Kobe Bryant is playing his best basketball of the season and it's an obvious coincidence that the Los Angeles Lakers are peaking, too.
Bryant scored 42 points on Tuesday night despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter as the Lakers defeated the overmatched Denver Nuggets 121-93 for their season-high sixth straight win.
Bryant has scored 40 or more points 10 times this season. The last Laker to accomplish such a feat was Hall of Famer Jerry West, who scored 40 or more 13 times during the 1969/1970 season.
Shaquille O'Neal added 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Samaki Walker had 14 points as the Lakers (25-23) moved a season-high two games over .500. O'Neal also sat out the fourth quarter.
The three-time defending champions have won 14 of 18 games to move within a half-game of Houston in the race for the final Western Conference playoff berth. The Lakers can overtake the Rockets as soon as Wednesday if they can beat Denver on the road -- combined with a loss by Houston at Utah.
Bryant has scored at least 35 in each game of the winning streak.
``Sometimes the one does it, sometimes the two does it. Right now, the one's doing it and I'm chilling out. It's all good,'' O'Neal said.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson said the way Bryant is playing is comparable to the way Michael Jordan played when Jackson coached the Chicago Bulls to six championships in the 1990s.
Bryant has scored 243 points -- a 40.5 average -- during the winning streak. He played 31 minutes against the Nuggets, shooting 12-of-20 and making 17 of 21 free throws.
``I just feel I'm in a very good rhythm right now,'' he said. ``It's coming pretty easy. I've been able to help our team win some games and that's been the best part.
``The past six games here, we're playing perhaps the best basketball in the league. We're the champions until somebody takes it away from us.''
Jazz 103, Rockets 101, OT
At Houston, a broken nose didn't keep Karl Malone from scoring 33 points, including 14 in a fourth-quarter comeback.
Utah trailed 83-75 with 7:43 left in the game, but Malone put them in position for Matt Harpring's 3-point basket with one-tenth of a second left to tie it at 94-94 and force overtime. Malone hit a 12-foot jumper to start the overtime and the Jazz never trailed again.
Spurs 116, Trail Blazers 111, OT
At Portland, Emmanuel Ginobili hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 42 seconds left in overtime -- his only field goal of the game.
Tim Duncan had 36 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Spurs, who won their sixth in a row. Malik Rose had 21 points and 15 rebounds and Tony Parker had 22 points and eight assists.
Timberwolves 100, Mavericks 98
At Minneapolis, Wally Szczerbiak made a corner jumper as the final buzzer sounded to give the Timberwolves their 10th straight home victory.
Dirk Nowitzki had 34 points and Michael Finley had all 21 of his points in the second half for Dallas, which had its four-game road winning streak snapped.
Pacers 107, Cavaliers 96
At Indianapolis, Jermaine O'Neal scored 28 points and Brad Miller had 25 as the Pacers opened the second half of the season with Ron Artest back in the lineup and coach Isiah Thomas on the sidelines.
Magic 92, Nets 83
At Orlando, Tracy McGrady had 32 points and eight rebounds and Orlando withstood a late rally.
Kings 99, Wizards 80
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