MILWAUKEE (AP)—Gary Payton figures his job is to take the pressure off Kobe Bryant by bringing the ball upcourt.
On Tuesday night in Milwaukee, he also took the heat off him.
Fans angered that Payton’s stint with the Bucks last year lasted all of 34 games booed him and Bryant every time they touched the ball in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 113-107 comeback victory.
Payton said he didn’t care about the hurt feelings in Milwaukee and that he’s a West Coast guy who wanted to play for a championship contender.
But he was more than happy to share Bryant’s boo-bird burden for one night.
“Kobe’s going to get his share of boos. Give it all to me. It will come in one ear, go out the other,” Payton said. “I really don’t care.”
All he cares about is running the offense.
“I’m here to take pressure off of him, bring the ball up,” Payton said.
Bryant, who played 40 minutes just one week after missing the opener because his surgically repaired knee was still sore and weak, said he appreciated Payton’s help along with that of another newcomer, Karl Malone.
“Forty minutes this season is not like 40 minutes last season,” Bryant said. “The game is so much easier playing with these guys out here. Last year, I was the push man. I had to give it up, then get it back.
“Now, all I have to do is run and have Gary find me.”
Bryant scored 31 points, including two key 3-pointers in the closing minutes, Shaquille O’Neal had 23 and Payton 19 as the Lakers (4-0) stayed unbeaten by overcoming a 10-point second-half deficit.
The Bucks got a career-high 36 points from Michael Redd, but Milwaukee was outscored 24-10 over the final seven minutes.
“Well, we won that game probably on experience alone,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “But Milwaukee showed its valor. They were very aggressive and quick and ran the floor well.”
Payton said the Bucks have to learn how to close out games, and he provided a firsthand lesson for them down the stretch, much to the chagrin of the crowd of 18,717.
Bryant expects jabs in every NBA arena outside the Staples Center after being charged with sexual assault in Colorado last summer.
“It isn’t any different than any other road trip,” Bryant said.
Actually, this one was, thanks to Payton, who played the second half of last season in Milwaukee after the blockbuster trade with Seattle.
That was enough for the Bradley Center crowd to feel spurned, and they razzed Payton and Bryant with equal vigor, especially when Payton took a pass from Bryant underneath and drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Lakers a 57-54 halftime lead.
The crowd soon had plenty to cheer about when the Redd scored 18 points in the third quarter and the Bucks built an 85-75 lead.
But, with Bryant catching his breath on the bench, his replacement, Kareem Rush, sank a 3-pointer to pull the Lakers to 86-83 entering the fourth quarter.
Even with Bryant back in, the Bucks surged ahead 97-89 and had a chance to clamp down on Los Angeles when Tim Thomas pulled up for a 3-pointer without running down the clock.
Big mistake.
He missed, and the Lakers’ comeback was on.
Bryant sank a 3-pointer with 3:31 left to cut the Lakers’ deficit to 101-98. After Payton’s basket at the two-minute mark, Bryant hit another 3 with 90 seconds left to give the Lakers a 103-101 lead, their first since 64-63.
They wouldn’t trail again, and Bryant’s jumper with 30 seconds left iced it at 108-103.
Payton wasn’t surprised by Bryant’s stamina.
“He’s ready for it. He’s Kobe. I mean, you can’t take his basketball skillsaway from him,” Payton said.
Notes
Bucks F Brian Skinner is expected to miss up to six weeks after arthroscopic surgery to remove loose cartilage from his left knee on Thursday. Skinner averaged 11.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and a team-high 3.3 blocks in the Bucks’ first three games. … The Lakers had only trailed a total of two minutes in their first three games. … Bucks C Daniel Santiago needed ninestitches to close a gash on his lower lip.
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