Kobe Bryant skipped the Los Angeles Lakers' shoot-around Tuesday afternoon with flu-like symptoms, but played against the Thunder . Fans at the Ford Center booed him heavily throughout the game to drown out cheers from around 1,000 Lakers fans. Was Bryant's illness a factor? "I've seen some of the great players have some of their best games when they're sick," said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. "Kobe is one of them. I guess sometimes it gives them a better challenge. They go into the game and say, 'I'm sick but I'm still going to score 40 on you.' That's how all the great players think." RETURNING HOME?
Ron Artest, signed by the Lakers in the off-season, downplayed playing tonight in Houston, saying his stint with the Rockets was so short it doesn't create much emotion. Jackson was asked how Artest is jelling with his new team.
"He's finding his way," Jackson said. "He's still in the rhythm of the offense and finding his shots but getting in the right position to score is still a mystery to him. ... It (usually) doesn't take very long at all (to learn a new system). ... It's just Basketball, playing the game. "
WORLDWIDE AUDIENCE
New cable deals with Time Warner and Dish Network have tripled NBA TV's audience to 45 million homes. Include 33 countries, and military personnel on the Armed Forces Network, and it's impossible to gauge how many people watched Tuesday's games.
Countries shown the game included: Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Belgium, Chad, China, Djibouti, Egypt, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Panama, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Spain, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Taiwan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Yemen.
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