• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Bryant scores 18 in 3rd, Lakers top Clippers

Feb 26, 2011 - 6:45 AM Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Kobe Bryant scored 18 of his 24 points in the third quarter, guiding a big run that sparked the Lakers to a 108-95 victory over the Clippers.

Shaking off a stinging injury in his right arm, Bryant buried 8-of-11 shots in the third to help the Lakers blow the game open and build an 18-point lead.

Bryant then sat out the fourth quarter, watching as the Lakers captured their third straight win to avenge a loss to their city rivals last month.

"He's got some radiating issues down his arm," Lakers head coach Phil Jackson said. "It's a funny bone-type thing. It isn't funny, but that's what it is."

Pau Gasol added 22 points and Andrew Bynum scored 16 with a game-high 11 rebounds for the Lakers.

Randy Foye scored 24 points to lead the Clippers and slam dunk champion Blake Griffin added 22 points and 10 rebounds for his 49th double-double of the season.

The Clippers' grueling 11-game road trip ended at home, of all places, where they were the visitor against their city rivals. They ended 2-9 during the stretch that started February 4.

"Kobe took it over," said Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro. "He made some tough shots and got us back on our heels and they got the momentum."

The two newest Clippers, guard Mo Williams and forward Jamario Moon, were not in the lineup Friday. The team traded Baron Davis and a 2011 first-round draft pick to Cleveland in a deadline deal on Thursday.

Bryant scored 12 points during an 18-5 run in the third quarter that gave the Lakers control, capping the burst with a three-pointer to make it 76-62 at the 3:46 mark.

He said he shortened his shot after banging his elbow in the first half.

"It's sore, very sore," said Bryant, who ended 10-of-16 from the field after going just 2-for-5 in the first half. "When I hit it, my whole arm went numb. I just had to change my shot."

Later in the third, Bryant scored on a give-and-go with Gasol in the lane, taking it to the hoop and drawing a foul. Perhaps showing the symptoms of a tingling right arm, Bryant missed the foul shot, clanking it off the back rim.

He didn't beat the buzzer on a fast-break dunk at the end of the quarter, throwing it down left-handed just after time ran out, but the Lakers carried an 85-67 lead into the fourth and never let the Clippers get closer than the final margin.

"Defensively, we were incredible in the third quarter," said Bryant.

The game was tighter at the beginning. Foye scored 14 of his 24 points in the first quarter and the Clippers had a 31-30 lead at the buzzer. Bryant went scoreless in the second quarter, playing just 5:42, but the Lakers still carried a 52-50 lead into halftime.

Game Notes

The Clippers will finally play a game as the home team Saturday against Boston -- their first since hosting Chicago on February 2...The Lakers' three-game winning streak comes on the heels of the three-game slide they carried into the All-Star break...The Lakers lead the all-time series 140-48.