ESPN: Kobe Bryant scored 10 of his 34 points in the final 8½ minutes, Lamar Odom added 20 points and nine rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Toronto Raptors 117-108 on Tuesday night to regain the top spot in the Western Conference.
Now, they’ll face a major challenge staying there, playing their next four games on the road against New Orleans, Houston, Dallas and Utah, who have a cumulative record of 168-86 — including 101-26 at home.
Bryant also had seven rebounds and seven assists for the Pacific Division-leading Lakers (45-19), who have won 18 of their last 22 and lead the San Antonio Spurs by a half-game in the Western Conference race.
Derek Fisher scored 18 points, Pau Gasol had 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Jordan Farmar added 10 points and five assists for the Lakers, who shot 53.6 percent.
T.J. Ford scored all but four of his 28 points in the second half for the Raptors (34-29), who lost for the fifth time in seven games. Anthony Parker added 21 points, Rasho Nesterovic had 18 points and eight rebounds and Andrea Bargnani scored 15 for Toronto.
Raptors star Chris Bosh, averaging 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds, missed his sixth straight game with a sore right knee. Toronto has a 4-7 record without Bosh this season.
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