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Lakers, Bryant defeat Hawks 113-67 ( 2004-01-10 16:07) (Agencies) Kobe Bryant scored 26 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers end a four-game losing streak and send the Atlanta Hawks to their second-worst loss ever, 113-67 Friday night.
Stanislav Medvedenko scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Lakers, still playing without injured stars Shaquille O'Neal and Karl Malone.
Yet Los Angeles dominated from the start, handing the Hawks their most lopsided loss since a 132-85 defeat at Philadelphia on Dec. 8, 1982.
The Lakers opened a 14-0 lead while the Hawks missed their first eight shots and went the first 4:45 without scoring. They didn't get a rebound until midway through the first period.
The Lakers were up 34-7 by the end of the quarter and 57-28 at halftime. The seven points were the fewest in the first quarter for the Hawks since they moved to Atlanta in 1968. The 28 points matched an Atlanta first-half low.
The Lakers' win spared coach Phil Jackson from just the second five-game losing streak of his 13-plus years as an NBA coach. The Chicago Bulls lost five straight under Jackson in 1994 ¡ª while Michael Jordan was retired ¡ª the longest such slump of the coach's career.
Stephen Jackson scored 13 points for the Hawks, whose 10-27 record is among the league's worst.
O'Neal missed his fourth game with a strained right calf and is expected to be sidelined for at least one more game. Malone has been out since Dec. 21 with a knee sprain and is on the injured list for the first time in his career.
Medvedenko was 13-of-21 from the field, and the 11 rebounds matched his career high. He brought the sellout crowd of 18,997 to its feet with a spectacular drive and reverse dunk in the opening quarter of what turned out to be his best NBA game so far.
Bryant had 20 points by halftime, and Medvedenko had 16 points and 10 rebounds. His previous career high in scoring was 18 points, which he had done twice, the last against the Clippers only last Sunday.
Los Angeles led 89-50 after three quarters, and Lakers reserves played the entire fourth period.
Atlanta's lowest-scoring quarter ever was six points in the second quarter of a game against Minnesota in 1994. They had scored as few as 28 first-half points twice before, in 2002 and in 1995. They had scored only 26 second-half points twice, in 1996 and 1999.
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