GfxDiary

Gary Payton came close to a triple-double in his first game with the Lakers.

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 28 (Ticker) -- Whoever's team the Los Angeles Lakers are, they looked pretty darn good.

The Lakers put aside their squabbling long enough to cruise to a 109-93 victory over the Dallas Mavericks as newcomers Gary Payton and Karl Malone teamed with Shaquille O'Neal to more than make up for the absence of Kobe Bryant.

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O'Neal and Bryant have been feuding in public over control of the team the last two days. But late in the third quarter, Bryant joined the team on the bench after a workout. He received a cheer from the crowd and took a seat next to O'Neal, who didn't seem to acknowledge his presence.

Early in the final period, all four superstars sat next to each other, with Malone, Payton and O'Neal laughing it up while Bryant sat quietly next to O'Neal. Later, Payton put an arm around Bryant.

"Just clowning around, silly stuff, stuff that's been going a couple of years," Bryant said. "I'm kind of a comedian."

"You saw when he came out today and he was hugging," Payton said. "You can see for yourselves we have no problem."

Malone nearly had a triple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. So did Payton, who had 21 points, nine assists and seven boards. And O'Neal was hardly tested, collecting 16 points and nine rebounds.

"I won't lie to you, I was nervous the first game," Malone said. "I told Shaq, 'I'm not used to these fans cheering for me.' It took me a while. Shaq said, 'It's all right, you're with us now.'"

"I didn't really expect a game of that dimension, at least winning by that kind of a margin," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who held a 20-minute meeting before the game. "It was great to see Karl and Gary pass the ball and step into that vacuum left by Kobe not playing tonight."

All three left the game individually to loud ovations. When O'Neal came off the floor, he got a tap on the head and a pat on the butt from Bryant.

"It's not what's on the back of the jerseys," Malone said. "It's what's on the front."

"We know how to come together," Payton added. "We're veterans. We know how to practice and how to be ready."

The teamwork among the trio was infectious as the Lakers shot 51 percent (45-for-89) from the field and had six players in double figures. Derek Fisher and Devean George scored 16 points apiece and Bryon Russell added 10 off the bench.

"You look around and think one guy's getting hot," Malone said. "But then you see two or three guys going. I hope the fans can sit back and enjoy it."

While the Lakers looked cohesive, the Mavericks were a mess. They also added a pair of big names in the offseason in Antoine Walker and Antawn Jamison but looked out of synch.

Dallas, which led the NBA in scoring last season, went without a point for the first five minutes. The Mavericks trailed by 14 points after one period and never really got back in the game, despite all their firepower.

Walker scored 19 points and Jamison added 17 off the bench. Dirk Nowitzki had 19 points and 13 boards for Dallas, which shot under 38 percent (32-for-85), including 7-for-25 from three-point range.

"It seems like we never really found our rhythm offensively," Nowitzki said. "If we wanted to win a game like that, we have to make shots."

"We haven't played very well together yet, but this is a good lesson for us," Mavs coach Don Nelson said.

The Mavericks have lost 26 straight road meetings with the Lakers since December 12, 1990.

The addition of Payton and Malone was virtually seamless as the Lakers committed no turnovers in the first quarter and opened a 29-15 advantage. On a fast break, Payton threw a lob to O'Neal for a dunk.

The Mavs pulled within 55-48 as Walker opened the third quarter with a three-pointer, but Malone had a jumper, a three-point play and a layup in a 12-0 burst that gave the Lakers their largest lead.

"It shows the resilience of the veterans that we have on our team," Jackson said.