The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - Kobe Bryant insists he and Shaquille O'Neal will get along this season and do whatever it takes to help the Los Angeles Lakers win another NBA title.

Coach Phil Jackson fined Bryant an undisclosed amount for publicly criticizing O'Neal, and the team met for 20 minutes Tuesday to discuss the feud that has developed between the two players.

"We don't see this as insurmountable at all," Jackson said before the Lakers opened the season with a 109-93 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

"It's like a family feud," guard Gary Payton said. "You have it for an hour and it's over."

Bryant was not in uniform Tuesday night after he said he didn't think his surgically repaired knee was strong enough to withstand the rigors of a 48-minute game. The Lakers had expected him to play until hearing otherwise Monday on ESPN.

Bryant said he hopes to return Saturday night in Phoenix.

Bryant castigated O'Neal during a telephone interview with ESPN, calling him "childlike," "unprofessional," "selfish," "fat" and "jealous." He also accused the 7-footer of overstating the severity of his foot injury last season when he reported to training camp overweight.

Bryant's comments came a day after O'Neal said the Lakers were "my team," adding that Bryant needed to be more of a team player - an observation based on two exhibition games.

"We're cool. We talked this morning. He said what he said, I said what I said. We put it behind us," Bryant said after the Lakers' victory. "Shaq and I are going to move on, be teammates and help this team to a fourth title."

Asked if he wanted to clarify his comments to ESPN, Bryant replied: "I don't have anything to clarify. I'm past it."

O'Neal blamed the media for starting the controversy.

"We don't really have issues," he told TNT after the game. "(Bryant) said something that was misconstrued and I said something that was misconstrued and we talked about it."

One member of the Lakers said Tuesday morning's meeting lasted about 20 minutes, with O'Neal and Bryant addressing the team but not each other.

HORNETS: Free agent guard Steve Smith signed with New Orleans Wednesday, joining the fifth team of his 13-season NBA career.

The Hornets waived forward Kirk Haston.

Smith averaged 6.8 points in 53 games to help the Spurs win the NBA championship last season.

TIMBERWOLVES: Free agent Trenton Hassell signed with Minnesota and will fill in for the injured Wally Szczerbiak. Hassell, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard, averaged 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds a game last season for the Chicago Bulls, who waived him last week.

Szczerbiak has a sore foot and will be on the injured list for at least five games.

Celtics 98, Heat 75

BOSTON - Paul Pierce scored 23 points and Boston made up for the absence of Antoine Walker by placing six scorers in double figures Wednesday night.

Playing without their longtime co-captain, who was traded nine days before the season began, the Celtics got 15 points apiece from Vin Baker and Eric Williams, 12 each from Mike James and Raef LaFrentz, and 10 from Tony Battie.

Eddie Jones had 22 points and eight rebounds for Miami, which was missing Lamar Odom. The centerpiece of the Heat's offseason overhaul, Odom sprained his right ankle in the season opener Tuesday, which Miami also lost.

In recent years, Pierce and Walker have accounted for a bigger share of their team's points than any other NBA duo except O'Neal and Bryant. But Walker was dealt to Dallas along with Tony Delk for LaFrentz, Jiri Welsch and a first-round draft pick.

Although LaFrentz didn't start, he played 28 minutes and added five rebounds and three blocked shots.