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 Los Angeles blew the game open by scoring 18 straight points to finish the third quarter and start the fourth for an 81-60 lead with 9:45 remaining.
The Bulls weren't closer than 15 points after that, and wound up losing by their biggest margin ever to the Lakers. The previous record margin was 27 points in 1968.
Andrew Bynum had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers; Jordan Farmar added 14 points and a career-high eight assists; Chris Mihm and Vladimir Radmanovic scored 11 points each and Luke Walton added 10.
Ben Gordon scored 20 points and Andres Nocioni had 14 points and six rebounds for the Bulls, off to a disappointing 2-7 start after they were picked as one of the Eastern Conference's best teams during the preseason.
The Los Angeles substitutes outscored their Chicago counterparts 73-31, and the Lakers outrebounded the Bulls 51-38.
Both teams played without a starting forward. Luol Deng, the Bulls' second-leading scorer, sat out because of lower back pain. Ronny Turiaf missed his second game for the Lakers due to a sprained left ankle.
The Lakers lost starting center Kwame Brown early in the game as well. Brown left in the first quarter with what the team called moderate sprains of the left knee and ankle.
The game was the first between the teams since early-season trade talks involving Bryant, who has asked to be dealt and apparently would welcome a move to Chicago.
"It was talked about incessantly for about two or three weeks," Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. "We even talked about it as a team. We haven't talked about it for several days now, but it's over. It's just dead. Dead story."
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Brown was injured when Bulls center Ben Wallace fell into him. Bryant charged into Wallace while driving toward the basket and passing underneath to Brown, who went down in a heap clutching his left leg after the contact, which came as he was going up for a shot.
X-rays were negative, and team spokesman John Black said the Lakers would probably have a better idea Monday about the severity of the injuries.
Bryant, who scored eight points in the first half, had nine during a 15-2 spurt to start the third quarter, giving the Lakers a 60-48 lead and putting them ahead to stay. The Bulls drew within three points before Los Angeles went on its game-clinching run.
With Bryant watching from the bench, the Lakers scored 10 consecutive points for a 26-23 lead early in the second quarter. Neither team led by more than five points during the rest of the first half, which ended with Chicago on top 46-45.
The Bulls took a 21-16 first-quarter lead despite shooting 9-of-25 from the field. They were aided by nine Los Angeles turnovers leading to 11 points.
Notes: The Lakers finished with 22 turnovers to 19 for the Bulls. ... The teams have split their games each of the past three seasons. They play for the final time this season Dec. 18 in Chicago. ... Lakers coach Phil Jackson has a 10-5 record against Chicago
-- the team he coached to six NBA championships during the 1990s. ... Deng started the Bulls' first eight games this season and all 82 last season, when he averaged 18.8 points and 7.1 rebounds
-- both career bests.
[Associated Press; By JOHN NADEL]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
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