BRYANT HURTS CAVS MAKES WINNING SHOT DESPITE INJURED WRIST LAKERS 99, CLEVELAND 98.

Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer

You had Matt Leinart walking through the Lakers locker room before the game in a No. 8 jersey and suspended Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest sitting in the second row at Staples Center, a surprise appearance to say the least.

You had Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, the two young superstars, the two Nike icons, matched up on the court. You had as marquee a regular-season game as the NBA has to offer, especially for the middle of January.

You had Bryant once again unable to emerge from a game against the Cavaliers unscathed, and somehow it didn't matter as Bryant made every big shot down the stretch as the Lakers beat Cleveland 99-98 Thursday night.

Bryant suffered a sprained wrist with five minutes left in the first half and spent much of the night tugging and flexing on his hand. That just made what happened in the last 90 seconds, though, all the more remarkable.

Matched up against James, with Lakers center Chris Mihm setting picks to try and free him, Bryant buried three jumpers as the crowd grew louder with each one.

He hit an 18-footer and 22-footer, all from the left side, and saved his best for last by doubling back on James and connecting on a 20-footer with 8.6 seconds left over both James and Cleveland's 7-foot-3 center Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

James posted up Bryant at the other end and was fouled as he went baseline. He converted the first free throw but missed the second with 5.2 seconds remaining. But Drew Gooden pulled down the rebound to give the Cavaliers a second chance.

James again got the ball and pulled up over Bryant but couldn't get his shot to drop. He collapsed to the floor as the final horn sounded and streamers rained from the ceiling.

Bryant finished with 27 points on 9-of-21 shooting, while James had 28 points on 11-of-22 shooting. Forward Lamar Odom finished an assist shy of his first triple-double with the Lakers, still sensational with 20 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

The Lakers managed to take a 68-67 lead into the fourth quarter, even with the condition of Bryant's wrist uncertain. Bryant and Luke Walton trapped James along the sideline, ending in a turnover when James stepped out of bounds.

That defense, gone and forgotten in Wednesday's 113-103 loss to Portland, led to a dunk at the other end as Mihm finished a pick and roll with Odom with an emphatic slam. Mihm then blocked Mike Wilks back on defense.

The Lakers gave up only 17 points in the third quarter, a quarter that Lakers coach Phil Jackson has described often this season as his team's nemesis.

Odom made a crucial basket for the Lakers coming out of a timeout with 3:08 left and made the second of two free throws with 1:53 remaining.

Bryant wasn't the same after the wrist injury. X-rays at halftime were negative, but Bryant missed his last four shots of the first half after suffering the injury and went the first 8:13 of the third quarter without taking a shot, astonishing for the NBA's leading scorer.

The past two times James and the Cavaliers came to Staples Center, Bryant suffered serious injuries. He sprained his shoulder in a game during James' rookie season, then sprained his ankle coming down on a rebound last January.

Bryant had to miss 14 games with the severe ankle sprain and the Lakers' season wasn't the same afterward. And Bryant couldn't get out of the second quarter Thursday without being nicked on his right wrist.

He took a shot from Cleveland's Sasha Pavlovic fighting through a pick with 5 minutes left in the first half. Bryant winced and grabbed the wrist on his shooting hand in evident discomfort.

Odom got involved early and had 10 points by halftime. Something about matching up against James seemed to energize Odom, who attacked the basket starting early in the first quarter.

The 6-foot-10 Odom was feeling so good, evidently, he threw a behind-the-back pass in the lane to Mihm, who made a hook shot.

Ross Siler, [phone]

ross.siler(at)dailynews.com

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) LeBron James beats Kobe Bryant down the floor for a layup in the first half during Thursday game.

(2) Kobe Bryant gets by LeBron James and other Cavaliers for a layup in the first half during Lakers' win.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer