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Los Angeles Lakers drain the magic out of Orlando

Kobe Bryant scored 27 points and Smush Parker added a season-high 20, sending the Los Angeles Lakers over the Orlando Magic 106-93 in the NBA on Wednesday.

Grant Hill had 20 points for Orlando and Jameer Nelson added 15 points and seven assists. Dwight Howard had 12 points and eight rebounds.

After scoring 15 points in the first half, Bryant virtually disappeared in the third quarter. He hit three free throws but missed three field-goal attempts and didn't make a second-half shot from the field until a 3-pointer 1:17 into the fourth quarter.

The Lakers didn't need him. Parker scored nine points during a 14-3 run in the third quarter and Brian Cook nailed a 3-pointer just before the period ended to give Los Angeles a 79-73 lead.

Wizards 114, Bobcats 107

At Charlotte, North Carolina, Gilbert Arenas scored 39 points and outdueled Gerald Wallace down the stretch to help Washington earn its fourth straight victory.

Arenas had a 3-pointer, a backdoor layup and drew a charge that fouled out Raymond Felton in the final 4 minutes for the Wizards, who became the first NBA team in 12 seasons to score 106 or more points in 12 consecutive games.

Cavaliers 89, Hawks 76

At Atlanta, LeBron James scored 27 points and Cleveland handed Atlanta its fifth consecutive loss.

The Cavaliers snapped a four-game road skid, winning away from Cleveland for the first time since a Dec. 1 victory at Atlanta, where they have won six straight.

Atlanta's Joe Johnson, coming off a season-low 12 points on Saturday in a loss to Detroit, was only 4-for-17 from the field to set a new low with 10 points. Zaza Pachulia led the Hawks with 22 points.

Rockets 96, Nets 71

At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Shane Battier hit a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 23 points to help Houston get the win.

Tracy McGrady added 17 points and six assists for the Rockets, who won for only the third time in nine games.

Houston limited New Jersey to 33 percent shooting.

Juwan Howard had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Rockets, who outrebounded the Nets 54-32 despite being without All-Star center Yao Ming, who will be sidelined for six weeks with a fractured bone beneath his right knee.

Raptors 100, Timberwolves 97

At Toronto, T.J. Ford scored 28 points, had seven assists and finished 12-for-18 from the field to lead Toronto over Minnesota.

Anthony Parker added 19 points for the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors.

Kevin Garnett had 24 points and James 20 for the Timberwolves.

Bucks 112, Grizzlies 96

At Memphis, Tennessee, Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd each scored 20 points to help Milwaukee win its sixth straight game, its longest winning streak in four years.

Memphis has lost five in a row and 14 of 16.

Ruben Patterson added 19 points for the Bucks. Mo Williams finished with 18 points and six assists, and Charlie Bell had 11 points.

Pau Gasol, continuing his return from foot surgery, had a season-high 29 points and seven rebounds for Memphis. Mike Miller scored 18 and Dahntay Jones had 13.

Knicks 151, Pistons 145, 3OT

At New York, Channing Frye forced the third overtime with a buzzer-beating jumper and Jamal Crawford took over from there for the Knicks.

New York withstood its third overtime game in 10 days and Richard Hamilton's career-high 51 points, the first 50-point game against it since Michael Jordan in 1997. The Knicks improved to 4-0 in overtime this season.

Crawford finished with 29 points, nine in the third overtime. He carried the Knicks after Stephon Marbury fouled out with a season-high 41 points in the second extra period.

Bulls 109, Heat 103

At Chicago, Ben Gordon scored a career-high 40 points off the bench to lead Chicago over short-handed Miami, which lost Dwyane Wade to a sprained wrist in the first quarter.
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