Lakers hold off Bulls for 5th straight win

[November 24, 2010]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Shannon Brown matched his season high with 21 points, hitting five 3-pointers against his hometown team, and Kobe Bryant added 20 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' fifth straight victory, 98-91 over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.

Lamar Odom had 21 points and eight rebounds, but the two-time defending NBA champions trailed early in the fourth quarter before making a decisive 17-2 run when Derrick Rose finally slowed down.

Rose scored 30 points with a series of his usual daredevil drives to the hoop, but managed just three points for the Bulls in the final period, all on free throws.

Los Angeles reserves Brown and Steve Blake led the lengthy run, which included 10 straight points. The Bulls went more than 5 1/2 minutes between field goals late in their seventh straight loss to the Lakers.

Chicago got just one field goal and 10 points in the final 8:13, and the Lakers improved to 8-1 at home with their 13th win in 15 games to start the season.

Joakim Noah had 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls, who dropped to 2-2 on their seven-game road trip while the circus occupies the United Center.

USC product Taj Gibson had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Luol Deng scored 11 of his 13 points in the first quarter. Chicago still has won five of seven while getting off to its best start since coach Phil Jackson roamed the sideline in 1996.

Two nights after his historic 10-for-10 performance from the field, Pau Gasol managed just 12 points on 3-for-10 shooting and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, whose height advantage didn't bother Rose in the slightest.

The Lakers struggled all night to keep up with the star guard, who scored 27 points in the first three quarters with nonstop aggressive drives to the hoop.

But after Chicago took the lead early in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles responded with that lengthy run including two 3-pointers by Steve Blake and one apiece from Matt Barnes and Brown, turning an 81-79 deficit into a 96-83 lead with 4:27 left.

Brown found his groove early for the Lakers, hitting four 3-pointers in the first half when he wasn't attacking the rim with aggression. The athletic reserve guard has made a quantum leap forward this season, particularly after honing his steady jumper during the summer after re-signing with the Lakers at less than his probable market value so he could chase a third championship ring.

Rose was even better for the Bulls, getting 16 points and seven assists in the first half before scoring 11 more points in the third quarter. The Lakers double-teamed Rose from midcourt onward, yet he still penetrated the paint whenever he wished, causing a ripple of unease in Staples Center.

Two of the NBA's deepest teams are thriving without key players who will make them even deeper. Injured power forward Carlos Boozer watched the game from Chicago's bench. The Lakers are hoping Andrew Bynum will return early next month from offseason knee surgery.

NOTES: The Lakers held a moment of silence before the game for Lucas Anthony Tang, the 2-year-old boy who died Sunday night after falling from a third-level luxury suite at Staples Center. ... Fans near courtside included Rahm Emanuel, the Chicago mayoral candidate and former White House chief of staff, who sat with his brother, superagent Ari Emanuel, and actor Chris O'Donnell, a fellow Chicago-area native. Denzel Washington also attended the game.

[Associated Press; By GREG BEACHAM]

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