Lakers rally, pull Rockets back to earth

LOS ANGELES – Andrew Bynum scored 11 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Lakers fought back to beat the Houston Rockets, 88-79, on Tuesday, notching their fourth consecutive NBA victory.

Kobe Bryant added 22 points, but had just three field goals in the second half when he picked up four fouls.

The Lakers maintained a 4-1/2 game lead in the Western Conference and a two-game lead over Boston and Cleveland for the league’s best record.

Carl Landry led the Rockets with 19 points.

In Portland, Oregon, Memphis closed with a 13-1 run over the final four minutes to beat Portland, 109-105.

O.J. Mayo scored 27 points, hitting 10 of 18 shots including four 3-pointers, as Memphis moved above .500 for the first time this season.

Zach Randolph also scored 27 points and had a game-high 14 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who have won four consecutive games.

Brandon Roy hit 9 of 18 shots and scored 27 points to lead Portland.

In Sacramento, California, Phoenix snapped a seven-game road losing skid with a tight 113-109 win over Sacramento.

Steve Nash had 30 points and 12 assists, and Amare Stoudemire scored 24 for the Suns.

The Kings erased an entire 20-point first half deficit but could never take the lead, falling for the 14th time in the past 16 meetings between the teams.

Tyreke Evans led Sacramento with 27 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

In Indianapolis, Roy Hibbert scored a career-high 26 points, leading Indiana over Orlando, 97-90.

Hibbert, a 2.13-meter (7-2) center, added eight rebounds and four blocks. Luther Head had 18 points for the Pacers.

Mickael Pietrus and Jameer Nelson each scored 16 for the Magic, who still lead the Southeast Division despite consecutive losses.

In Dallas, the hosts overcame a slow start to hand Detroit its 10th consecutive loss, 98-93.

Jason Terry scored 26 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 22 for the Mavericks, who recovered after shooting just 29 percent in the first quarter and trailing by 14 points during the first half.

The Pistons hadn’t dropped 10 in a row since the end of the 1993-94 season. They lost their final 13 games that season.

Richard Hamilton led Detroit with 20 points.

In Denver, J.R. Smith hit two free throws with 0.4 seconds remaining to lift Denver over Golden State, 123-122.

Smith, one of four Nuggets to finish with at least 20 points, was fouled by Monta Ellis while throwing up a desperation three-pointer after taking an inbounds pass with just three seconds remaining.    (AP)