KOBE GETS 58, LAKERS LOSE IT LATE L.A. STAR FOULS OUT IN THIRD OVERTIME; CHARLOTTE WINS CHARLOTTE 133, LAKERS 124.

Byline: ROSS SILER Staff Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Lakers came too far on this Christmas road trip, with sixgames in 12 days, to lose to the Charlotte Bobcats with Kwame Brown's hands betraying him in a third overtime and Kobe Bryant fouling out on a night he scored 58 points.

Yet that was what the Lakers were left with Friday, long after they should have been flying home to LosAngeles, as the Bobcats celebrated a 133-124 triumph.

It was the third-highest scoring game of Bryant's career, as he went 22 of 45 from the field and played 54 minutes, but it went for naught at the end of the 3 hour, 20 minute game.

The Lakers played their first three-overtime game since they lost in four overtimes to Cleveland on Jan. 29, 1980. They also lost for the second consecutive season here to the Bobcats, who won for only the eighth time in 29 games.

After the Bobcats had chances to win at the end of the first and second overtimes, the Lakers could have gone ahead 124-120 at the start of the third overtime. Bryant drove and dumped a pass to Brown for what should have been a sure basket.

But it wasn't. Brown fumbled the ball out of bounds. He went on to commit an offensive foul and couldn't pick up another pass in the third overtime, spoiling a game in which he finished with 11points, 15 rebounds and five blocks.

``We're going to feed him Butterfingers on the flight home just so he can feel the effects of it,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. ``There was certainly some disappointment in the ability -- or non-ability -- of Kwame to complete plays that we thought were big plays for us.''

Brown, however, directed his criticism at the Lakers' pick- and-roll defense. The Bobcats got one basket after another in the overtime periods running the same play for Raymond Felton and Emeka Okafor.

``It's sad that you've got to say we won or lost that game over a fumble,'' Brown said. ``The second pass wasn't even catchable. If you look on tape, we are the worst pick-and-roll defensive team in the league. No way Emeka Okafor (should) get three layups at the rim.''

Okafor finished with 22 points and 25 rebounds; Felton had 22 points and 15 assists.

The Lakers finished the trip with the 3-3 split Jackson wanted, but wasted the chance for more. They led 105-102 in the final minute of regulation when Gerald Wallace (28 points) drove the lane out of a timeout. Wallace went crashing into Brown, who had position and both feet out of the restricted area. He pushed in the shot while Brown was called for a blocking foul by referee Leroy Richardson.

``I don't know why it should have gone either way,'' Jackson said. ``It definitely was a charge. But we seemed to be sold the idea that his feet were in that restricted area.''

The Lakers could have won in regulation but Bryant missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Felton missed a potential winning 3-pointer for the Bobcats at the end of the first overtime and a runner in the lane with 2.9 seconds left in the second overtime.

Bryant found himself watching the last 5:19 of the third quarter after picking up a fourth foul. He came back for the fourth quarter and carried the Lakers, scoring 14 of their 20 points as a team.

Bryant played nearly 26 minutes without being called for a fifth foul but caught Derek Anderson's arm on a 3-pointer in the third overtime.

Anderson converted all three free throws to put the Bobcats up 129-124. Bryant then fouled out with 38.2 seconds left on a charge taken by Anderson. He took 45 of the Lakers' 100 shots in the game, two shy of his career high.

``Sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do to keep your team in the game, try to get a win,'' Bryant said. ``Hopefully, our next game will be a little different.''

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