Clippers 104 - 112 Lakers
Final
  for this game

Lakers gain ground in win over Clippers

Mar 26, 2011 - 6:15 AM Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Kobe Bryant poured in 37 points and dished out six assists, as the Lakers held off the Clippers, 112-104.

Pau Gasol added 26 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers, who have won six in a row and sit five games behind the Spurs for the top spot in the Western Conference.

Ron Artest donated 15 points and five boards for the Lakers, who are 5-0 on a seven-game homestand. Andrew Bynum returned from a two-game suspension to record 11 points and 12 rebounds.

"No, it's just another win for us as a group and we're trying to continue to get better," Lakers guard Derek Fisher said. "We haven't played as well as we'd like to these last few games but the Clippers team has played us tough all year; every game we've played. Whenever you can win a season series against a team in the NBA it's a good thing."

Mo Williams had a season-high 30 points to go with six assists for the Clippers, who have lost eight straight as the guest in this series. Blake Griffin tallied 22 points and six boards.

The Lakers led by as many as 16 in the first quarter and held a 33-23 edge after 12 minutes.

A tight second period resulted in the Lakers taking a 57-48 margin into the locker room.

The Clippers used a 7-0 flurry late in the third stanza to get within four, 84-80, on Randy Foye's jumper. But Lamar Odom made a free throw to give the Lakers a five-point lead heading to the fourth.

The Lakers seemed to be cruising along in the fourth, but Eric Gordon's three- point play with 1:05 left cut the gap to 108-104.

DeAndre Jordan then blocked Fisher's shot, and the Clippers went the other way. Artest stole the ball from Griffin, and Fisher was fouled by Jordan.

Fisher missed both foul shots with 35.3 seconds showing on the clock, however, Bynum tipped the ball in on the second miss. The basketball seemed to be in the cylinder when Bynum touched the ball, but the refs let the basket stand.

Williams missed a three-pointer to seal the Clippers' fate.

"I thought we played hard and we gave it our best shot," Gordon said. "We gave ourselves a chance to win today but we couldn't pull it off. I thought we played as hard as we could but somehow we couldn't be as physical with them. I don't know -- we just couldn't get over that hump."

Game Notes

The Lakers took three of four from the Clippers this season...The Lakers were coming off Tuesday's 139-137 triple-OT win over the Suns...The Lakers have won eight straight at home...The Clippers fell to 8-28 as the visitor this season...Jordan returned to the lineup after missing two games with a case of pneumonia...Each team shot 50 percent from the field...The Lakers went 28- of-39 from the foul line.






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