finishing

For one, Vujacic was sensational, making 7 of 10 buckets, 3 of 5 from 3-point line. When Boston closed the gap to two points on a Garnett inside banker, Vujacic made an open left corner 3-pointer with 1:54 left.

With starting forwards Lamar Odom (4 points) and Pau Gasol (9 points) struggling in the series, the Lakers needed the sweet stroke of the sometimes-erratic Vujacic.

Said Bryant: "He came in and played like a machine."

Bryant was back to being Bryant in the first half with 19 points as the Lakers led 43-37 at intermission. And though the Celtics led 68-66 early in the fourth, Bryant carried them home, scoring 10 fourth-quarter points and finishing 12 of 20.

"They played harder, they drove to the basket, they went to the foul line and they deserved it," Rivers said.

The Lakers put the clamps on Paul Pierce, who struggled through a miserable, foul-plagued night and probably has to credit the Lakers' defense and not his knee. After heroics in the first two games, Pierce looked like he needed a wheelchair again, finishing with six points on horrifying 2-of-14 shooting. Kevin Garnett was 6 of 21. Combined, Pierce and Garnett shot 8 of 35.

And the desperate Lakers found their way back into the NBA finals.

LOS ANGELES - Back at home last night, Kobe Bryant found himself back under fire before Game 3. During the game, however, he found the free-throw line, found his rhythm and found the rim in the fourth quarter.

It left Boston coach Doc Rivers in a lousy mood. He zinged Phil Jackson after the game, sniping, "I'm just surprised he didn't whine about fouls tonight."

Jackson had complained about a 37-10 free-throw discrepancy in Game 2. The Lakers had the bulge last night, 34-22, but Rivers said he wouldn't complain like Jackson.

"Those are shots I live for," Vujacic said.

Bryant scored 36 points and got a big boost off the bench from 3-point specialist Sasha Vujacic, who bagged 20 points as the Lakers took out the Celtics, 87-81. Boston leads the best-of-seven series at 2-1, with Game 4 set for tomorrow night at the celebrity-filled Staples Center.

Jackson gave him a backhanded compliment. "He's a little bit of a rock head," he said. "That's what we call him. He believes in himself very sincerely he's going to make the next one."