Bryant, Lakers move closer to playoff spot
Kobe Bryant scored 17 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter, Lamar Odom had 23 points and 15 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the playoff-bound Los Angeles Clippers 100-83 on Sunday night at the Staples Center.
Luke Walton added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Lakers, who outscored the Clippers 20-6 to finish the game and snap a two-game skid.
The Lakers are tied for seventh place with Sacramento in the Western Conference – three games ahead of Utah and New Orleans, who are tied for ninth.
Pistons 98, Pacers 73: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Tayshaun Prince scored all of his 17 points in the second half to lead six double-digit scorers for Detroit in a victory over Indiana.
Bobcats 94, Raptors 88: At Toronto, Brevin Knight had 19 points and 10 assists, and Charlotte snapped a seven-game road losing streak.
Nets 95, Bucks 83: At Milwaukee, Vince Carter scored 25 points, and Jason Kidd had 11 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his 75th career triple-double to lead New Jersey in a potential first-round playoff preview.
Timberwolves 84, Hawks 83: At Minneapolis, Trenton Hassell made a short jumper with 1.9 seconds to play for Minnesota, which was playing without Kevin Garnett and Ricky Davis.
Knicks 101, Celtics 86: At Boston, Jamal Crawford scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead New York over the Celtics.
Magic 93, Heat 84: At Miami, Jameer Nelson scored 26 points and Orlando won for the eighth time in nine games, beating the slumping Heat.
Spurs 83, Grizzlies 81: At San Antonio, Pau Gasol missed a potential game-tying layup over Tim Duncan with 5.9 seconds remaining, and the Spurs held off Memphis.
Kings 86, Rockets 77: At Sacramento, Calif., Brad Miller had 30 points and 11 rebounds, and the Kings never trailed in a victory over Houston that moved them closer to a playoff spot.
Hodge released from hospital
Denver rookie Julius Hodge was released from a hospital, a day after shots fired into his car on a highway wounded his legs.
The Nuggets said earlier Hodge was expected to recover and could play in two to three weeks. Coach George Karl said Hodge was hit three times.
Garnett sits against Hawks
Minnesota star Kevin Garnett sat out Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks with tendinitis in his right knee, snapping his NBA-leading streak of 351 games started.
Garnett hadn’t missed a game since Feb. 19, 2001, at Dallas for personal reasons. After ending the 2001-02 with 29 straight starts, Garnett started each game the next three seasons and kept his streak alive through 76 games this year.