GAME-WINNER IS ON TIME KOBE ARRIVES LATE, SINKS BUZZER-BEATER FOR LAKERS LAKERS 101, DENVER 99.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

Kobe Bryant bounced from the Pacific to the Mountain time zone, made a protracted appearance in court and hurried back for a profoundly dramatic reappearance on the court, and then summoned a fairy-tale finish that only Bryant himself could have scripted.

With time expiring and the Lakers on the verge of a three-game losing streak, Bryant hit a 20-foot straightaway jump shot, beating the buzzer and lifting the Lakers to a 101-99 victory over the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center.

Only hours earlier, Bryant was sitting in an Eagle, Colo., courtroom, listening to his attorneys argue over legalese in his sexual-assault case. By the time Bryant's last shot fell, that hearing seemed a distant memory.

The Nuggets used a 9-0 run to tie the game in the final two minutes. Carmelo Anthony, the rookie star who has made Denver respectable for the first time in 10 years, hit two free throws with 2.5 seconds left to tie the score at 99-99.

Anthony took Bryon Russell off the dribble, skirted past him and Gary Payton and was fouled by Shaquille O'Neal. Anthony scored the Nuggets' last four points from the line, after O'Neal missed two free throws with 1:03 to go and the Lakers leading by four.

Bryant finished with 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting in 31 minutes - not his best game, just one of his most remarkable.

He arrived midway through the first quarter and was on the floor to start the second quarter, coming off the bench for the first time since Dec. 7, 1999, the year he opened the season with a broken hand.

Considering the hectic travel day - to Colorado and back, with an all-day hearing sandwiched between flights - and the obvious emotional strain of the case, there was no telling what Bryant would bring to the game.

``I won't speculate on that,'' coach Phil Jackson said before the game. ``He's got a couple hours in the air to rest, get a nap, get ready for a game, start thinking about basketball and put the other stuff behind. He's pretty good at focusing. He could have a great game. I wouldn't even put that by him.''

While Bryant provided the drama, O'Neal provided the steady hand - 26 points and 11 rebounds. Karl Malone added 11 points and eight rebounds. Gary Payton scored 10 points and had 11 assists.

Ninety minutes before tipoff, Bryant had been relegated to Elvis status. He was an apparition, a curiosity.

``There are rumors,'' Jackson said mysteriously, when asked about Bryant's possible arrival. ``There are rumors that he's going to try and get on his way.''

Bryant boarded a private jet about 5:30 p.m. PST for a flight that was expected to take an hour and 45 minutes, bound for an undisclosed location in the Los Angeles area.

Wherever he landed, the commute was friendly. With all eyes on the private ramp that feeds into the West side of Staples Center, Bryant at last entered the building about 7:53 p.m., the game only six minutes old, the score tied at 12.

At 8:16 p.m., at the break between the first and second quarters, Bryant strolled into the arena through the northeast tunnel, flanked by bodyguards, and a roar followed him all the way to the bench. Teammates gave him high-fives, and most of the 18,997 in attendance stood for a 30- second ovation.

A minute later, he was on the court, having made a remarkably seamless transition from stone-faced defendant to beloved sports idol in a matter of hours.

Bryant rewarded the fans' loyalty with two quick assists, both to Slava Medvedenko, including an over-the-shoulder pass in the lane that Medvedenko converted for an easy layup.

Unimpressed, the Nuggets quickly put together an 11-2 run to tie the score at 31-31.

The Lakers' true starting five did not unite on the court until the 5:37 mark of the second quarter, and the momentum turned almost immediately. Devean George hit a pair of 3-pointers and Bryant dished to Payton and Malone for successive fast-break layups as the Lakers took a 53-42 lead.

The mood was light. Bryant's running lob to Malone was above the rim, and Malone's 40-year-old legs just barely lifted him to it. He grabbed the ball in the air but couldn't dunk it, awkwardly pushing it over the rim. At the timeout, Malone and Bryant chest-bumped and laughed about it.

The Lakers took a 57-47 lead into halftime, with 15 points from O'Neal and 10 from George. The Nuggets got 13 points from Anthony and 10 each from Voshon Lenard and Earl Boykins.

Howard Beck, [phone]

howard.beck(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Kobe Bryant's game-winning shot against Denver kept the Lakers from losing three in a row.

(2) Derek Fisher, left, battles Denver's Marcus Camby for a loose ball during the Lakers' victory.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer

Box:

GAME RECAP