by 18 points in the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers were staring at a four-point deficit with less than two minutes to play.

Metta World Peace wasn’t worried about losing. He was trying to figure out how much the Lakers would win by. Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto.

“When you’ve got a guy like Kobe Bryant, you’re always going to give yourself a chance,” Lakers Coach Mike Brown said.

Bryant, who scored 27 points, took an inbound pass from World Peace, evaded DeMar DeRozan and shot over the outstretched arms of James Johnson to deny the Raptors.

“I just noticed a spot open on the baseline,” Bryant said. “Everything was set for me to try and catch it down there because I knew I could catch and shoot. If I go to the top of the floor the defense can kind of key on me and I’m far away from the basket. Once I noticed that space open it was just a matter of me trying to shake DeRozan and get to that spot.”

Pau Gasol had 16 points and 17 rebounds and Andrew Bynum scored 14 for the Lakers, who went 3-3 on the road trip. Sunday’s victory was just the fifth road victory for the Lakers in 15 games away from Staples Center.

“We’re a poor road team, and that’s what we need to turn around,” Bryant said. “If we could figure out a way to win games on the road, our record would be much, much better.”

Bryant’s late-game scoring came as no surprise to World Peace, who approached Brown with just over a minute to go and volunteered to guard the Raptors’ Jose Calderon, who scored a career-best 30. Brown turned the offer down.

Brown said World Peace then told him, “You know what? You’re right. ... I said, ‘Don’t worry how much we’ll win by, let’s just win,”’ Brown said.

Bryant made sure they did by hitting a three, then forcing a steal and passing to World Peace for a driving layup to erase Toronto’s lead. After Calderon made a jumper, Bryant responded with his game-winning shot from the baseline.

“The bottom line is Kobe’s two shots at the end of the game,” Brown said. “The three was big for us and obviously the shot he took along the baseline. That’s who he is. If we’re in a one-point game or a two-point game, the ball is going to be in his hands and we’re going to expect him to make a play and he did that tonight.”

Down 93-92, Toronto blew its best chance at a winning shot when Rasual Butler couldn’t inbound the ball and failed to call a timeout before five seconds had elapsed. Bryant made one of two from the line to put the Lakers up by two with 3.7 seconds left.

“I asked [referee Scott Foster] to count out loud and he did,” Butler said. “I heard four, I turned to call a timeout and he felt like it was five seconds.”

Butler had not played in the game until that point, but Raptors Coach Dwane Casey said he turned to him because the veteran is Toronto’s “best inbounds passer.”

“What teams normally do is put their longest guy on the ball,” Casey explained, “and that’s why we put Rasual up there.”

Calderon inbounded to DeRozan on the final possession, but he air balled his potential game-tying shot at the buzzer.

Linas Kleiza scored 15 points and Leandro Barbosa had 12 for the Raptors, who lost for the seventh time in 10 games.

In other NBA games, Rajon Rondo recorded 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the host Boston Celtics to a 95-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls, who were without top guard Derrick Rose. Kevin Garnett added 13 points and 12 boards, reserve JaJuan Johnson had 12 points and Ray Allen 11 for the Celtics, who snapped a two-game skid. Rondo had season highs in points and assists. C.J. Watson, who started in Rose’s spot, scored 22 points. Carlos Boozer also scored 22 and pulled down seven rebounds, while Joakim Noah had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Bulls. ... JaVale McGee finished with 22 points and eight rebounds, and John Wall had 14 assists as the Washington Wizards routed the host Detroit Pistons 98-77. Detroit entered on a season-best four-game winning streak, but saw it end when the Wizards went on a 22-2 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters. Nick Young added 22 points for the Wizards. Greg Monroe had a game-high 27 for Detroit. The game was tied at 45 at the half, and the Wizards took a 62-61 lead late in the third quarter on Wall’s first points of the game. Two consecutive Detroit turnovers let Washington quickly build the lead to five, and it was 74-63 by the end of the quarter. ... LeBron James scored 23 points, Dwyane Wade added 21 and the Miami Heat blew out the host Atlanta Hawks 107-87. ... Monta Ellis had 33 points and seven assists, David Lee added 15 points and 13 rebounds and the host Golden State Warriors beat the Houston Rockets 106-97. ... Al Jefferson had 21 points and a season-high 15 rebounds, and Gordon Hayward added 23 points as the Utah Jazz snapped a three-game losing streak with a 98-88 victory over the host Memphis Grizzlies. Rudy Gay led Memphis with 22 points.

Sports, Pages 17 on 02/13/2012

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