Bryant’s upswing follows the team’s

The buzz after Kobe Bryant’s 81-point outburst followed him wherever he went in January, still showing momentum when he was asked 22 questions by New York reporters about puncturing the Toronto Raptors nine days after it happened.

At Friday’s practice the mood wasn’t nearly as surreal the day after his 52-point effort against Utah, but Bryant could be seen trying to stifle a smile as he approached reporters.

The question had come for most of the season -- When would Bryant look healthy again? -- and the answer came with his 30-point third quarter against the Jazz. He seemed to still be enjoying the moment Friday. The Lakers have one of the league’s best records at 10-5 and Bryant’s scoring average is up 2.1 points to 26.2 a game after Thursday’s Utah encounter.

Bryant played only 3:23 of the fourth quarter against the Jazz, slightly reminiscent of his eruption last December against Dallas, when he had 62 points without playing in the fourth quarter and Coach Phil Jackson was moved to write on a clipboard: “Kobe 62, Dallas 61.”

“It’s just funny when I have games like that,” Bryant said. “They tend to be blowouts, which says that me going off like that energizes us as a ballclub and deflates our opposition because we wind up just running them over.”

Will there be more?

“We have such a balanced attack this season,” Bryant said. “Last year, when I went on that run, we weren’t quite established yet. Now we have a well-rounded attack with guys that can shoot the ball and have confidence in themselves.”

A sigh of satisfaction could be sensed at the team training facility in El Segundo, where a light practice centered on zone defenses and tonight’s opponent, the Clippers. The mood was more upbeat than the day after the Lakers’ embarrassing home loss Tuesday to Milwaukee, in which Bryant had 27 points on eight-for-24 shooting.

“He groused a little bit after that Milwaukee game,” Jackson said. “That’s a good sign.”

There were other indicators from other observers.

“It looked like he had his bounce back,” assistant coach Brian Shaw said. “Kurt [Rambis] was saying throughout the game that this was the best he’s looked. He was sharp on his pull-up jumpers. He stopped on a dime. He’s got the elevation. It looked like his timing, everything kind of came together.”

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Kwame Brown will probably start again at center tonight instead of Andrew Bynum, Jackson said.

Bynum started the team’s first 14 games until Thursday. “I felt Andrew was being rewarded that position rather than earning it the last few games,” Jackson said. “He didn’t work hard enough in some situations. Kwame was working hard and playing well.”

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Not a lot of parking

If you’re driving to the Kings-Ducks game (1 p.m.) or the Clippers-Lakers game (7:30 p.m.) Today at Staples Center, officials recommend that you get there early to find a parking space. That’s because people attending the Los Angeles Auto Show at the Convention Center will be using much of the available parking at the West and South Hall garages, which are normally used by Staples patrons. Or, you can take the Metro Blue Line, which stops on Flower Street near 12th Street.

Source: Staples Center