`A WONDERFUL WIN'; LAKERS GAIN REDEMPTION WITH VICTORY OVER SPURS : LAKERS 99, SAN ANTONIO 93.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

Cross another item off the Lakers' ``naughty'' list from last season and add one more item under ``nice'' in the Phil Jackson era. The latest sparkling addition: a hard-fought victory over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs.

A December win isn't going to erase the playoffs sweep of seven months ago, but the Lakers' 99-93 decision Saturday night at Staples Center provided enough yuletime cheer to last at least a few hours.

``It's not sweet yet. We just beat them today,'' said Glen Rice, who finished with 25 points in the Lakers' season-high eighth-straight win. ``We've got a long ways to go. When you realize that a team did sweep you the way they swept us last year you come into it with a little more incentive. And we were embarrassed last year, so we're definitely not trying to get embarrassed this year.''

The Spurs endured most of the shame this night. Tim Duncan went 8 for 23 from the field and struggled to a 28-point performance before fouling out late in the game. His teammates were equally disjointed, and San Antonio made just 37.6 percent of its shots.

To the Spurs, it was clear they weren't playing the same team they rolled over en route to last season's title.

``The Lakers are new, they're playing defense now,'' Spurs coach Greg Popovich said. ``The difference is they play `D' and you know that is important to win games for you. And they play it like they are believing it now. So that is a credit to the coach and staff and to the players.''

Enough went wrong for Jackson to criticize his team's offensive precision - the Lakers blew a couple of double-digit leads - but he also had plenty to smile about: Rice's first-half heroics, Robert Horry's 12 points off the bench, Kobe Bryant's 18 points after a shaky start. And most of all, Shaquille O'Neal's game-high 32 points and tough defense of Duncan despite constant foul trouble.

``It wasn't a beautiful game, I'll just say that,'' Jackson said, ``but it was a wonderful win for us - from one standpoint, from the confidence that we can beat this team, a team that was difficult last year for this team to play. And another standpoint that Kobe had a very difficult game tonight and we were able to fight through it and win the game, and played with Shaq in foul trouble . . . and still found a way to win.''

O'Neal capped off the evening in fine fashion - getting Duncan to foul out, then making both free throws to push the Lakers' lead to a comfortable eight-point margin with two minutes left. He added 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.

``It was just another win against a great team,'' O'Neal said. ``They are the champions, and they do have a fabulous team. We just did what we're supposed to do.''

Bryant's last five points were his most spectacular. After several unsuccessful forays into the paint against Duncan and Robinson, he finally found the rim on a fast-break dunk over Jaren Jackson, then completed the 3-point play to make it 85-77 with 5:11 remaining.

A few minutes later, he faced Jackson, crossed over three times, then zipped to his right and hit an off-balance, 13-foot fadeaway to make it 93-83 with 1:11 left.

Bryant was 4 for 13 through three quarters but made up for it with the late surge.

``He's such a talented player that he's going to find a way to contribute at some level during the night,'' Jackson said. ``He played in jeopardy with fouls early in the game. I think that put him in a place where he was a little bit anxious when he went back in to get back in the flow quickly, let the game come to him. I don't think it's an unusual reaction for a player like that, at his age (21), to play like that.''

The Spurs had their own first-half difficulties. Duncan and Robinson combined to shoot 2 for 16 from the field as the Lakers took a 50-42 halftime lead. The margin could have been much larger, but the Spurs got an 11-point boost from Avery Joh`nson, slashing through the Laker defense for a series of layups and high shots off the glass.

With O'Neal in foul trouble and Bryant missing shots, Rice carried the Lakers with a team-high 16 in the half, making 6 of 9 field-goal attempts.

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO (1) The Lakers' Kobe Bryant leaves the Spurs' Tim Duncan behin d, going up for two of his 18 points.

(2) After a shaky first half, Kobe Bryant's second-half surge vaulted the Lakers past the Spurs and Tim Duncan.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

CHART: Game recap