It was halftime, the Lakers were in trouble, and Kobe Bryant had a brief message for his teammates.
"I told the guys to remember it was just a game, to have fun. Pick up our energy, enjoy the game and we'll be there," he said.
If anyone should know basketball is just a game, it's Bryant.
Just hours after pleading not guilty to a sexual assault charge in Colorado, Bryant scored 42 points Tuesday night to lead the Lakers to a 98-90 victory over the San Antonio Spurs and even the Western Conference semifinals 2-2.
"It's our biggest game of the year -- I just wanted to come out and leave it all out on the floor," Bryant said. "I'm tired. I just feel numb right now. Just tired, just want to get some sleep."
Understandably so, considering he spent most of Monday and Tuesday in an Eagle, Colorado, courtroom. Bryant is accused of raping a 19-year-old woman last summer at the Vail-area resort where she worked. He claims the sex was consensual.
Shaquille O'Neal added 28 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who won by outscoring the Spurs 55-37 after halftime.
A dominating performance, indeed. But Bryant was the story.
"I don't know how he does stuff like that," O'Neal said. "Kobe had a fabulous game and that just shows us what kind of heart he has and what type of character he has. Once again I have to title him as the best player ever."
Bryant was 15-of-27 from the field, made 10 of 13 foul shots and added six rebounds and five assists while playing 45 minutes. He scored 15 of his team's 24 points in the fourth quarter.
"I can't say that I have," Bryant replied when asked if he had ever had a better playoff game.
"Kobe was phenomenal in that second half," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.
"It was unbelievable," teammate Karl Malone said. "I have said it before, for what a young man like him went through and to continue and do what he does is pretty incredible."
Game 5 in the best-of-seven series is Thursday night in San Antonio, and Game 6 is Saturday night at Staples Center.
In the only other game Tuesday night, New Jersey beat Detroit 94-79 to tie the Eastern Conference series 2-2.
The other conference semifinals resume Wednesday night, with Indiana at Miami in the East, and Minnesota at Sacramento in the West. Indiana and Minnesota have 2-1 leads.
Bryant arrived in plenty of time for the game and got in about an hour of sleep.
It was the fourth time he played a game following a day in court, including once in the Lakers' first-round series against Houston.
Bryant starred and his team won every time.
"It's very draining," he said. "It feels good to step out on that basketball court, get up and down, compete. It is kind of like a psychiatrist, it takes your mind away from so many things."
Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Tim Duncan had 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, Tony Parker added 18 points and eight assists, and Hedo Turkoglu had 16 points and seven rebounds.
"Hats off to Kobe and Shaq," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We just didn't have an answer for them. [Bryant] made some unbelievable shots -- but he's an unbelievable player. It's not like it's an aberration.
"I think everybody's impressed with the way that Kobe is able to compartmentalize. He is going through a tough time. You feel badly for him, for the young lady, for the families, for everybody ... He's handling it the best he can -- he's doing it silently and with class."
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