Lakers beat Spurs 101-89 without Bryant, Bynum

[February 09, 2010]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Pau Gasol had 21 points and 19 rebounds to lead five players in double figures, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs 101-89 Monday night without injured Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum.

Bryant missed his second consecutive game with a sore left ankle, while Bynum sat out with a bruised right hip.

In their absences, the Lakers used a collective effort to win in their final home game before this weekend's All-Star break. Ron Artest added 18 points, Lamar Odom 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Jordan Farmar and Derek Fisher had 13 each.

Manu Ginobili scored 21 points, Tony Parker 20, Tim Duncan had 16 points and 15 rebounds and Antonio McDyess 12 rebounds for the Spurs, who have lost four in a row to the Lakers at Staples Center.

Los Angeles again showed it could win without Bryant. The Lakers snapped a five-year losing streak at Portland with a victory Saturday, when Bryant ended his streak of 235 consecutive games played and Bynum missed the second half.

The Lakers extended their lead to 81-70 early in the fourth, equaling their largest lead to that point, capped by Shannon Brown's 3-pointer.

Mostly though, the final period was a messy affair, with the Spurs throwing the ball away on three occasions and the Lakers stumbling through a cold stretch after their strong start.

But they regrouped and ended the game on a 17-11 run after going 4 1/2 minutes without a field goal.

Los Angeles led 68-57 on a 14-4 run in the third. Gasol scored seven in a row and Odom had three. But the Spurs closed the quarter with an 11-5 spurt, capped by Ginobili's 3-pointer, to trail 73-68 going into the fourth.

Luke Walton, Sasha Vujacic, Farmar and Josh Powell started the second quarter for the Lakers along with Gasol. The youngsters' energy paid off as the Lakers scored the first seven points to take their first lead since early in the game.

The Lakers made 5 of 6 free throws to end the half ahead 50-47.

The Spurs raced to a 9-0 lead to open the game before Artest sparked the Lakers' offense with consecutive 3-pointers. Parker scored 12 of his 15 first-half points in the opening quarter when he wasn't dishing off in traffic.

NOTES: Lakers coach Phil Jackson said before the game that Bryant wants to return at Utah on Wednesday. ... The Lakers tied the season series 1-1, having lost 105-85 at San Antonio on Jan. 12. ... The oft-injured Spurs were completely healthy. ... They fell to 10-11 on the road.

[Associated Press; By BETH HARRIS]

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