Game 6 Report

By Lonnie White

May 16, 2004 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

SAN ANTONIO 21 LAKERS 23

Highlight reel: Staples Center erupted on a spectacular alley-oop from Gary Payton to Kobe Bryant, who once again made a difficult shot look easy. From just inside the halfcourt line, Payton threw to Bryant, who caught the ball with his back to the rim and in one motion made a twisting layup.

Not in the box score: Before the game, the crowd favorite was easily Game 5 hero Derek Fisher, who received a huge ovation every time his face was shown on the video screen.

Winning number: Six, the total assists on eight field goals made by the Spurs, who were led by Manu Ginobili, who had four in seven minutes off the bench.

Wrong number: 6:58, the time remaining when the Spurs’ Tim Duncan picked up his second foul. San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich kept Duncan on the floor for much of the remainder of the quarter and the Spur big man did not pick up another foul.

Leading scorers: Lakers -- Devean George and Bryant 6, Shaquille O’Neal 5; Spurs -- Duncan 9, Robert Horry 5, Devin Brown 3.

Leading rebounders: Lakers -- O’Neal 5, Bryant 2; Spurs -- Hedo Turkoglu, Rasho Nesterovic and Duncan 3, Horry 2.

SAN ANTONIO 39 LAKERS 39

Highlight reel: Horry showed why he’s still a valuable contributor when he grabbed a Tony Parker airball and scored with a follow-up lay-in that . was the last basket of the half.

Not in the box score: Malone and Duncan have had more than their share of physical run-ins underneath the basket and their aggressive play led to technical fouls being called on both players. Afterward, Malone and Duncan had a face-to-face conversation, probably about high elbows, that left both players smiling and looking for more.

Winning number: 25, the total rebounds grabbed in the first half by the Spurs, who limited the Lakers to 15. Duncan had five rebounds in the quarter, including three offensive.

Wrong number: Zero, the points scored in the first half by San Antonio starters Hedo Turkoglu and Bruce Bowen, who combined to miss all five field goal attempts.

Leading scorers: Lakers -- Malone, O’Neal and Payton 4, Bryant and Fisher 2; Spurs -- Parker 6, Duncan and Brown 3, Nesterovic, Ginobili and Horry 2.

Leading rebounders: Lakers -- Bryant 2; Spurs -- Duncan 5, Nesterovic 3, Ginobili 2.

SAN ANTONIO 52 LAKERS 56

Highlight reel: Whenever O’Neal is determined to play intimidating defense near the basket, he can shake up any offense and he did just that to the Spurs on one key possession midway into the quarter. O’Neal got things going when he blocked a layup by Brown and followed that by forcing Parker to throw a pass out of bounds.

Not in the box score: How veteran big man Kevin Willis provided instant toughness to the Spurs’ lineup and mixed things up diving for a loose ball with Bryant. Payton picked up a technical foul for jumping into the fray late.

Winning number: Seven, rebounds in the quarter for O’Neal, who single-handedly dominated the boards for the Lakers. After being outrebounded throughout the first half, the Lakers held a 13-11 edge over the Spurs in the third quarter.

Wrong number: 13%, the shooting percentage in the quarter by the Spurs, who made only three of 23 shots. San Antonio’s starting five combined to shoot 0 for 11.

Leading scorers: Lakers -- Bryant 6, Payton 5, O’Neal and Kareem Rush 3; Spurs -- Ginobili 7, Brown 3, Duncan 2.

Leading rebounders: Lakers -- O’Neal 7, George and Bryant 2; Spurs -- Malik Rose 4, Ginobili 2.

SAN ANTONIO 76 LAKERS 88

Highlight reel: With the Lakers in transition, Fisher passed to Payton in the post and he left Brown reaching for air. From the left side of the lane, Payton spun away and finished with a nifty reverse right-hand layup.

Not in the box score: Laker fans have received a bad rap for not being vocal, but they stepped up their game in the final quarter, breaking out an impromptu “Let’s go Lakers” chant with 8:55 remaining. The crowd noise definitely played a key role in the Lakers’ play down the stretch.

Winning number: Five, free throws made in the game’s final four minutes by O’Neal, who was intentionally fouled by the Spurs nearly every time the Lakers had the ball down the stretch. O’Neal finished seven of 15 from the line.

Wrong number: Four, points scored in the game by San Antonio starters not named Duncan or Parker. Turkoglu, Bowen and Nesterovic combined to make two of 17 shots.

Leading scorers: Lakers -- Bryant 12, O’Neal and Fisher 5, Payton and George 4; Spurs -- Ginobili 7, Duncan and Brown 6, Horry 4.

Leading rebounders: Lakers -- O’Neal and George 3, Bryant 2; Spurs -- Ginobili and Horry 3, Duncan and Turkoglu 2.

(Begin Text of Infobox)

LAKERS

2 Derek Fisher

3 Devean George

4 Luke Walton

7 Brian Cook

8 Kobe Bryant

9 Bryon Russell

11 Karl Malone

14 Slava Medvedenko