SEATTLE – On another night, maybe Kobe Bryant bites his tongue and shrugs off what he believes was an undeserved technical foul.

Up 31 points late in the third quarter, Bryant’s ejection mattered little for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bryant scored 26 points, handed out 10 assists and got his first ejection of the season, in the Lakers 111-91 win over the SuperSonics on Sunday night, their season-high eight straight victory.

And his reward for such an efficient effort: watching the final 16 minutes from the locker room after getting tossed by Brian Forte.

“I’m disappointed, but I’m not going to comment on the official. I don’t want to get fined anymore,” Bryant said. “Watch the replay.”

While Bryant’s ejection became a secondary chapter, the main focus is the surging Lakers, who moved back on top of the Western Conference and now have their longest streak since winning 11 straight near the end of the 2003-04 season – the last time they reached the NBA finals.

More impressively, much of this charge has come on the road. Los Angeles won its seventh straight away from home finished a stretch with 12 of 13 on the road an astonishing 11-2.

Pau Gasol added 22 points, and Lamar Odom had 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Bryant didn’t get to see his teammates finish this one off after picking up a pair of technicals from Forte with 4 minutes left in the third quarter and the Lakers leading 88-57.

Bryant was furious after not getting a foul while fighting for an offensive rebound, and appeared to keep jawing at Forte as Seattle raced the other direction, even though Bryant claimed he said nothing.

Seattle’s Earl Watson missed a shot, but Mickael Gelabale grabbed the offensive rebound. With a lull in the action, Forte popped Bryant with a technical. Not content to leave it at that, Bryant followed Forte into the backcourt and moments later was given his second technical and an early exit.

Gelabale led the Sonics with a career-high 21 points, making 10 of 16 shots. He was about the only Sonics player to make anything. Seattle shot just 40 percent, punctuated by rookie Kevin Durant, who missed his first seven shots.

A couple of fourth-quarter dunks made Durant’s stat line look a little better as he finished with 15 points. Fellow rookie Jeff Green also had 15 for Seattle.

Seattle played without starting forward Chris Wilcox and newly acquired forward Donyell Marshall, both sick. Reserve swingman Damien Wilkins also didn’t play after falling hard on his wrist Friday night against Portland.