SAN ANTONIO — Spurs coach Gregg Popovich thought he needed to remind his players of a simple rule.
"You have to play for 48 minutes," Popovich said. "We had two periods where we did that to start the game, but we didn't compete for 48 minutes."
Kobe Bryant scored 17 of his 28 points in the second half to lead the Shaq-less Los Angeles Lakers past Popovich's San Antonio Spurs, 98-81, Saturday.
It was the teams' first game since last season's Western Conference finals, when the Lakers swept the Spurs in four games en route to their second straight NBA title.
On Saturday, the Lakers broke open what had been a closely played contest by overwhelming the Spurs in the fourth quarter. They outscored the Spurs 29-18 and outrebounded them 12-4.
San Antonio managed only 36 points in the second half. Their 81 points were a season low.
Center David Robinson sat out the entire fourth quarter after scoring just four points on 1-of-8 shooting.
"They started hot but then seemed to settle down in the second (period), right before the half," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "They let us back into this one."
Tim Duncan, who had 20 points and 15 rebounds, said he doesn't know why the Spurs have problems maintaining their intensity.
"What we're doing is not good enough," Duncan said. "It's demoralizing in the sense that it breaks down any momentum you worked to build."
Los Angeles went 2-1 during Shaquille O'Neal's three-game suspension for a fight against the Bulls last weekend. The Lakers' center can return Tuesday against Denver.
Stanislav Medvedenko scored 12 points, and Derek Fisher 11 for the Lakers. Each Los Angeles player who saw action scored at least five points.
Lakers forward Samaki Walker, who played for San Antonio last year, said he sees a major difference between the teams.
"Over here they don't think about losing," said Walker, who signed with the Lakers as a free agent. "Even if Shaq doesn't play, no one talks about losing. We go out looking to win a game."
Charles Smith, starting for the injured Tony Parker, led San Antonio with 21 points, while Steve Smith had 11, and Antonio Daniels 10.
Los Angeles led 69-63 to start the fourth.
SuperSonics 104, Nuggets 77
Seattle Gary Payton had 25 points and 12 assists and Seattle, beaten in Denver the previous night, handed the Nuggets their 13th consecutive road loss. Nick Van Exel scored 24 of his 28 points in the first half for the Nuggets, whose road record fell to 2-15.
Magic 119, Grizzlies 103
Memphis, Tenn. Tracy McGrady had 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead Orlando over Memphis. McGrady shot 9-for-14 from the field and converted all six of his free throws as Orlando beat Memphis for the second time this season and dealt the Grizzlies their third straight loss. Troy Hudson added 18 points and seven assists for the Magic.
Trail Blazers 113, Clippers 93
Portland, Ore. Damon Stoudamire scored 14 of his 29 points in the third quarter as Portland beat Los Angeles. Ruben Patterson added 19 points and five rebounds, Scottie Pippen and Bonzi Wells each scored 13, Rasheed Wallace 12 and Shawn Kemp 10 for the Trail Blazers. Darius Miles scored 20 points, and Quentin Richardson added 19 points to lead the Clippers.
Mavericks 106, Jazz 103
Dallas Dirk Nowitzki made four free throws in the final 6.9 seconds and finished with 34 points, helping Dallas hold off a late surge by Utah. The Mavericks, winners of six of the last seven and 16 of 19 since losing in Utah on Dec. 10, had a huge lead most of the night peaking at 18.
Bucks 116, Hawks 107
Atlanta Ray Allen scored 31 points and Milwaukee extended its winning streak to a season-high seven games with a victory over Atlanta. Sam Cassell, Jason Caffey and Anthony Mason added 17 apiece for the Bucks, who handed the Hawks their sixth straight loss. Milwaukee, which beat Orlando on Friday night, has now swept its past three back-to-backs.
76ers 97, Knicks 89
Philadelphia Allen Iverson scored 34 points and Dikembe Mutombo added a season-high 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as Philadelphia beat New York, extending the Knicks' losing streak to seven games. Eric Snow added 15 points and Corie Blount, starting in place of the injured Derrick Coleman, had 15 rebounds for the Sixers, who outrebounded New York 56-39 and won their fourth straight.
Raptors 91, Hornets 89
Charlotte, N.C. Vince Carter scored 34 points and Alvin Williams hit a pair of free throws with six seconds to play, leading Toronto over Charlotte, the Raptors' first win in Charlotte since 1997. The Raptors, who have won four straight, have never been successful in the Charlotte Coliseum, losing nine straight and winning just once here in franchise history.
Antonio Davis scored 13 points for Toronto and Williams added 11. Elden Campbell led Charlotte with 22 points. Baron Davis scored 18, David Wesley 17, Jamaal Magloire 14, and P.J. Brown added 14 rebounds.
Pistons 94, Celtics 91
Auburn Hills, Mich. Jerry Stackhouse scored 28 points and Chucky Atkins made an 18-foot jumper with 3.1 seconds left to lead Detroit over Boston. Detroit won for the second time in as many nights and avenged a loss in Boston on Jan. 11. Antoine Walker led Boston with 28 points. Paul Pierce added 23 points. Detroit rallied from a 17-point deficit in the final 11 minutes and took a 90-89 lead when Stackhouse made a fadeaway jumper with 2:47 remaining.
Nets 99, Rockets 90
East Rutherford, N.J. Keith Van Horn scored 22 points and rookies Richard Jefferson and Jason Collins made big plays in crunch time in leading New Jersey over Houston. Kerry Kittles added 21 points and Jason Kidd made four baskets down the stretch as the Nets (27-12) surpassed their victory total for all of last season in winning for the seventh time in eight games.
Moochie Norris had 23 points and Kenny Thomas 21 for the Rockets, who were forced to play without All-Star guard Steve Francis, who was sidelined for the second time this week with a migraine headache.
Heat 100, Pacers 88
Miami Miami shot a season-high 54 percent and scored 100 points for only the second time this season and the second time this week to beat Indiana. Eddie Jones scored 23 points for the Heat, who won their fourth consecutive game, a season high. The Pacers fell to .500 with their fifth loss in a row, their longest skid of the season. The crowd roared when Jones sank a free throw with 17 seconds left to give Miami 100 points at home for the first time in 26 games.
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