Lakers edge Hornets for third win in row
LOS ANGELES - Dwight Howard scored 24 points, Kobe Bryant had 14 points and 11 assists in another pass-first performance, and the Los Angeles Lakers hung on to beat the New Orleans Hornets 111-106 Tuesday night for their first three-game winning streak in five weeks.
Earl Clark had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers, whose 18-point lead with 5½ minutes to play dwindled to 102-101 with two minutes left before Clark and Steve Nash hit big shots to clinch Los Angeles' ninth straight win over New Orleans.
Eric Gordon scored 18 of his 25 points in the first half for the Hornets, who were all but finished before making a 16-2 run in an electric 2½-minute stretch. New Orleans got within one point on Greivis Vasquez's running jumper, but Clark hit an inside layup and Nash buried a 3-pointer with 1:21 to play.
Nash had 12 points and five assists, while Antawn Jamison scored 16 points. Four-time All-Star Pau Gasol had seven points, seven rebounds and seven assists as a reserve in the Lakers' final home game before a seven-game trip, their longest of the season, while the Grammy Awards takes over Staples Center.
Ryan Anderson scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter for the Hornets, who had won eight of 12, including an impressive victory in Memphis two nights earlier at the start of their five-game trip. Anderson, Vasquez and Robin Lopez led the impressive late rally that just fell short, with Lopez finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds.
Rookie Anthony Davis had 18 points for the Hornets, who haven't beaten the Lakers at Staples since January 2009.
Steve Blake had two points and four assists in his first appearance for the Lakers since Nov. 11.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
• BLAZERS RALLY PAST MAVS - At Portland, Ore., LaMarcus Aldridge hit a turnaround jumper at the final buzzer and totaled 29 points and 13 rebounds for Portland, which overcame a 21-point third-quarter deficit to beat Dallas, 106-104. J.J. Hickson had a season-high 26 points and 15 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who trailed by seven points with 2:18 left. Dirk Nowitzki had 26 points to lead the Mavericks.
• SHORT-HANDED WARRIORS WIN ON ROAD - At Cleveland, Klay Thompson scored a career-high 32 points to lead Golden State to a 108-95 win over Cleveland. The Warriors, who shot 54 percent and hit 11 of 16 3-pointers, were missing three starters: guard Stephen Curry (ankle), center Andrew Bogut (ankle) and forward Harrison Barnes (knee). Jarrett Jack, starting at point in place of Curry, had 26 points and 12 assists. Findlay Prep product Tristan Thompson had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers.
