Milwaukee ? Let the record show that Kobe Bryant is now, officially, a bad guy in the National Basketball Assn.

He wasn’t wearing a black hat Tuesday when the Los Angeles Lakers played the Milwaukee Bucks on the Bradley Center court, but he might as well have been.

He was booed the entire evening. He wasn’t jeered nearly as lustily as he was in the Lakers’ Nov. 1 game in Phoenix, but the message was relayed nonetheless. Bryant also was booed Thursday in San Antonio.

Bryant, facing a court appearance this week on charges of sexually assaulting a woman, claims to be unaffected by the reception he is receiving across the league, saying he takes solace from being on the court and calling it his “home away from home” on game days.

“I get booed on the road just like everyone else,” Bryant said. “When I step on the floor, all I think about is the game. I enjoy playing so much. It’s so much fun.

“The crowd getting involved makes it so much more electric.”

The Lakers played the third game of their four-game trip Friday night in New Orleans. It is the team’s first extended journey of the season, and Bryant braced himself for what he might encounter on the road.

He feared that objects might be thrown or that fans might run on the court and has been relieved that nothing of that nature has occurred.

“I came in expecting the worst,” Bryant said. “But once you expect the absolute worst, the rest is easy.”

Even though Bryant will remain innocent until proved guilty of the sexual-assault charges that are pending against him in Eagle, Colo., the pristine image has been tarnished. The halo has been knocked askew.

Bryant seriously considered sitting out this season, but said his family played a major role in convincing him to play.

And now, during troubled times, he says he’s leaning heavily on family values and finds his greatest peace when he is at home with his wife and 9-month-old daughter.

Last week in Milwaukee, Bryant told how delighted he was during the afternoon of the game at the team hotel to see his daughter take her first steps back in California via his laptop and a Web cam set up in his home. And, so far, Bryant’s game seems unaffected by the turmoil surrounding him.

He was superb against the Bucks with 31 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two back-breaking jumpers late in the game.

He scored 37 points in the double-overtime victory over San Antonio. His teammates and coach expect no less from him.

“He’s still ready for it,” guard Gary Payton said of Bryant. “I mean, he’s Kobe. You can’t take his basketball skills away from him.”

Said coach Phil Jackson: “I think that he’s keyed up, and that’s part of his reputation. That’s one of the things that he loves to do, go in and put on a show, basically. That’s really one of the strengths of our team.”