Lakers End Bobcats' Mastery, Win 6th Straight
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant scored 27 points and the Los Angeles Lakers ended the Charlotte Bobcats' inexplicable mastery over them Friday night with a 92-84 victory, their sixth straight win since the All-Star break.
Pau Gasol had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Derek Fisher sprained his left elbow as the Lakers grinded out a shockingly rare victory over the NBA's youngest franchise.
The two-time defending champions had lost eight of their previous 10 meetings with Charlotte, the only team other than Boston with a winning record against the Lakers (8-6).
D.J. Augustin scored 22 points for the Bobcats, who have dropped the first three on a four-game West Coast road swing. Charlotte lost leading scorer Stephen Jackson to a strained left hamstring.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
