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Bryant scores 50 in Lakers win

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant slaps hands with fans as he comes off the court after the Lakers' 111-105 win against the New Orleans Hornets in New Orleans on Friday. Bryant scored 50 points for his fourth straight game with 50 points or more. PHOTO: AP

Kobe Bryant finished with exactly 50 points, becoming only the second NBA player to hit that mark in four straight games and leading Los Angeles over the New Orleans Hornets 111-105 on Friday.

Bryant followed totals of 65, 50 and 60 in his previous three games, all Lakers victories.

Only Wilt Chamberlain was able to exceed that mark, scoring at least 50 points in seven consecutive games during the 1961-62 season.

Bryant calmly made all 16 free throws he attempted while the opposing crowd tried to rattle him with arm-waving taunts.

Tyson Chandler had 22 points and 22 rebounds for New Orleans, which trailed for nearly the entire second half.

Chris Paul had 28 points and 12 assists for the Hornets, playing the last of six games scheduled in New Orleans this season before a full-time return to the rebuilding city over the summer.

Lamar Odom had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Los Angeles, while Kwame Brown had 10 points.

Spurs 90, Pistons 89

At San Antonio, Tony Parker scored 22 points to lead San Antonio over Detroit.

Tim Duncan added 17 points and 14 rebounds, Brent Barry had 16 points, Manu Ginobili added 10 and Francisco Elson had 10 rebounds.

Rasheed Wallace had 21 points and another technical foul for Detroit, which has dropped its first two games on a three-game road trip.

Antonio McDyess had 18 points and 11 rebounds and Richard Hamilton added 16 points, but missed a pair of free throws in the final minute.

Magic 90, Nets 82

At Orlando, Florida, Jameer Nelson scored 22 points, 12 in the fourth quarter, and Orlando beat New Jersey in a matchup of teams fighting for the last two Eastern Conference playoff spots.

Vince Carter had 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Nets, who shot 34.5 percent for the game and 11-for-41 in the second half. Orlando hit 42.3 percent overall.

Magic All-Star Dwight Howard was quiet on offense, finishing with 10 points and 16 rebounds.

Richard Jefferson scored 19 points for New Jersey and Mikki Moore added 12.

Cavaliers 90, Knicks 68

At Cleveland, LeBron James had 21 points and 10 assists and Cleveland cruised to victory over sluggish and sloppy New York.

Larry Hughes and Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 16 points apiece for Cleveland, which has won nine of 11 to keep pressure on Detroit for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Eddy Curry scored 27 points with nine rebounds to pace New York, which lost for the fifth time in six games and is running out of time to make a playoff push. The Knicks had 20 turnovers in their lowest-scoring game this season.

Raptors 121, Nuggets 94

At Toronto, Morris Peterson had 23 points, Jorge Garbajosa had a 22, a career high, and Toronto never trailed against Denver.

Carmelo Anthony had a season-low 10 points for the Nuggets, who missed their first 15 shots.

Anthony finished 3-for-15 from the field. Allen Iverson had 14 points on 3-for-12 shooting.

The Atlantic Division-leading Raptors led by as many as 38 in winning its second straight without No. 1 pick Andrea Bargnani, who had an appendectomy.

Meanwhile, All-Star Chris Bosh didn't return after spraining his right ankle with 5:07 left in the third.

76ers 106, Bobcats 97

At Philadelphia, Andre Miller scored 19 points to lead seven Philadelphia players in double figures in a victory over Charlotte.

The Sixers played without leading scorer Andre Iguodala, who was out with a strained lower back. It was the first game Iguodala, who is averaging 18.1 points, missed after beginning his NBA career with a streak of starting 232 regular-season games. Iguodala's was the third-longest active streak behind San Antonio's Bruce Bowen and Detroit's Tayshaun Prince.

Gerald Wallace scored 21 points for the Bobcats.

Pacers 95, Heat 70

At Indianapolis, Danny Granger scored 22 points, Mike Dunleavy added 20 and Indiana claimed its largest victory margin of the season in beating Miami.

Indiana shot 51.5 percent from the field.

Shaquille O'Neal was the only Miami player in double figures with 13 points. He played just 25 minutes due to foul trouble.

Mavericks 109, Celtics 95

At Boston, Jason Terry scored 29 points, Josh Howard added 19 points and 11 rebounds and Dallas extended its winning streak to five with a victory over Boston.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 20 and Devin Harris added 18 points for the Mavericks, who improved to 4-0 during their six-game road trip.

Paul Pierce scored 30 points for the Celtics, who have lost three straight and own the Eastern Conference's worst record (20-49). Only Memphis has a worse record in the NBA.

Trail Blazers 102, Hawks 100, OT

At Atlanta, LaMarcus Aldridge contributed six of his 27 points in overtime and Portland overcame an early 15-point deficit to beat Atlanta for its third straight win.

Brandon Roy hit a 3-pointer with 17.3 seconds left in regulation for Portland to tie the game at 88 and send it into overtime.

Aldridge had 14 rebounds and scored six of Portland's first eight points in overtime, giving the Trail Blazers a 98-92 lead with 1:38 left.

Jamaal Magloire contributed 16 rebounds.

Salim Stoudamire came off the bench and kept the Hawks in the game, finishing with 37 points. Josh Childress added 22 points and 12 rebounds.

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