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Dec 19, 2009 - 4:30 AM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Los Angeles (20-4) at New Jersey (2-24), 8:00 p.m. EDT

Kobe Bryant's buzzer-beater bailed the Los Angeles Lakers out in their latest game, but they don't figure to need such late heroics from the reigning Finals MVP during the next stop on their road trip.

The Lakers already helped the New Jersey Nets reach NBA infamy by dealing them a lopsided loss last month, and the league's worst team doesn't figure to have much of a chance to snap its latest slide when the defending champs visit the Meadowlands on Saturday night.

Los Angeles (20-4) had its 11-game winning streak snapped when it embarked on a five-game road trip last Saturday, falling 102-94 in Utah. Bryant had an unusually off night, shooting 7 of 24 and finishing with a season-low 16 points.

Bryant has more than redeemed himself. The 11-time All-Star poured in a season-high 42 points in leading Los Angeles back from a fourth-quarter deficit to a 96-87 win in Chicago on Tuesday, then scored 39 the next night and hit a 15-footer at the buzzer in overtime of a 107-106 victory over Milwaukee.

Bryant, who's playing despite a broken right index finger suffered Dec. 11 against Minnesota, had a similar attempt to win the game in regulation that glanced off the side of the rim.

"He's done it for a very long time and he's done it a couple of times this year already," guard Derek Fisher said of Bryant. "As a team, we don't like to be in those situations because for the most part we feel that we hadn't played the type of game that we can play."

Los Angeles is 17-0 when Bryant scores at least 21 points.

He had 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in just 28 minutes against New Jersey (2-25) on Nov. 29 in a 106-87 win that sent the Nets to 0-17 and tied them for the worst start in NBA history.

New Jersey became sole owners of the infamous mark three days later, but then won two of its next three games. Any thoughts of a turnaround, though, have been silenced as the Nets have lost six straight by an average of 17.4 points.

They fell behind by 40 in the fourth quarter Friday in Toronto en route to a 118-95 loss.

"They got whatever they wanted," said swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts, who had 16 points in his return after missing three games with a sprained knee. "That's how teams are going to start looking at us, if they haven't already. You will get whatever you want on the Nets. That's how I'd be looking at us."

Douglas-Roberts was held to five points on 2 of 11 shooting against the Lakers last month. Center Brook Lopez led the way in that contest with 26 points and 12 boards, but also committed six turnovers.

Pau Gasol had 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Los Angeles, and lately he's been dominating the boards. Gasol has recorded at least 20 rebounds three times in his past four games after never having had more than 19 in any game coming into this season.

Gasol scored 21 points and grabbed 12 boards in a 105-90 Lakers win at New Jersey on Feb. 5, 2008 - his first game after being traded from Memphis - and he's averaged 25.6 points in five victories against the Nets since then.

Bryant's 21.4-point career average versus New Jersey, meanwhile, is his lowest against any opponent. He's averaged 16.2 points on 30.0 percent shooting in his last six road games against the Nets.