NBA : Bryant scores 43 in return

Kobe Bryant returned from his one-game suspension and had 43 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat Boston 111-98 Wednesday night in Boston and send the Celtics to a franchise-record 13th consecutive loss.

It was Bryant’s fourth game with 40 or more points against the Celtics.

Ryan Gomes scored 23 points, Gerald Green had 22 and Al Jefferson had 10 with 14 rebounds for Boston, which last lost 13 straight in 1996-97. Reserve Brian Scalabrine had a season-high 17 points, and Delonte West scored 10 with nine assists.

Magic 98, Bucks 73: At Orlando, Fla., Hedo Turkoglu scored 17 points and Tony Battie added a season-high 15 as the Magic beat Milwaukee.

Hawks 115, Warriors 94: At Atlanta, Joe Johnson scored 33 points for the Hawks in a rout of Golden State.

Raptors 119, Wizards 109: At Toronto, Chris Bosh scored 34 points to lead the Raptors to a victory over Washington.

Bobcats 104, Knicks 87: At Charlotte, N.C., Gerald Wallace scored 17 of his career-high 42 points in the fourth quarter and the Bobcats defeated New York.

Pistons 113, Nets 89: At East Rutherford, N.J., Richard Hamilton scored 24 points and Detroit set a team record by making 27 consecutive free throws in a victory over the Nets.

Mavericks 95, Grizzlies 94: At Memphis, Tenn., Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, to lead Dallas to a victory over the Grizzlies.

76ers 89, Hornets 78: At Oklahoma City, Andre Iguodala scored 22 points, Samuel Dalembert grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Philadelphia’s dominant effort on the boards, and the 76ers spoiled Chris Paul’s return with a victory over New Orleans.

Kings 100, Timberwolves 98: At Minneapolis, Kevin Martin had 28 points and the go-ahead jump shot with 16.6 seconds left, helping Sacramento beat Minnesota.

Jazz 97, Spurs 93: At Salt Lake City, Mehmet Okur scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter to lead Utah over San Antonio.

Trail Blazers 100, Nuggets 91: At Portland, Zach Randolph had 26 points and 17 rebounds, and the Trail Blazers beat Denver.

Clippers 110, Bulls 98: At Los Angeles, Elton Brand had 26 points and eight rebounds, and the Clippers moved one game better than .500 after a win over Chicago.

Around the league

Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer has a hairline fracture in his left leg, and is expected to be sidelined a few weeks. … The Los Angeles Clippers signed guard Doug Christie to a 10-day contract. … Cavaliers forward LeBron James, who has missed two of Cleveland’s last three games to rest a sprained right big toe, said that his injury could linger for the remainder of this season. … Minnesota guard Rashad McCants returned from microfracture surgery on his right knee. … Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim was inactive for Sacramento’s game at Minnesota because of a sore right knee. … The New Orleans Hornets planned to let a deadline pass on the team’s option to play a third season at its temporary home in Oklahoma City. … Center Ben Wallace sat out Chicago’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers because of a bruised tendon in his left knee. … Stu Inman, who helped build the Portland Trail Blazers’ 1977 NBA championship team, died of an apparent heart attack in Lake Oswego, Ore. He was 80.