LOS ANGELES: Andrew Bynum scored 11 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Lakers fought back to beat the Houston Rockets 88-79 on Tuesday, notching their fourth consecutive NBA victory.
Kobe Bryant added 22 points, but had just three field goals in the second half when he picked up four fouls. The Lakers maintained a 4-1/2 game lead in the Western Conference and a two-game lead over Boston and Cleveland for the league’s best record.
Carl Landry led the Rockets with 19 points.
Grizzlies 109, Trail Blazers 105: In Portland, Oregon, Memphis closed with a 13-1 run over the final four minutes to beat Portland.
O.J. Mayo scored 27 points, hitting 10 of 18 shots including four 3-pointers, as Memphis moved above .500 for the first time this season.
Zach Randolph also scored 27 points and had a game-high 14 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who have won four consecutive games. Brandon Roy hit 9 of 18 shots and scored 27 points to lead Portland.
Suns 113, Kings 109: In Sacramento, California, Phoenix snapped a seven-game road-losing skid with a tight win over Sacramento. Steve Nash had 30 points and 12 assists, and Amare Stoudemire scored 24 for the Suns.
The Kings erased an entire 20-point first half deficit but could never take the lead, falling for the 14th time in the past 16 meetings between the teams.
Pacers 97, Magic 90: In Indianapolis, Roy Hibbert scored a career-high 26 points, leading Indiana over Orlando.
Hibbert, a 2.13-meter (7-2) center, added eight rebounds and four blocks. Luther Head had 18 points for the Pacers.
Mickael Pietrus and Jameer Nelson each scored 16 for the Magic, who still lead the Southeast Division despite consecutive losses.
Mavericks 98, Pistons 93: In Dallas, the hosts overcame a slow start to hand Detroit its 10th consecutive loss.
Jason Terry scored 26 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 22 for the Mavericks, who recovered after shooting just 29 percent in the first quarter and trailing by 14 points during the first half.
The Pistons hadn’t dropped 10 in a row since the end of the 1993-94 season. They lost their final 13 games that season.
Nuggets 123, Warriors 122: In Denver, J.R. Smith hit two free throws with 0.4 seconds remaining to lift Denver over Golden State. Monta Ellis fouled Smith, one of four Nuggets to finish with at least 20 points, while throwing up desperation 3-pointer after taking an inbounds pass with just 3 seconds remaining.
Ellis had given Golden State a 122-121 lead when he made a 10-foot turnaround jumper with 15 seconds to play.
Bobcats 113, Bulls 108: In Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte held off a fast-finishing Chicago to notch a third straight victory.
Gerald Wallace scored 32 points, and Stephen Jackson and Flip Murray added 25 each for the Bobcats, in a fast-paced game that saw both teams shoot 51 percent.
Wizards 104, 76ers 97: In Philadelphia, Washington overcame an 18-point deficit to defeat Philadelphia.
Antawn Jamison tied his season-high with 32 points and had 14 rebounds, and Nick Young scored 21 points for the Wizards, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Andre Iguodala scored 20 points to lead the Sixers.
Bucks 98, Nets 76: In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Milwaukee got a rare road win with a comfortable victory over hapless New Jersey.
Andrew Bogut scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half, while Carlos Delfino — who had scored just 10 points in the Bucks’ past five games — added 17.
