NBA : Bryant does it again

Kobe Bryant is making 50-point games look routine.

Bryant finished with exactly 50, becoming the second NBA player to hit that mark in four straight games and leading Los Angeles to a 111-105 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night in New Orleans.

Bryant followed scoring totals of 65, 50 and 60 in his previous three games, all Lakers victories.

Wilt Chamberlain exceeded that mark, scoring at least 50 points in seven consecutive games during the 1961-62 season.

Bryant calmly made all 16 free throws he attempted while the opposing crowd tried to rattle him with arm-waving taunts.

Tyson Chandler had 22 points and 22 rebounds for New Orleans, which trailed nearly the entire second half. Chris Paul had 28 points and 12 assists for the Hornets.

Hitting everything from long 3-pointers to off-balance fades off the glass, Bryant scored 10 points in the first 3 minutes of the second half during a 14-4 run that gave the Lakers the lead for good at 70-61.

His one-handed floater as he skipped across the lane gave him 39 points and Los Angeles a 78-65 lead with 5:28 still remaining in the third quarter. A half-minute later, Bryant made a 3-pointer from the corner that prompted a rumble from the hostile crowd.

Spurs 90, Pistons 89: At San Antonio, Tony Parker scored 22 points to lead San Antonio to victory over Detroit. Tim Duncan added 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Spurs.

Rasheed Wallace had 21 points and another technical foul for Detroit.

Cavaliers 90, Knicks 68: At Cleveland, LeBron James had 21 points and 10 assists, and Cleveland was barely threatened in a dull victory over sluggish and sloppy New York.

Pacers 95, Heat 70: At Indianapolis, Danny Granger scored 22 points, Mike Dunleavy 20, and Indiana used its best defense of the season to beat Miami.

Alonzo Mourning sat out for Miami with tendonitis in his right knee.

Magic 90, Nets 82: At Orlando, Fla., Jameer Nelson scored 22 points, 12 in the fourth quarter, and Orlando beat New Jersey in a matchup of teams fighting for the last two Eastern Conference playoff spots.

Mavericks 109, Celtics 95: At Boston, Jason Terry scored 29 points, Josh Howard added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Dallas extended its winning streak to five with a victory over Boston.

76ers 106, Bobcats 97: At Philadelphia, Andre Miller scored 19 points to lead seven Philadelphia players in double figuresas the 76ers beat Charlotte to snap a two-game losing streak despite playing without Andre Iguodala, who has a strained lower back.

Gerald Wallace scored 21 for the Bobcats and Adam Morrison added 10.

Trail Blazers 102, Hawks 100 (OT): At Atlanta, LaMarcus Aldridge scored six of his 27 points in overtime and Portland overcame an early 15-point deficit to beat Atlanta.

Raptors 121, Nuggets 94: At Toronto, Morris Peterson had 23 points, Jorge Garbajosa had a career-high 22 and Toronto never trailed in a victory over Denver.

Carmelo Anthony had a season-low 10 points for the Nuggets.

Clippers 104, Jazz 72: At Los Angeles, Elton Brand had 20 points and 11 rebounds before resting most of the fourth quarter, and Los Angeles held Utah to its lowest point total of the season in the victory.

Warriors 135, Wizards 128: At Oakland, Calif., Baron Davis had 34 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds, leading Golden State through a fantastic second half for a win over Washington.

Gilbert Arenas had 29 points and a season-high 13 assists for the Wizards.

Around the league

The game between the New Orleans Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans was the last of nine games played in the city the past two years. In the 2007-08 NBA season, the Hornets plan to play a full, 41-game home schedule in New Orleans for the first time since Hurricane Katrina’s flood waters swamped streets surrounding the stadium and ruined the very court on which the team once played. … The New York Knicks signed free-agent center Randolph Morris to a two-year contract.