Orange County Register

LOS ANGELES - Kobe Bryant says he loves Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni. Bryant is also quite fond of Knicks superfan Spike Lee, director of the movie “Kobe Doin’ Work.”

So why must Bryant treat them this way?

Probably because Bryant, who scored a game-high 34 points Tuesday night at Staples Center in the Lakers’ 100-90 victory, plays with greater focus against those whom he respects.

After scoring a Madison Square Garden-record 61 points against New York last season, Bryant did only about half as much, but he was still splendid by making 14 of 20 shots from the field.

At one point after Lakers forward Ron Artest ran free along the baseline to make a long jumper, D’Antoni called timeout and punched the air in frustration that neither his players nor the referees could stop the Lakers’ third-quarter tidal wave.

With 38.6 seconds left in the period, Bryant lobbed in a fading 3-pointer from the corner over Knicks rookie Jordan Hill and lingered in the area because it was where Lee was seated courtside. Bryant made all six shots he took in the quarter, and the Lakers stretched a 55-45 halftime lead to 83-59 before New York’s Nate Robinson banked in a buzzer-beating 30-footer.

While coaching the Phoenix Suns, D’Antoni had the pleasure of eliminating Bryant and the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs in both 2006 and ‘07. But D’Antoni hasn’t been able to recapture his mojo with the Knicks.

The Lakers’ plan to build upward with size is looking dominant again. The Knicks still hope to succeed with speed but dropped to 3-11 with the loss. The Lakers cruised to their fourth consecutive home victory by a double-digit margin even though their bench shot a collective 4 for 22 from the field.

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