NBA : Bryant drops 65 on Portland
Kobe Bryant scored 24 of his 65 points in the fourth quarter and added nine more in overtime for the Los Angeles Lakers, who snapped a seven-game losing streak Friday night with a 116-111 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Los Angeles.
It was the second highest-scoring game of Bryant’s career and his third with 60 or more points – including an 81-point outing against Toronto on Jan. 22, 2006, at Staples Center. He also had 62 against Dallas on Dec. 20, 2005, at Los Angeles. The All-Star MVP has 15 games with 50 or more points, including four this season. The Lakers are 11-4 when he cracks the 50-point plateau.
Bryant shot 23 for 39 from the field and was 11 for 12 from the free-throw line. He averaged 35 points in his previous six games against Portland, including a 50-point effort on April 14, 2006.
Heat 103, Kings 97: At Miami, Shaquille O’Neal scored 23 points, Eddie Jones and Jason Williams had 19 apiece, and Miami extended the NBA’s longest winning streak to nine games with a victory over Sacramento.
James Posey added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the defending champion Heat, who’ve won 14 straight at home and pulled into a virtual tie with Washington for the Southeast Division lead.
Rockets 114, Raptors 100: At Toronto, Rafer Alston scored 23 points, Yao Ming added 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Houston never trailed in a victory over Toronto.
Alston, who played parts of two seasons with Toronto, also had nine assists and eight rebounds before fouling out with 3:26 to play.
Tracy McGrady scored 24 points with seven assists for the Rockets, who have won five of six.
Mavericks 106, Celtics 101: At Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki scored 30 points, 19 in the final quarter, and Josh Howard matched a career high with 30 points to help Dallas bounce back from consecutive defeats, rallying from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat Boston.
Howard kept the Mavericks close with 16 first-half points, and Nowitzki carried his team down the stretch, hitting all five field-goal attempts and all nine free throws in the fourth quarter.
Clippers 102, Bobcats 93: At Charlotte, N.C., Tim Thomas came off the bench to score 24 points and Los Angeles rallied to beat Charlotte.
Elton Brand added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and four other players scored in double figures for the Clippers, who snapped a five-game losing streak.
Gerald Wallace and rookie Walter Herrmann had 15 points each, and Matt Carroll finished with 13 for Charlotte.
76ers 89, Jazz 88: At Philadelphia, Kyle Korver made the winning basket with 5.1 seconds left and Andre Iguodala scored 23 points to lead Philadelphia to a win over Utah.
Korver got a shot at redemption after his offensive foul led to a Carlos Boozer basket that put the Jazz ahead.
Hornets 92, Knicks 90: At New York, David West made the go-ahead jumper with 55 seconds remaining, and New Orleans snapped a six-game losing streak with a victory over New York.
West finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets, who erased an 18-point deficit.
Pistons 105, Suns 83: At Phoenix, Ronald Murray scored a season-high 25 points and Detroit completed its first 5-0 road sweep through the West in 15 years with a victory over Phoenix that snapped the Suns’ six-game winning streak.
Murray, playing most of the night in place of injured Chauncey Billups, made 12 of 16 shots and had a season-best six steals. Billups left the game with a strained left groin midway through the second quarter.
Warriors 106, Timberwolves 86: At Oakland, Calif., Jason Richardson had 14 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, and Golden State maintained its hold on the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with a win over Minnesota.
Monta Ellis added 24 points and six assists off the bench, while Andris Biedrins had nine points and 12 rebounds for Golden State, which continued its resurgence with a healthy Baron Davis in the lineup.