PHIL-ED WITH EMOTION JACKSON'S RETURN: OVATION AND VICTORY LAKERS 88, CHICAGO 76.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

CHICAGO - The revered icon walked again across the city's hallowed ground, and the masses doused him with glorious warmth and applause. Just as advertised, the return of Phil Jackson was treated like the Second Coming.

But even sports gods need some assistance from an apostle or two, and fortunately for Jackson, he still makes a living coaching the NBA's most dominant player.

He left with Michael, returned with Shaq. And O'Neal made certain the return was a successful one, leading Jackson's Lakers to an 88-76 victory over the Chicago Bulls at the sold-out United Center on Tuesday night.

For the 23,208 adoring fans, it was a chance to again thank Jackson for six Bulls championships. For Jackson, it was an equally rewarding reunion and he smiled widely during the brief moment before tipoff when his mere stroll to the visitors' bench evoked a hearty roar.

But once tipoff came, it was just two teams playing ugly basketball after the five-day All-Star break. And it took an extraordinary effort from O'Neal to get the win - 29 points, 20 rebounds and an 11-for-12 night from the free-throw line.

``It's special for me,'' Jackson said of the win, ``and it was special for Shaq. He was really glad to help contribute to that win. And I thanked him for it.''

Rick Fox also came through, scoring all 11 of his points in the fourth quarter, as the Lakers fought back from a surprising five-point deficit and won their fourth game in a row.

It was a key win to kick off this six-game road trip but required a little more stress than anticipated against the 10-38 Bulls. The Lakers shot 40.2 percent from the field and didn't pull away until midway through the fourth.

O'Neal, nursing a strained right rotator cuff, played 47 minutes and took a beating from the Bulls' rotation of foul-happy centers, including a fourth-quarter tackle by Will Perdue. But he was happy to win this one for Jackson.

``Because I know how it feels to leave and come back to a place that you really like,'' said O'Neal, referring to Orlando, his former NBA home, ``but you always need to get that first one. We just wanted to get it for him.''

A composed O'Neal calmly sank his first nine free throws before missing No. 10, then hit his last two. He was 7 for 8 in the fourth quarter. The performance follows a 15-for-20 free-throw outing against Minnesota, just prior to the break.

``I just take it one game a a time, and the last two games I've been shooting them well,'' he said.

O'Neal appears to have settled into a new pattern for shooting free throws, balancing the ball briefly in his right hand before moving his left over to it and shooting. But he won't say what has changed.

``Can't tell you my secret,'' he said. ``I'm just making them. I always shoot them the same. I've just been doing what I've been doing in practice, and once I've developed some consistency, it'll be all over. It's already all over, but it will be all over.''

It was almost all over for the Lakers, before Fox got hot. He and O'Neal combined for 20 points in a 21-5 Laker run in the fourth that turned a deficit into an 11-point lead.

Significantly, Glen Rice again sat the fourth quarter, replaced by Fox in what has become a pattern the last two weeks.

``I'd like to think I'm going to play the players that are hot,'' Jackson said. ``And it's not going to be any pattern - if Glen's going great tomorrow night, I'll be more than happy to play him. But Rick just got going, looked like he was playing well, he played (Toni) Kukoc well in the first half. His defense was strong and I felt comfortable with him.''

Rice finished with 13 points in 25 minutes. Kobe Bryant added 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, with five steals and one throbbing knee after a frightening midair collision with Dickey Simpkins in the first quarter.

``It was pretty sore,'' he said. But the knee didn't hamper him and Bryant said afterward, ``It's pretty cool.''

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, chart

Photo: (1 -- color) The Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal towers over Chicago's Elton Brand for two of his 29 points against the Bulls, but his most impressive achievement was his 11-of-12 effort from the free-throw line.

(2 -- color) For Phil Jackson, the victory didn't come as easily as many expected against the Bulls.

(3) Phil Jackson, who coached the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles, takes a look around the United Center as he returns to the arena for the first time as Lakers coach.

Fred Jewell/Associated Press

Chart: Game recap