IT GETS WORSE FOR LAKERS BRYANT AGGRAVATES INJURY; L.A. LOSES MILWAUKEE 107, LAKERS 100.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

MILWAUKEE - Kobe Bryant levitated and dished to a dunking Shaquille O'Neal, and for a freeze-frame moment, the Lakers' hope was alive, their morale suspended in midair along with their most dynamic player.

And then it all came crashing down, one piece at a time.

Bryant, and his ankle. The Lakers' chance to beat the Milwaukee Bucks. Their hope for a successful road trip.

Gone, in one demoralizing sequence.

A once-promising trip ended with a second straight loss Wednesday night, when Bryant collapsed and the Lakers' comeback fell short and the Bucks pulled away for a 107-100 victory at the Bradley Center.

Only one thought flashed through Bryant's head as he lay crumpled on the court, clutching his left ankle, the Lakers trailing by just 5 points with 44.5 seconds to go.

``Just pain. I wasn't thinking about anything else,'' said Bryant. ``It was just hurting so much. I was trying to see if it was going to go away, and it just kept getting worse and worse.''

The same could be said for the Lakers' fortunes as they returned home early this morning. They finished their road trip at 3-2, their veteran floor leader just underwent knee surgery and their All-Star guard can barely walk.

Fourteen games remain until the playoffs, and the Lakers (45-23) have never looked more fragile.

Much could depend on the result of X-rays of Bryant's foot, slated for today. For now, he's been diagnosed with an aggravation of the same ankle strain that's bothered him for a month.

``We're going to be all right,'' O'Neal said. ``This has been happening all season. We've been giving games away, especially in the third and fourth quarter. But there's a reason why. We just have to go home, take a day off (today), soul search, just come back.''

O'Neal carried the Lakers with 36 points and 13 rebounds, but they unraveled in familiar fashion down the stretch.

Rick Fox's 3-pointer cut the lead to 93-88 with 3:26 to play. But Bryant, uneasy on his sore ankles all night, tried a 3-pointer that coach Phil Jackson later questioned. O'Neal missed a jump-hook from 6 feet away. Derek Fisher missed a 3-pointer and a driving layup.

With the Lakers already over the foul limit, Robert Horry committed a silly foul against Sam Cassell in the backcourt with a minute to play. Casell's free throws made it a 7-point game again with 1:02 left.

``You can't beat the Bucks if you give them so many foul shots in the fourth quarter,'' Jackson said, ``and we really made some irresponsible kind of decisions on fouls starting from about the five-minute mark in that fourth period. Unfortunately for us, we let a good game go to waste.''

There was still time to pull out a victory, but it probably ended with Bryant's injury. He drove the lane and leaped to pass to O'Neal but came down awkwardly on his left foot. Without Bryant in the game, the Bucks crowded O'Neal and the Lakers had nowhere to turn.

Robinson blocked a 3-point attempt by Fox and the Lakers didn't make a field goal the rest of the way.

The Bucks, who got 27 points from Cassell and 26 from Glenn Robinson, completed a two-game series sweep of the Lakers for the first time since the 1990-91 season.

In deference to his two sore ankles, Bryant played a subdued game on offense (4 for 15, 13 points, seven rebounds, eight assists) while holding Ray Allen to 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting.

``I asked him today to stay inside of the game plan and let the offense come when it came,'' Jackson said, ``and even the little stuff he had, it didn't look like his shot was consistently there.''

Bryant has been gamely playing through the pain but now admits he might have to give the ankles a rest.

``Right now, I might not have a choice,'' he said. ``Tonight, they felt pretty good to start with and as the game goes on they get weaker and weaker.''

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