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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant's blazing again.
Hitting shots from all over the floor, Bryant scored 52 points Thursday night to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 132-102 rout of the Utah Jazz -- owners of the NBA's best record.
Bryant, looking back in form after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in July, showed he's confident with the knee when he drove through three Utah defenders to slam down a dunk in the final seconds before halftime.
He went on to make all nine of his shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, during a 30-point outburst in the third quarter. The Jazz began to foul him when he even looked as if he was going to shoot, and he went 10-for-10 from the line in the period.
"I felt great. I felt explosive," Bryant said. "It's just about trusting my knee and trusting my legs. And after tonight, I know I'm at that point right now where I feel like I know it's going to be there."
The 52 points were his most since his phenomenal 81-point outburst against Toronto on Jan. 22 of last season.
Bryant finished 19-of-26 from the floor and 12-of-15 from the line against the Jazz.
His third-quarter binge had the fans chanting "MVP!" and gave the Lakers a 95-73 lead heading into the fourth.
The 30-point third tied his own team record for a quarter, set last season. The NBA record is 33, set by San Antonio's George Gervin in 1978.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who has had a sometimes rocky relationship with Bryant in the past, obviously was pleased to see his star back knocking down the jumpers.
The normally reserved Jackson gave Bryant a high-five and a hug when he left the game in the fourth quarter.
"It's great to watch Kobe have a great night like that, but I thought our defense stepped up, too," Jackson said.
Bryant said: "We have such a great relationship. And when I play, I play to please him. So if he stands up (on his surgically repaired hip) and gives me a high-five, then I know I've done my job."
Bryant, who topped the 50-point plateau for the 12th time in his career, made 11 shots in a row beginning just before halftime and extending through the third quarter. He finally missed when he drove and looped a shot that bounced off the back of the rim with 7:44 left in the game, shortly after he had returned to the floor with the Lakers up by 20.
"Players like that, they get on a roll and I don't think there's much you can do," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "We had a guy in Milwaukee (Michael Redd) score 57 on us, and he got 52. We're having a difficult time trying to guard that position."
The Jazz still beat Redd and the Bucks 113-111 in that game last Saturday.
Carlos Boozer had 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists as Utah lost for the third time in four games after a 12-1 start. Deron Williams had 13 points and nine assists for the Jazz, whose 13-4 record remains the league's best.
Lamar Odom had 14 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers, and reserve Maurice Evans added 17 points.
Bryant missed the first two games this season as he worked his way back from the surgery, and was averaging 24.1 points going in against Utah. He led the league with a 35.4 average last season.
Notes:@ The Jazz beat the Lakers 114-108 at home last Friday, outscoring them 32-20 in the fourth quarter, including a 7-1 run to end it. Boozer had 31 points and 16 rebounds. Bryant had 27 points in the loss, but just two in the final quarter. ... The teams meet just three times this season, only once in Los Angeles. ... Utah had lost two in a row, to Golden State and Orlando, before bouncing back to beat San Antonio on Wednesday. ... The Staples Center crowd cheered Utah's Derek Fisher, a member of three NBA champions with the Lakers, when he entered the game late in the first quarter.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-12-01-06 0304MST
