Andrew Bynum had 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Pau Gasol added 17 points and 11 rebounds in the Lakers’ fifth straight win overall — and their first game since early 2007 without Derek Fisher in their starting lineup.
The five-time NBA champion point guard was traded to Houston on Thursday, and Sessions arrived from Cleveland to replace him along with promoted starter Steve Blake. Sessions made an immediate impression with three quick layups and several sharp passes.
Bryant hit five 3-pointers and scored 17 points in the second half while revealing no obvious displeasure with the loss of Fisher, his teammate for 13 of their 16 NBA seasons.
In New York, Tyson Chandler scored 16 points, Jeremy Lin had 13 and New York beat Indiana for its second straight dominant victory under interim coach Mike Woodson.
JR Smith added 16 points and Steve Novak 12 for New York two nights after beating Portland by 42 on the day Mike D’Antoni resigned.
The Pacers never led and had their two-game winning streak snapped.
Danny Granger shot 4 of 15 and had nine points, while All-Star Roy Hibbert was 2 of 10 and scored four. Darren Collison led Indiana with 15 points.
In Philadelphia, LeBron James scored 29 points, Dwyane Wade had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Miami held on to beat Philadelphia.
The Heat almost had an epic collapse after leading by 29 points in the third quarter. Led by a hard-charging Lou Williams and Evan Turner, the Sixers sliced Miami’s lead to four points.
James, though, refused to let the lead completely slip away. He hit a pull-up jumper and sank a pair of free throws in the final 90 seconds to help the Heat end a four-game road losing streak.
In Oklahoma City, Tony Parker scored 25 points, Tim Duncan added 16 points and 19 rebounds, and San Antonio inched closer to Oklahoma City in the Western Conference standings.
San Antonio rolled to a 27-point lead in the first half and was up by 20 late in the third quarter before Oklahoma City rallied within two down the stretch.
Duncan muscled past Serge Ibaka at the left block to answer Kevin Durant’s 3-pointer that pulled the Thunder to 107-105, and Danny Green had a steal and dunk that put the game away.
In Chicago, LaMarcus Aldridge scored 21 points and Wesley Matthews added 18 as Portland beat Chicago, which was without leading scorer Derrick Rose.
After an emotional win over the Heat without Rose on Wednesday, the Bulls were unable to win a second straight game with the reigning MVP sitting on the bench with a strained groin.
One day after trading starters Gerald Wallace and Marcus Camby, and firing head coach Nate McMillan, the Blazers hung with the Bulls through three quarters and pulled away in the fourth.
In Atlanta, Joe Johnson matched his season high with 34 points, including the first two baskets of a decisive 11-0 run in the fourth quarter, to lead Atlanta over Washington.
Josh Smith had 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Hawks.
Trevor Booker scored 18 points for the Wizards, who have lost eight straight in Atlanta.
After trailing 54-50 at halftime, the Hawks took the lead with a 24-8 run that turned a 60-56 deficit in the third quarter into an 80-68 lead less than 3 minutes into the final period.
In Orlando, Florida, Dwight Howard scored 18 points, and Jameer Nelson and Glen Davis each had 13 to help Orlando easily beat New Jersey.
Ryan Anderson added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic, who built a 20-point lead and cruised from there. Orlando won for the fourth time in five games and extended its winning streak against the Nets to 10.
In Sacramento, California, Marcus Thornton hit five 3-pointers and scored a season-high 36 points as Sacramento beat Boston to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Kings set a season high for points and pulled away in the third quarter, shooting 70 percent and scoring 41 points in building a 19-point lead.
Jason Thompson matched his season best with 21 points and had 15 rebounds for the Kings, who are 3-3 on a nine-game homestand — a franchise record for consecutive home games.
In Oakland, California, Monta Ellis returned to Oracle Arena in his much-hyped Bucks debut and finished with 18 points, four rebounds and four assists as Milwaukee beat Golden State.
Ellis was traded to Milwaukee at the deadline after seven seasons with Golden State.
Luc Mbah a Moute had a career-high 22 points and season-best 17 rebounds for Milwaukee.
In Phoenix, Jared Dudley scored 23 points, and Channing Frye added 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead Phoenix over Detroit.
Marcin Gortat added 16 points to help the Suns win their second straight game and improve to 8-2 since the All-Star break.
Rodney Stuckey scored 23 points to lead the Pistons, who lost their second in six games.
Memphis, Tennessee, Jerryd Bayless scored five of his 28 points in overtime and added nine assists to help Toronto beat Memphis.
Gary Forbes had a career-high 20 points, and Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan added 18 apiece for Toronto.
Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with a season-high 28 points, and Rudy Gay added 26 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out early in overtime.
