NBA Game Summary - Seattle at LA Lakers

Los Angeles, CA (Basketball News) - Shaquille O’Neal finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists on his 32nd birthday to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 99-91 win over Seattle at the Staples Center.

Gary Payton contributed 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers, who won their second straight and for the fourth time in five games. Los Angeles played most of the game without All-Star guard Kobe Bryant.

Bryant, who injured his shoulder less than a minute into the game when he collided with Seattle forward Reggie Evans, was taken to Centinela Hospital to undergo an MRI.

"We’re quite concerned," Lakers head coach Phil Jackson said. "Hopefully we will make it through this."

Ronald Murray finished with 28 points for the SuperSonics, who suffered their third straight loss. Rashard Lewis posted 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Ray Allen chipped in with 19 points and eight rebounds.

Kareem Rush scored 11 points for Los Angeles, which scored five straight points to snap an 88-88 tie. O’Neal’s foul shot with 2:14 left in the fourth quarter to put the team ahead for good. Rush hit a three-pointer 42 seconds later before O’Neal capped the surge with a foul shot in the final minute.

Seattle pulled within 93-90 on two foul shots by Murray with 23.4 seconds to play, but no closer.

"We just needed to make the plays to finish the game." Sonics head coach Nate McMillian said. "Once we got back [in the game] we started having breakdowns."

The Lakers never trailed in the first quarter. They led 24-13 late in the first on a basket by Payton.

Seattle pulled within 25-22 on a basket by Murray in the waning seconds of the quarter, but trailed 28-22 at the end of the first on a 66-foot three-pointer by Devean George at the buzzer.

The Sonics got within 28-24 on a basket by Murray less than a minute into the second quarter.

But Los Angeles pushed its advantage to 47-35 on Rush’s bucket with less than five minutes remaining in the second.

Rush’s three-pointer with 45.3 seconds to go in the quarter staked the Lakers’ lead to 56-43. But Seattle pulled within 56-47 at halftime.

Less than a minute into the third quarter, a basket by Allen cut the Seattle deficit to 58-54.

But Los Angeles opened a 74-62 advantage on a foul shot by O’Neal with 5:40 remaining in the third.

The SuperSonics, who cut their hole to 79-75 at the end of the quarter, got within 83-80 on two foul shots by Ansu Sesay more than two minutes into the fourth quarter.

Seattle was down 86-80 before rallying to force an 88-88 tie on a layup by Vitaly Potapenko with 3:31 to go in the fourth.