[0] HAVING THE RIGHT ANSWERS LAKERS DEFENSE GIVES SIXERS TASTE OF OWN MEDICINE LAKERS 96, PHILA. 85.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

It isn't the free throws that make Shaquille O'Neal the NBA's most dominant player. It isn't the defense that makes Kobe Bryant a permanent frame in those play-of-the-day reels.

But the Lakers got near-perfect foul shooting from O'Neal and near-perfect defense Tuesday night from Bryant to beat the Philadelphia 76ers - a.k.a. the best team the East has to offer - 96-85 at Staples Center.

Bryant scored 36 points and held Allen Iverson in check for most of the night as the Lakers won their 10th in a row at home. O'Neal struggled to get his 27 points, making just 11 of 28 field goals.

But O'Neal made a bigger impression with his ferocious defense - registering season highs with seven blocked shots and 20 rebounds - and with an equally unsubtle statement at the foul line. He made 5 of 6 free throws, which ordinarily wouldn't qualify as news. But O'Neal was flustered and dejected after missing 14 of 19 foul shots Sunday, and his improved shot drew roars with every make.

It looked like more than coincidence. O'Neal appears to have returned to the stance and routine that helped turn around his foul shooting last season.

In Bryant's case, he just did what he's quickly become known for: making Iverson nearly irrelevant. Iverson was 5 for 20 through the first three quarters and didn't really make an impact until a late surge in the fourth. He finished with 27 points but was 9 for 27 from the field.

Even with Iverson scoring 12 points in the fourth, Bryant came out on top, finishing with an even bigger flurry - 16 points in the final period, including a thunderous one-handed dunk off a lob from Brian Shaw.

Soon after, an ``MVP'' chant rained down from the third deck as Bryant stood at the free-throw line.

For Bryant, guarding Iverson isn't just a welcome challenge. It's a chance to remind the league that Bryant is an official, card-carrying member of the NBA's all-defensive first team. That honor was nearly earned in a single game last season, when Bryant held Iverson scoreless for the second half in a win at Philadelphia. He has built on that performance, and his reputation, with every game since.

``I just take it a possession as a time,'' Bryant said of the matchup.

The only surprise to Bryant is that no one gave him credit for his defense sooner.

``What it showed me was I had to do a lot more than the average basketball player to get some recognition for my defense,'' he said with a laugh.

And if he falters one of these days against someone like Iverson? ``Then you guys (in the media) will probably talk about me like a dog,'' Bryant said. ``I just have fun playing with matchups like that. I really enjoy those type of situations.''

It was part defense, part good luck that got the Lakers to a 43-38 halftime lead.

On the defensive side, they held the 76ers to 36.4-percent shooting. On the luck side, there was the unlikely O'Neal dunk at the buzzer to close out the half. Bryant, falling out of bounds at the baseline, tossed up a shot that soared over the corner of the backboard and had no prayer of going in - until O'Neal snagged it in midair and jammed it through.

But the half was more misses than hits. O'Neal started 0 for 6, improving to 4 for 13 by halftime, and Bryant went 6 for 15 as the Lakers shot just 36.2 percent.

Still, Bryant scored 14 points and turned in another outstanding defensive effort against Iverson. The shifty guard scored 10 points but went 3 for 13 from the field and had shots blocked by Bryant, O'Neal and Horace Grant. Even one of Iverson's buckets came courtesy of a goaltending call when O'Neal swatted another attempt.

O'Neal had just 10 points in the first half but made his presence felt with five blocks and 12 rebounds. The 76ers crowded O'Neal with the long- armed pair of Nazr Mohammed and Theo Ratliff, but they were without their strongest inside defender, Matt Geiger, out with a sore quadricep.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo: (color) Philadelphia guard Allen Iverson tries to drive past the Lakers' Horace Grant during the second quarter of Tuesday night's game.

Kim D. Johnson/Associated Press

Box: GAME RECAP