The Los Angeles Lakers snapped the Boston Celtics’ franchise-record, 19-game winning streak as Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 27 points in a 92-83 victory on Thursday at Staples Center arena.
Pau Gasol added 20 for the Lakers, who finished the game on a 13-2 run to give coach Phil Jackson his 1,000th career win.
“They had just won 19 straight games so they were due for one,” Bryant said. “It was a challenge to stop the streak because they were playing so well.”
Entering the game, Boston (27-3) had engineered the best 29-game start to a season in history and matched the league’s fourth-longest winning streak.
The Celtics also are trying to defend their record 17th title, which they won in six games over the Lakers last June — capping it all with a convincing 131-92 romp in game six.
In this one, Los Angeles exacted a small measure of revenge thanks to Gasol, who scored seven points during the decisive fourth-quarter run.
“It was a nice playoff atmosphere. A little deja vu-ish,” he said.
Boston took a two-point lead — its only advantage in the fourth — with 3:57 left, when Rajon Rondo found Kevin Garnett for a dunk.
Bryant then nailed a tough fadeaway jumper as the Lakers never looked back.
Bryant and Gasol then went to work for the Lakers’ next three buckets.
The reigning league MVP Brant found the Spanish center for a jumper, passed to him out a double-team for a nifty floater and set up his scoop-shot, three-point play that made it 88-83 with 1:28 remaining.
Gasol stepped out to help on Celtics sharpshooter Ray Allen, blocking his three-point attempt and igniting a one-man fast break that Trevor Ariza finished with a fancy reverse jam that made it 90-83.
Bryant added a layup to provide the final margin with 26 seconds left.
The Lakers also preserved an all-time record held by their 1972 club, which won 33 in a row en route to an NBA championship.
Ironically, Boston shares the fourth-best streak with 2000 Lakers, who went on to win their first of three straight championships later that season.
They also were guided by Jackson, who became the sixth coach to hit the 1,000-win plateau.
He now is 1,000-473 in 17-plus seasons with the Lakers and Chicago Bulls.
“It was a good win,” Jackson said. “We knew we wanted to win and we had the ability to do it.”
The first half was played with a championship intensity and palpable vigor from both teams. There were nine lead changes and three ties in the first two quarters.
Things picked up where they left off in third thanks to Paul Pierce, who scored 12 points in the period and capped the Celtics’ key 15-5 run with a fadeaway jumper with 3:30 remaining. The shot gave Boston its first lead 64-62 since the midway through the second.
The Lakers provided an immediate response with their heralded bench on the floor, finishing the third on a 9-3 run to take a 71-67 lead after three.
Jackson said at one point he had to take Bryant out of game because he was taking bad shots.
“Kobe was taking shots that weren’t there,” Jackson said. “He had to sit a bit and come back rejuvenated and help us win.”
The Lakers improved to 14-0 at home.
Sasha Vujacic and Lamar Odom each added 10 points for the Los Angeles, which was dominated in the paint but received 22 points from its bench.
Garnett scored 22 points and Pierce added all 20 of his points in the first three quarters for Boston, which was set to continue its road trip at the Golden State Warriors yesterday.
MAGIC 88, HORNETS 68
In Orlando, Florida, the Southeast Division-leading Orlando notched a sixth straight victory by thumping New Orleans.
Hedo Turkoglu scored 20 points, and Dwight Howard had 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Magic.
Hornets star Chris Paul’s NBA-record steals streak ended at 108 games.
SPURS 91, SUNS 90
In Phoenix, Roger Mason hit a 3-pointer from the corner at the buzzer to give San Antonio a thrilling win over Phoenix.
It was the Spurs’ fourth straight victory.
Phoenix’s Shaquille O’Neal become the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to miss 5,000 career free throws, while Steve Nash had eight assists to become the 13th NBA player to reach 7,000 for his career.
MAVERICKS 102, TRAIL BLAZERS 94
In Portland, Oregon, Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 of his 30 points in the first half as Dallas ended Portland’s usual Christmas joy.
The Trail Blazers had won their previous 13 straight games on Christmas.
CAVALIERS 93, WIZARDS 89
In Cleveland, the home team was forced to work harder than expected to see off lowly Washington and maintain its perfect home record this season.
Mo Williams had 24 points, and Cleveland needed 11 straight points in the final 1:33 to see off the Wizards, who have lost eight straight.
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but