Bryant scored 31 points and took over when Shaquille O'Neal sat down with foul trouble as the Los Angeles Lakers outclassed the Pacers, 109-90, for their fifth straight victory.
The overpowering O'Neal got off to a slow start and picked up his third foul with 4:54 left in the second quarter and the Lakers holding a 36-31 lead. Los Angeles actually widened the advantage without O'Neal, thanks to the brilliance of Bryant.
In the final seconds of the first half, the All-Star guard hit a 3-pointer to make it 47-42. After a free throw by Jermaine O'Neal, Bryant took a court-length pass from Robert Horry and dribbled to the baseline before pulling up for a jumper at the horn.
 In the battle of the O'Neals, Shaquille gets the best of Jermaine. Ron Hoskins NBAE/Getty Images |
O'Neal was back to start the third quarter and helped Bryant put away the Pacers. He scored six of his 20 points in a 15-0 burst that began the period and built the bulge to 64-43 with just under seven minutes to go.
During the run, Bryant scored seven points. He had a stunning reverse layup for a three-point play and also made a pair of foul shots after missing a breakaway dunk -- and beating the Pacers to the rebound.
That prompted a timeout from Isiah Thomas, who went into a tirade on the sidelines. He somehow cut his finger while yelling at his team but could not snap his players out of it.
"I got a little upset in the huddle," Thomas said. "I hit the clipboard. I thought that when we got down, some of our players stopped competing. Regardless of the score, we still have to compete.
"I think it was after Bryant missed a layup and we didn't get to the loose ball. We're still fighting this kind of thing. Having a young team, I don't want us to ever establish those habits."
Indiana's first basket of the second half was a jumper by Jeff Foster with 6:39 remaining that cut the deficit to 64-45. The Pacers got no closer than 13 points thereafter and had their two-game winning streak snapped.
"The 15-0 run in the third quarter was really the back-breaker," Pacers rookie guard Jamaal Tinsley said. "Coach was really upset at us this time, and he should have been. We didn't do anything well that would help us win any kind of basketball game tonight."
Derek Fisher and Stanislav Medvedenko scored 10 points apiece for the Lakers, who improved to 3-0 on their five-game road trip.
"We have played well on the road before, but the level we've had lately has been impressive," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.
Los Angeles shot 49 percent (42-of-86) while holding Indiana to 35 percent (34-of-96).
"I thought the team played well tonight," said Shaquille O'Neal, who played just 24 minutes. "I got to rest the whole fourth quarter. If we keep doing things the way we did tonight, we'll be all right."
"Give credit to our defense, too," Bryant added. "We are really suffocating teams."
Bryant, who picked up an early technical foul for whipping the ball at a referee, spent part of the game trading barbs with Pacers' fans, who are known for being very harsh on visiting players.
"There were some people courtside that wanted to be part of the game, so I let them," Bryant said. "I talked a little with them. I like to feed off the crowd on the road."
"I like it when Kobe interacts, but not with the referees," said Jackson.
Jermaine O'Neal had 18 points and 18 rebounds but made just 3-of-14 shots for the Pacers, who lost at home to the Lakers in the regular season for the first time since February 25, 1998.
Tinsley had a rough game, making 6-of-18 shots and committing five turnovers. He had 14 points and seven assists.
The Pacers held a 25-18 lead late in the first quarter before the Lakers scored eight of the last nine points of the period to pull within 27-26. Los Angeles took the lead for good at 31-29 on Bryant's jumper with 9:49 left in the second quarter.