Bryant Scores 36 In Encore For Lakers Win

Bryant added nine rebounds and five assists, and made a 16-foot jumper with 23 seconds left to seal the victory.

Kobe Bryant pumped in 36 points just two days after his record New York effort to carry the Los Angeles Lakers to a hard fought 115-107 road win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.

Coming off scoring 61 points against the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden on Monday -- the most ever scored in the building -- Bryant tallied 10 fourth-quarter points to rally the Lakers to their fourth straight win.

Bryant added nine rebounds and five assists, and made a 16-foot jumper with 23 seconds left to seal the victory.

"It took us three quarters to get used to their style of play," Bryant told reporters. "We made the adjustment, took the lead and never let go." Pau Gasol added 31 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers (39-9), who were playing the fourth of six games on the road.

The Toronto Raptors got 24 points from recent starter Joey Graham, 22 and nine blocks from Jermaine O'Neal and 21 out of Andrea Bargnani. All Star Chris Bosh had 12 points, but departed early in the fourth quarter with a knee injury.

The Raptors took a five-point lead into halftime and held an 87-85 edge through three quarters before falling to their fourth straight loss.

Bryant re-entered the game with less than seven minutes remaining and made a go-ahead jumper to give Los Angeles a 95-94 lead and the Raptors never regained their advantage.

At 19-32, Toronto is last in the Atlantic Division and is in danger of snapping a streak of two straight postseason appearances.

With the acquisition of O'Neal in the offseason, the Raptors entered this campaign with big expectations but have fallen short, culminating with the firing of coach Sam Mitchell in December.

The Lakers were playing in their second game without starting center Andrew Bynum, who injured his right knee on Jan. 31 and is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks.

For Los Angeles, the loss of their big man comes just as they head into a showdown with the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics on Thursday -- a rematch of last year's finals.

"We have to rebound and take care of the basketball," said Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson. "Those are two things we did well tonight."

STANDINGS from the NBA on Wednesday:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTIC DIVISION

              W  L  PCT  GB
 1. Boston        41 9  .820 -
 2. Philadelphia  23 24 .489 16 1/2
 3. New Jersey    23 27 .460 18
 4. NY Knicks     21 27 .438 19
 5. Toronto       19 32 .373 22 1/2
 CENTRAL DIVISION

              W  L  PCT  GB
 1. Cleveland     39 9  .813 -
 2. Detroit       26 21 .553 12 1/2
 3. Milwaukee     24 28 .462 17
 4. Chicago       22 28 .440 18
 5. Indiana       19 30 .388 20 1/2
 SOUTHEAST DIVISION

              W  L  PCT  GB
 1. Orlando       37 11 .771 -
 2. Atlanta       28 20 .583 9
 3. Miami         26 22 .542 11
 4. Charlotte     19 29 .396 18
 5. Washington    10 39 .204 27 1/2
 WESTERN CONFERENCE
 NORTHWEST DIVISION

              W  L  PCT  GB
 1. Denver        33 16 .673 -
 2. Portland      30 18 .625 2 1/2
 3. Utah          27 22 .551 6
 4. Minnesota     17 31 .354 15 1/2
 5. Oklahoma City 11 38 .224 22
 PACIFIC DIVISION

              W  L  PCT  GB
 1. LA Lakers     39 9  .813 -
 2. Phoenix       26 21 .553 12 1/2
 3. Golden State  16 34 .320 24
 4. Sacramento    11 39 .220 29
 5. LA Clippers   10 39 .204 29 1/2
 SOUTHWEST DIVISION

              W  L  PCT  GB
 1. San Antonio   33 15 .688 -
 2. New Orleans   28 18 .609 4
 3. Dallas        29 19 .604 4
 4. Houston       30 20 .600 4
 5. Memphis       13 35 .271 20

RESULTS from the NBA games on Wednesday
(home team in CAPS):
 ORLANDO    125 LA Clippers    96
 LA Lakers  115 TORONTO       107
 New Jersey 115 WASHINGTON     88
 DETROIT     93 Miami          90
 Cleveland  107 NY KNICKS     102
 MEMPHIS    104 Houston        93
 Atlanta     94 MINNESOTA      86
 Chicago    107 NEW ORLEANS    93
 Denver     114 OKLAHOMA CITY 113
 DALLAS     104 Portland       99