Inside the locker room

NEW YORK -- Here are a few of the best comments following the Lakers' 115-105 victory tonight over the New York Knicks, one night after they faded in the stretch while losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers:

Kobe Bryant on the Lakers' play after scoring 27 points: "We did OK. We just have to stay focused and do better on this trip. We started playing with more energy (in the fourth quarter). We started playing with more intensity. We focused more on the task at hand instead of dropping our heads and going through the motions. We got ourselves going."

Bryant on Pau Gasol (20 points) and Andrew Bynum (19 points): "When they are on point and they are playing well it makes us a very tough team because of their length, because of their size and their versatility. They can cover a lot of ground defensively."

Ron Artest: "We didn't do a good job on anything tonight. That's basketball. That's the game. It's just unfortunate we didn't play 100 percent tonight. ... We gave ourselves a chance to win the other night (during Thursday's loss to Cleveland) and we gave ourselves a chance to win tonight."

New York coach Mike D'Antoni: "I thought we played them pretty good. And then Kobe and Pau (got hot) at the end of the game (and it was) a little too much."