• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Top scorers in league, Bryant and Arenas meet in Los Angeles

Dec 17, 2006 - 3:51 PM Washington (11-11) at LA Lakers (16-7) 9:30 pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers host Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards, who are opening a four-game road trip, on Sunday.

Bryant (27.9) is right behind the sixth-placed Arenas (28.0) among the league's scoring leaders.

Bryant poured in a season-high 53 points in a 112-101 double-overtime victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday. He made 17-of-38 shots, pulled down 10 rebounds and handed out eight assists. Bryant is averaging nearly 34 points in his last eight games.

Smush Parker had 17 points and four steals for the Lakers, who rallied from an early 21-point deficit.

Arenas scored 27 points and dished out six assists as the Wizards defeated the Miami Heat, 106-95, on Friday for their seventh win in nine tries. Caron Butler netted 30 points and Antawn Jamison added 22 for Washington, which shot 49 percent (41-of-84) from the floor.

Even though the Wizards are hot, they have dropped 12 of their last 13 visits against the Lakers and are just 2-8 on the road.

Washington has won three of the last four meetings overall.