Kobe Bryant scored 31 points, while Shannon Brown added 16 of his 21 in the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 118-107 on Tuesday night to end a two-game losing streak.
Los Angeles had started with eight wins before the consecutive losses, but Brown and Bryant sparked the Lakers on both ends of the floor against what had been the stingiest defense in the NBA.
Bryant scored 13 points in the third quarter, including seven straight in a crucial stretch. Brown didn’t skip a beat in the fourth, hitting four three-pointers that stifled the Bucks’ rally.
Brandon Jennings scored 31 points, Andrew Bogut had 12 points and 18 rebounds, while Drew Gooden added 22 points and 13 boards for Milwaukee.
Bulls 95, Rockets 92
In Houston, Texas, Derrick Rose scored 17 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter as Chicago opened its seven-game road trip by beating Houston.
Rose also had seven assists, while Luol Deng added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, who won their fourth straight overall and earned their first victory in three road games this season.
Luis Scola scored 27 points, while former Bull Brad Miller added 21 for the Rockets, who have lost their last four meetings with Chicago after winning 11 of the previous 12.
Nuggets 120, Knicks 118
In Denver, Colorado, Carmelo Anthony scored 26 points and his teammates overcame his emotional blowup in the closing minutes as the Nuggets edged New York.
Al Harrington chipped in 22 points against his former team and rookie Gary Forbes scored 19 as Denver bounced back from a fourth-quarter meltdown in Phoenix one night earlier.
Amare Stoudemire led New York with 24 points.
Rookie guard Landry Fields had a big game for New York, which lost its sixth straight. Averaging 9.8 points and 5.7 rebounds coming in, he went off for 21 points and 17 boards.
Wizards 109, Raptors 94
In Washington, Gilbert Arenas, replacing injured rookie John Wall, scored 20 points in his first start of the season to help Washington win.
Andray Blatche had 22, Nick Young scored 20, while Kirk Hinrich added 13 points and 12 assists for Washington, which won for just the third time in nine games.
With Wall out with a sprained left foot, coach Flip Saunders started Arenas, who came off the bench in his first five games.
Arenas had seven rebounds and six assists in his first start since Jan. 5, shortly before he was suspended for bringing guns into the Verizon Center locker room.
Toronto, which lost for the ninth time in 11 games, was led by Sonny Weems’ 16 points.
Trail Blazers 100, Grizzlies 99
In Memphis, Tennessee, Wesley Matthews, replacing injured guard Brandon Roy, scored a career-high 30 points for Portland.
Matthews shot 11 of 19 from the field, including five of 10 from three-point range, as the Trail Blazers salvaged a win after losing their first two games on a three-game road trip. Portland beat Memphis for the eighth straight time on the road.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 23 points for the Trail Blazers, while Andre Miller finished with 19, 13 in the fourth quarter. He also had nine assists.
Rudy Gay led Memphis with 20 points, while Zach Randolph had 19 points and 14 rebounds.
In Tuesday’s other action, it was:
‧ Cavaliers 101, 76ers 93
‧ Hawks 102, Pacers 92
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