NEW YORK, Feb. 6 (Ticker) -- The Los Angeles Lakers almost started their All-Star break 12 minutes too early.

NBA TV highlights from Lakers-Knicks: 56k | 300k

Kobe Bryant and fellow All-Star Shaquille O'Neal combined for 79 points as the streaking Los Angeles Lakers nearly blew a 34-point lead before holding on for a wild 114-109 victory over the New York Knicks.

Bryant continued his torrid pace, scoring 40 of his season high-tying 46 points in the first three quarters. He went 4-of-4 from 3-point range and is averaging 40.2 points over his past five games.

"Whenever you get a good look, the ball feels like it's going to go in," said Bryant, who shot 17-of-27 while reaching at least 40 points for the ninth time this season. "I just try to free myself up and knock them down."

O'Neal dropped in 33 points for the Lakers, who took a 95-61 lead on Bryant's 3-pointer with 1:40 to go in the third quarter and appeared ready to coast to their fifth straight win heading to the All-Star break.

But with leading scorer Allan Houston on the bench with a bruised right wrist, the Knicks mounted an unlikely comeback.

Latrell Sprewell sank a trio of 3-pointers and Charlie Ward knocked down two during a prolonged 41-12 burst. A jumper by reserve Lee Nailon got New York within 107-102 with 1:53 to go.

The Knicks had a chance to pull closer, but O'Neal blocked Sprewell's runner. New York was forced to foul and got no closer thereafter.

"We knew we had a shot at it, we were getting close," said Sprewell, who went 5-of-8 from 3-point range two nights after setting an NBA record by hitting all nine attempts from behind the arc. "We felt like we had an opportuinty going into the fourth. You never know what's going to happen. We got on a little bit of a roll and we were able to get close."

Sprewell finished with 24 points and Howard Eisley added 16 for the Knicks, who have lost the last three meetings with the Lakers.

Despite just now reaching the All-Star break, it already seems like two halves of a season have gone by for the Lakers.

On January 4, Los Angeles was seven games under .500 and many questioned whether it would even make the playoffs. Scarcely a month later, the Lakers have won 11 of their past 14 to move 1 1/2 games out of the final postseason spot and are looking very much like the defending NBA champs.

"We need a break, too. It was a dispapointing start," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "We didn't anticipate a two-month drought."

Bryant was unstoppable in the third quarter, mixing creative drives and precise jumpers as he matched the Knicks' 22-point period. With O'Neal on the bench for most of the third, Bryant was working against a double-team but still managed to go 9-of-13 from the floor.

"He was in a zone. We couldn't contain him," Knicks coach Don Chaney said. "We tried to keep two on him, just to keep him from penetrating. He was splitting us and going by us. We were very reluctant to really challenge him."

O'Neal established his dominance early. The All-Star reserve scored 11 points in the first quarter and 21 by halftime.

The Lakers shot 58.5 percent (24-of-41) in the first half en route to a 60-45 lead.

Robert Horry pulled down 12 rebounds, O'Neal had seven and seven assists and Bryant grabbed six boards for Los Angeles, which held a 42-32 rebounding advantage and shot 53 percent (42-of-79) from the field despite going 4-of-15 in the fourth.

New York got balanced scoring as Ward finished with 15 points and 11 assists, Othella Harrington collected 13 points, Houston 11 and Michael Doleac and Shandon Anderson 10 apiece.

Ward's 3-pointer with 7:26 left capped a 16-0 run and narrowed the deficit to 97-83. Trailing, 107-95, New York used a 7-0 spurt to close within five on Nailon's jumper.

But after Sprewell was rejected with 75 second remaining, O'Neal hit a free throw and Bryant sank a pair from the line to give the Lakers a 110-102 lead with 30 seconds to play.

"It showed a lot of guts, pride and heart for our guys to keep going. I'm very proud of them for that," Chaney said. "They could have easily said this game is over and thrown in the towel. That's one of the reasons why I love this team. They never give up."

The Knicks entered the break winners of seven of their past 11.