LOS ANGELES (AP)—Two was the limit, Kobe Bryant decided. The Lakers halted their mini-slump at two losses in a row with a front-running 99-89 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, allowing Los Angeles to avoid its first three-game skid of the season.
“The focus was just about coming out and playing the right way and winning the game. You don’t want to compound mistakes or add to losses—two was enough,” said Bryant, who scored 31 points and sat out the fourth quarter while mostly reserves finished up.
Memphis, 3-24 on the road, kept it relatively close until the Lakers pulled away from a 54-51 lead early in the third quarter. They were up 78-67 by the end of the period and remained comfortably ahead in the fourth quarter.
Lakers center Pau Gasol, matched in the middle against younger brother Marc, had 13 points and eight rebounds. Derek Fisher added 11 points for Los Angeles.
Lamar Odom was only 1-of-8 from the floor and scored just two points for Los Angeles, but posted some other impressive numbers: 13 rebounds, eight assists and six blocks.
Bryant said that just illustrates Odom’s versatility.
“That’s what he does well for us and that’s what we need from him. He does a lot of the intangibles, and some of the stuff he does doesn’t even show up in the box score,” Bryant said. “He’s been playing extremely well.”
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