Los Angeles Lakers, riding on 34 points from Kobe Bryant, beat the New York Knicks 100-94 on Christmas day.
"We're .500," the Associated Press quoted Dwight Howard as saying after the Lakers' fifth straight win. "We did it on Christmas, too. I knew this day would come."
Bryant was again the top scorer with 34 points, while Metta World Peace finished with 20 points, and seven rebounds.
The NBA's leading scorer, Bryant, has now gone nine games in a row with 30 or more points.
"If you're going to play on Christmas, it's always better to win. Makes it all worthwhile," Bryant said.
For the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points and chipped in with seven rebounds, while J.R. Smith contributed with 25 points, five rebounds and two steals.
The Lakers defense did not allow Antony to score at will in the fourth quarter, however, as he could add only seven in the decisive period. Smith also could not contribute much in the final quarter.
Guard Steve Nash, who added 16 points and 11 assists for the Lakers, praised World Peace. "This is what he's been doing all year. He gets his hands on a lot of balls, pounds on the other team's best guy. You can't win without that type of effort."
Los Angeles outscored the Knicks 25-23 in the first quarter, whereas both teams scored 26 points apiece in the second.
New York outscored the Lakers 29-26 in the third to enter in the fourth with 78-77 lead, but the Lakers soon took over.
When Smith hit a shot from beyond the three point arc, the Lakers were still leading 96-94. Soon Pau Gasol had free throws to extend Los Angeles' lead to 97-94 with 32 seconds remaining in the game. Smith then missed a 3-pointer to tie the game at 97, with the Lakers holding on for the win.
"We missed a lot of easy shots, a lot of little chippers around the basket, shots that we normally make," Anthony said. "There were some plays that we thought should have went our way down the stretch, but for the most part, we fought.
"I'll take this effort any night. If we continue to play with this effort, we'll win a lot of games."
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