JUST ANOTHER GAME? SURE.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO - So many subplots, so much downplaying.

On the day before Michael Jordan and the Wizards played the Lakers for the first time this year, marking the first meeting between Jordan and former Chicago Bulls boss Phil Jackson and Jordan and the would-be Jordan Kobe Bryant, the Lakers did their best to pretend it was just another game.

Yeah, right.

Jackson, who coached Jordan eight years and shared six NBA titles with him, said he didn't quite know what to expect, and that to him, tonight's game was nothing out of the ordinary.

``I haven't anticipated any kind of reaction to this game at all, as to what this is going to bring,'' Jackson said. ``I'm just going to go in as a coach trying to win a basketball game.''

Uh huh.

Bryant was even more subdued, describing the event as a chance for the Lakers to find their rhythm without Shaquille O'Neal and get things back on track after a few sloppy weeks.

In fact, when one overeager reporter told Bryant he felt an extra buzz about the game, and then wondered why Bryant didn't share those feelings, Bryant apologized to the poor guy.

``I'm sorry to kill your buzz,'' Bryant said.

--We're sorry: Bryant received a surprise call from Philadelphia mayor John Street just before practice Monday. The mayor apologized on behalf of the city for fans' behavior at Sunday's NBA All-Star Game in which Bryant, the game MVP, was repeatedly booed. Bryant played his school ball at nearby Lower Merion.

``I appreciated it,'' Bryant said.

Nevertheless, the sting of the treatment he received lingered.

``It's home, you know what I mean? Boos are boos, I just didn't expect it to be like that.''

--Harper comeback: Former Lakers guard Ron Harper remains interested in rejoining the team for the stretch run and says the team is interested in him.

Harper, 38, told the Flordia Sun-Sentinel at a celebrity golf tournament that someone from the Lakers contacted him recently.

LAKERS vs. WASHINGTON

Tipoff: 7:30 p.m., at Staples Center.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net; 570-AM, 1330-AM (Spanish).

Lakers (33-13) update: They open the season's second half without Shaquille O'Neal, who will spend four more games on the injured list. After tonight, the Lakers play seven of their next nine games on the road.

Wizards (26-21) update: They defeated the Sacramento Kings last week and have won five in a row, the NBA's longest active streak. Michael Jordan is averaging 25.1 points (seventh in the NBA) and getting ample support from rising star Richard Hamilton (19.5 ppg).

- Howard Beck

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LAKERS vs. WASHINGTON (see text)