Kobe scores 39 as Lakers down Wizards

Feb 4, 2007, 2:55 GMT

Washington, DC - Kobe Bryant dropped in 39 points, pulled down six rebounds and dished out six assists as Los Angeles downed Washington, 118-102, at the Verizon Center.

Lamar Odom added 19 points, 11 boards and five assists for the Lakers, who won for just the second time in their past six games. Smush Parker finished with 20 points, while Vladimir Radmanovic and Andrew Bynum had 12 points apiece.

'I got in a good rhythm,' Bryant said after the game. 'I felt in a really good rhythm but I realized what we're trying to do as a basketball club, so I just stepped back a little bit and tried to bring us along.'

Gilbert Arenas tallied 37 points for the Wizards but was a dismal 3-of-15 from three-point distance.

'I don't downplay anybody's game,' Arenas said of Bryant. 'He's the best player in the league and he shows it day in and day out, year after year. So you can't talk bad about a player like him.'

DeShawn Stevenson contributed 17 points while Caron Butler tallied 15 points and 10 rebounds for Washington, which lost its second straight game.

The Lakers were clicking on all cylinders offensively and took a double-digit cushion into the final frame.

Los Angeles continued to pour it on from there. Bynum's hook, with 7:04 left in the game, extended the Lakers advantage to 16, 100-84.

The Wizards tried to get back in it with some long-range marksmanship. Arenas converted a four-point play and, after Parker deposited a driving layup, Stevenson busted a three to bring Washington to within 11, 104-93, with 5:03 left.

But the Lakers steadied themselves from there and never let the Wizards seriously threaten the rest of the way.

The two teams were deadlocked at 29 after the opening 12 minutes and the Lakers edged ahead, 54-50, at intermission.

Los Angeles then used a 32-point third quarter to extend its lead to 10 points, 86-76, entering the fourth quarter.

Game Notes

This was the second and final meeting of the season between the two teams. On December 17th, Arenas scorched the Lakers for 60 points, a franchise-record, and scored 16 of Washington's 21 points in overtime as the Wizards outlasted the Lakers, 147-141, at the Staples Center.

The Lakers are now 10-13 on the road this season. They will also visit Atlanta, Detroit, Toronto and Cleveland on their current trip, a season-long eight game swing.

On the injury front Washington forward Antawn Jamison (sprained left knee) was injured during Tuesday's 104-99 victory over Detroit and is expected to miss three-to-six weeks.

The Wizards are still an impressive 18-5 at home this season.

© 2007 The Sports Network