Bryant’s big haul gives Lakers the edge

Alex Kunawicz

• Last Updated: November 05. 2009 7:16PM UAE / November 5. 2009 3:16PM GMT

Kobe Bryant scored 41 points against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday – and the Los Angeles Lakers needed every one of them in a 103-102 overtime victory.

Andrew Bynum made three successive free throws for the NBA champions in the extra session, including the winning point with 24 seconds remaining.

“We have experience in winning games and toughing it out,” said the Los Angeles forward Lamar Odom.

“Kobe did a great job of taking over the game offensively and Bynum dominated the game with his rebounding.”

Bynum finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds while the Rockets had six players scoring in double figures, with Carl Landry leading the home team with 20.

The former Rockets’ forward Ron Artest scored a three-pointer that put the Lakers up 92-89 with 30 seconds remaining in regulation time before Houston’s Trevor Ariza, who helped the Lakers to last season’s NBA title, replied with his own three-pointer to force overtime.

“It was poetic justice that both players had a chance to make big shots,” said the Lakers coach Phil Jackson.

“I thought we had the game in hand [with Artest’s shot]. It was a great game.”

Bryant made 15 of 30 shots from the field in his 98th career 40-point effort.

The Lakers trailed by seven early in the fourth before Bryant made 10 points in a row.

In overtime he twice put the Lakers ahead with jump shots and tallied six points in the extra session.

Elsewhere in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns saw their unbeaten run come to an end after four wins as they lost 122-100 to the Orlando Magic, for whom Dwight Howard scored 25 points.

The New Jersey Nets were also heavily beaten, losing 122-94 to the still unbeaten Denver Nuggets in East Rutherford. The Nets have now lost five consecutive games at the start of the season.

Other than the Nuggets, only the Boston Celtics are unbeaten in the NBA, and they kept their winning run going by defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 92-90.

Dwyane Wade scored 40 points as the Miami Heat won 93-89 against the Washington Wizards, while the New York Knicks lost 101-89 to the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors beat the Detroit Pistons 110-99.

* With agencies