Bryant dazzles New Orleans’ packed arena

The Hornets’ homecoming turned into another Kobe show.

Kobe Bryant scored 18 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Lakers beat New Orleans 113-107 Wednesday night, disappointing the standing-room crowd that put aside its Hurricane Katrina problems for a night of cheering on its team.

It was the first professional sporting event in New Orleans since the Aug. 29 storm destroyed much of the city, scattered residents across the United States, and sent the Hornets to Oklahoma City for the season.

Hornets owner George Shinn had worried about the city’s ability to supply a crowd for the game – the first of three to be played in New Orleans this season. Only an estimated 189,000 of the city’s roughly 465,000 pre-Katrina residents have returned.

But the game was a sellout, with 17,744 people jammed in and the Arena’s $10 million restoration ready for the crowd and the game.

Heat 118, Wizards 112: At Miami, Dwyane Wade returned from a two-game absence to score 40 points and lead Miami past Washington for its 10th straight win.

Cavaliers 98, Raptors 97: At Toronto, Damon Jones made a 3-pointer at the buzzer as Cleveland defeated Toronto for its fourth straight victory.

Rockets 103, Pacers 99: At Houston, Yao Ming scored a season-high 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Houston rallied from 17 points down in the third quarter to beat Indiana.

Celtics 104, 76ers 101: At Boston, Paul Pierce had his first triple-double of the season with 31 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to rally Boston to a victory over Philadelphia.

Pistons 106, Bulls 101: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Richard Hamilton scored 14 of his 24 points in a 75-point fourth quarter as Detroit beat Chicago.

Jazz 96, Timberwolves 93: At Salt Lake City, Andrei Kirilenko had eight blocks and eight assists to go with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Utah beat Minnesota to win consecutive games for the first time in nearly a month.

Bobcats 104, Warriors 101: At Charlotte, N.C., Jumaine Jones scored 29 points, including a pair of free throws with 1.4 seconds to play, to lift Charlotte over Golden State.

Kings 123, Bucks 116: At Milwaukee, Mike Bibby scored 36 points, and Sacramento tied its season high for points by handing Milwaukee its seventh loss in nine games.

Off the court

Jerry Sloan was reassured that his 18-year run as Utah’s coach is not in jeopardy. Sloan met with Jazz owner Larry Miller about a rumor that Miller had threatened to fire his longtime coach. … Orlando coach Brian Hill was fined $25,000 for criticizing officials after a loss to Utah. Hill said the Magic would have won if they’d received the last-minute foul calls they deserved. … Miami center Alonzo Mourning was sidelined for the game against Washington because of a sprained left foot. … Memphis guard Eddie Jones sat out his second consecutive game with a sprained left foot.