NBA Sacramento brings out the worst of the Lakers

Phil Jackson didn't field reporters' questions after the 102-85 defeat.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- If you believed Kobe Bryant, the Sacramento Kings played the best defense he's ever seen.
If you believed Shaquille O'Neal, the referees were completely responsible for the Kings' biggest win of the season.
And if you believed your eyes, the Kings' 102-85 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday was baffling -- both because of Sacramento's abrupt turnaround and Bryant's bizarre one-shot performance in the first half.
Chris Webber had 25 points and 12 rebounds, Doug Christie added 21 points to his superb defense and the Kings halted their late-season skid with a dominant outing against their rivals.
Sacramento needs just one more win or one Lakers loss to clinch its third straight Pacific Division title and the playoffs' second seed.
Inspired
Mike Bibby had 15 points and eight assists for Sacramento (55-25), which took a one-game lead over the Lakers (54-26) with two to play by winning for just the fourth time in 10 games. The Kings played with more desperation and passion than they've shown in the seven weeks since Webber's comeback from knee surgery.
But even in a defeat that probably relegated them to the fourth seed, the Lakers still stole the spotlight with another unique controversy.
Bryant, the NBA's fourth-leading scorer, took just one shot while playing 21 minutes in the first half. He passed up open looks, allowed Christie to bully him and didn't play his usual aggressive game until the third quarter, when the Lakers were 21 points behind.
After finishing with eight points on 3-of-13 shooting, Bryant insisted he wasn't avoiding shots -- even though that seemed obvious to everybody else at Arco Arena. His lone first-half shot was a missed 3-pointer when the shot clock was winding down midway through the second quarter.
Uncharacteristic
He did another strange thing afterward: He praised the Kings' defense, which has been among the NBA's worst this season.
"They did a great job. They played very well. [Kings coach Rick] Adelman had an excellent game plan for them," Bryant said.
"If we see them again, we'll figure out what to do to counterattack them."
Bryant's reticence might have been a response to coach Phil Jackson's recent criticism of his game. Jackson said the Lakers frequently suffer when Bryant concentrates solely on driving and scoring. Jackson wasn't making any guesses, refusing to take reporters' questions after the game.
Gary Payton scored 15 points and Karl Malone had 13 for the Lakers, who lost for the third time in four games -- their worst stretch since the All-Star break.
O'Neal also got just one shot in the first half, but he played just 12 minutes after two early offensive fouls. He finished with 10 points and five rebounds -- but he saved his best performance for the locker room, where he ripped the Kings as "underachievers," castigated the officials and again cursed on live television.
"We let [the referees] take us out of our game, but I'm still not impressed," O'Neal said. "I think today it was a little bit obvious that [the referees] tried to take over the game."
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