Shaquille O’Neal has 28 points and 17 rebounds as Los Angeles ends Boston’s six-game win streak.

BOSTON (AP) – Kobe Bryant made a quicker-than-expected return from a shoulder injury and had 18 points and 10 assists Wednesday night to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 117-109 victory over Boston, snapping the Celtics’ six-game winning streak.

Shaquille O’Neal had 28 points and 17 rebounds and Gary Payton added 20 points for the Lakers, who led by as many as 10 points in the second quarter and by 14 in the third.

The Celtics got within six points with about two minutes left but couldn’t stop O’Neal, who scored 15 in the fourth quarter one game after he was ejected for two quick technical fouls.

Paul Pierce scored 30 points and Ricky Davis had 24 for Boston. Chucky Atkins scored 19 and Mark Blount had nine points and 11 rebounds.

Bryant re-injured his shoulder last Friday in the first minute of a game against Seattle after missing six games earlier in the season due to a sprain of the same shoulder. The Lakers initially feared that he would be out a month, but he flew into Boston on Wednesday afternoon and arrived in the Lakers’ locker room less than 90 minutes before tipoff.

Bryant was not listed among the probable starters. The change was announced about five minutes before tipoff, and he took the floor with his jersey over a purple shirt that had the left sleeve completely cut off and the right sleeve cut off at the biceps, covering a brace.

Bryant shot just 4-for-16, but he made 10 of 14 free throws and did not seem to be favoring his arm. With his return and the impending return of forward Karl Malone, the bulk of the Lakers roster will be suited up for Friday night’s game against Minnesota.

Los Angeles led 111-100 lead before Pierce hit a 3-pointer and Atkins had a steal and fast-break layup to make it a six-point game with 1:57 left. O’Neal answered with a thunderous dunk.

Boston cut it to six again, and after Bryant missed two free throws O’Neal shook the basket with another dunk with 20.9 seconds left to stop the rally.

Malone has been out since Dec. 21 with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee. He began practicing with the team this week.

If he makes it back on Friday, Malone will have missed 39 games – almost half the season; he had missed only 10 games total in his first 18 years in the NBA, just six of them due to illness or injury.

“We are close,” Malone said. “I just want to run up and down (in practice on Thursday). … It’s going to take me some games to get back into it.”

Davis started out the second half with a steal and breakaway, but when he tried a highlight-show dunk he lost control of the ball. With half of the court to himself, Davis tried to go between his legs and make a windmill dunk, but the ball flew up and over the rim.

Davis retrieved the ball, and before Bryant could get back on defense, Davis made a windmill dunk as his teammates burst into laughter.

Notes: At the end of the first quarter, Davis was fouled by Brian Cook going for a last-second layup. The two bumped chests afterward and were given double technicals. … Payton passed John Stockton for 29th on the all-time scoring list. They are the only two players in NBA history with 19,000 points, 7,000 assists and 2,000 steals. … O’Neal missed the Lakers’ last two trips to Boston and hadn’t played here since 2001. … Los Angeles is 23-17 without Malone and 19-5 with him.

AP-ES-03-10-04 2201EST