BRYANT RETURNS TO FORM.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO - Suddenly, unmistakably, the season belongs to Kobe Bryant again, just when logic dictated it could not.

Physically sound for the first time since last year's playoffs, Bryant again is dominating on the court, averaging 33.5 points on 59.8 percent shooting since the All-Star break. He is teaming nicely with Shaquille O'Neal, the Lakers have won four in a row, and for the first time since last summer, Bryant's brilliant play has knocked his personal drama out of the spotlight.

The frenzy over his free agency has settled some, the focus on his legal troubles has faded, and even today's return trip to Denver is being treated as almost routine.

The media contingent will be considerably smaller than the four dozen or so who greeted the Lakers for their game Jan. 7 at Pepsi Center. And whereas coach Phil Jackson canceled the team shootaround that day to protect Bryant from the general hysteria, he's making no special accommodations this time.

``We're just going to suffer whatever consequences it brings, and go to our shootaround and do the normal things we do on a game day,'' Jackson said.

Denver's proximity to Eagle County, where Bryant will stand trial on sexual-assault accusations, had officials from both teams worried last month. A record crowd booed and taunted Bryant throughout the evening, and he played unevenly in a 113-91 defeat.

If he is preparing for the same sort of vicious vibe, Bryant won't say.

``I don't know. It doesn't really matter to me,'' he said. ``We have a job to do, so we'll go up there and try to do it.''

As the season has progressed, the antagonism that had met Bryant on the road has begun to subside. In Phoenix, where the Suns are angling to make a run at Bryant this summer, the fans hardly booed Sunday. The Nuggets, too, plan to woo Bryant, and coincidentally or not, team officials want fans to tone down their taunts for tonight's game.

Bryant's game might naturally evoke more ``oohs'' than ``boos'' anyway, now that his body is healed.

``I think he's emotionally more settled in what he wants to get done with this season,'' Jackson said. ``That's my guess. And the other thing that I'm seeing is a ballplayer that's shooting at a higher level. ... He's converting everything that's around the basket, which has really been a trademark of why he's been as great as he is.''

--Also: Karl Malone is wearing a bulky leg brace to run sprints as he recovers from a torn ligament in his right knee. But, he said, ``I can't see me wearing it in the game.'' ... Jannero Pargo, waived by the Lakers on Jan. 7, signed a contract to play for the Toronto Raptors for the rest of the season. He had been playing for the Long Beach Jam of the ABA.

Howard Beck, [phone]

howard.beck(at)dailynews.com

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LAKERS vs. DENVER

- Howard Beck