Kobe Bryant scored 34 points and dished out six assists to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 111-98 Sunday night.
It was the Lakers' second win in a row, a streak they have been unable to match over the past month. They last won two games in a row back in mid-November.
"It's guys playing with confidence and guys trusting each other," the Associated Press quoted Bryant as saying. "We played well, communicated well, kept attacking and good things happened. I know the questions have been coming because we hadn't been winning, but our time will come."
Metta World Peace scored 19 points and chipped in with a career-high 16 rebounds for the Lakers, while Dwight Howard added 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Darius Morris finished with a career-high 15 points, making five of eight attempts from the floor and Chris Duhon had 14 points.
The Lakers outscored Philadelphia in the first quarter 28-24, while in the second quarter they scored 32 to the 76ers' 26. Morris dominated the first half and had all his 15 points in that period.
Lakers' two star players, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol, were out because of injuries, but Bryant had a sixth straight 30-point or above score.
"We did a great job of attacking early and then we stayed with it," Bryant said. "Our bench did a great job and stepped up and our whole team stepped up and just played with confidence."
For the 76ers, Nick Young top scored with 30 points, Spencer Hawes and Evan Turner had 16 apiece while Thaddeus Young finished with 14 points, but those figures could not stop Philadelphia from losing their third game in a row.
"We just have to keep working, keep going to practice and go back to the drawing board," Young said.
The Lakers added 27 points in the third quarter and allowed Philadelphia's offense to only make 23. They were leading 87-73 after three quarters.
The Sixers managed to cut the Lakers lead to 91-82 with 8:27 left in the game, but the Lakers went on a 9-3 run to put the game beyond doubt.
"They knocked down a lot of threes and they kind of spread the floor," Young said. "You have to give them credit."
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