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Bryant, Lakers host road-weary Bulls

Nov 19, 2006 - 3:17 PM Chicago (3-6) at LA Lakers (6-3) 8:00 pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - Kobe Bryant reached another milestone in his last contest. Now he will look to return to form.

The Los Angeles Lakers will face the Chicago Bulls on Sunday as the Bulls continue their seven-game road trip while the circus is at the United Center.

Bryant scored 31 points and pulled down a season-high 11 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers held on for a 107-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday.

The 6-6 superstar became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 17,000 career points. At 28 years and 86 days old, Bryant eclipsed the milestone faster than Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan and former teammate Shaquille O'Neal.

However, after offseason knee surgery, Bryant has yet to return to form - admitting that he is playing at only 75 percent. Last season's scoring champion, he showed a glimpse of his pre-surgery form against the Raptors.

The Bulls have hit the road while the United Center is occupied and have struggled. Ben Gordon scored 21 points for Chicago, which committed 22 turnovers in a 100-83 loss at San Antonio on Friday. It was the second consecutive contest on the road trip for the Bulls.

The road team won both meetings last season.