Lakers Gameday | 12/13/07 | Lakers 102, Spurs 97

Kobe Bryant scored 30 points and the Los Angeles Lakers broke open a tight game in the late going to beat the short-handed San Antonio Spurs 102-97 on Thursday night for their fourth straight victory.

The defending NBA champion Spurs (17-5), losers of two straight for the first time this season, played without stars Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.

Duncan, averaging 17.6 points and 8.9 rebounds, sat out his fourth straight game because of a sprained right ankle. Parker, averaging 20.1 points and 6.8 assists, missed his first game of the season with a sprained left ankle.

After Bruce Bowen's 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter tied the game at 81, two baskets by Vladimir Radmanovic triggered an 18-5 run that gave the Lakers a 99-86 lead with 3:40 remaining. San Antonio scored the final five points after the outcome had been decided.

Lamar Odom had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers (13-8).

Bowen led the Spurs with 22 points -- two off his career high. Brent Barry added 17 points, Manu Ginobili scored 14 and Fabricio Oberto had a career-high 16 rebounds to go with nine points.

Lakers center Andrew Bynum picked up two technical fouls and was ejected with 4:32 left in the third quarter and the Lakers leading 63-59. He left with six points and 11 rebounds.

The Spurs got a 3-pointer from Michael Finley and two more from Bowen for a 72-69 lead -- their first since the opening minute of the second quarter. They led 74-72 entering the final period.

The Lakers led by as many as 10 points in the second quarter before settling for a 51-43 halftime lead. Bryant had 16 points at the half, with none of his teammates scoring more than five.

The Lakers shot 1-of-14 to start the game, but trailed by only one point entering the second quarter. San Antonio reserves scored 12 of their team's 19 points in the period.

Game notes
Bowen, who entered with a 5.6-point average, scored a season-high 23 in the Spurs' 107-92 victory over the Lakers last month in San Antonio. ... The Lakers play five of their next six games on the road starting Friday night at Golden State. They've won nine straight games and 14 of their last 15 against the Warriors. ... Duncan sat out only two games in each of the last two seasons. Parker has played in 492 games while missing just 22 in his six-plus seasons with the Spurs. Coach Gregg Popovich said Duncan might return to action Saturday night when the Spurs entertain Denver, but Parker will probably be out a little longer. "Tony's been laboring for two, three games with his foot," Popovich said. "It's real sore. He can't plant and spin. It's not going to heal unless he sits." ... Kwame Brown has missed 14 games because of injuries this season and sat out 41 for the same reason last season. Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he hopes Brown will be able to play next week.

San Antonio didn't get much from Tim Duncan to beat the Los Angeles Lakers last month. The Spurs haven't been getting any production from their star in recent games.

With Duncan expected to be sidelined again, the Spurs look to avoid losing two straight for the first time this season when they visit the Lakers on Thursday night.

Duncan has missed three straight games with a sprained right ankle sustained in a win over Portland on Dec. 2, and is expected to miss at least one more contest. Duncan - averaging 17.6 points and a team-high 8.9 rebounds per game - was in uniform against Golden State on Tuesday night, but Matt Bonner again took his place in the starting lineup and San Antonio's five-game winning streak came to end with a 96-84 loss.

The defending NBA champion Spurs (17-4) haven't lost consecutive games all season. They won their first matchup with Los Angeles (12-8) this season 107-92 on Nov. 13, although Duncan shot 2-for-13 and finished with five points.

San Antonio won that game partly due to an outstanding effort on offense and defense from Bruce Bowen. The team's defensive star isn't known for his work on the other end of the court, but he had a season-high 23 points and helped hold Kobe Bryant to 18 points - well below the 27.2 points he's averaging on the season.

Bonner had a strong performance off the bench against the Lakers, finishing with 15 points, and he led the Spurs with career highs of 25 points and 17 rebounds Tuesday. Bonner shouldered the load on offense with Duncan out and leading scorer Manu Ginobili struggling.

Ginobili, averaging 20.8 points per game, was held to 13 on 4-for-14 shooting after recording consecutive 37-point performances.

"Manu had a difficult night - 82 games, people are people," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "They are not machines."

Bryant, meanwhile, is coming off a 28-point effort to lead Los Angeles to a 123-113 win over Golden State on Sunday night.

It was the Lakers' third straight win, but Bryant believes the they are "playing well enough to keep our heads above water."

"I think the key for us is to keep getting better, believe we can get better," he said.

With Los Angeles' Kwame Brown having missed 11 straight games with injuries to his left knee and ankle, Andrew Bynum has been starting and playing well.

The 20-year-old center matched a career high with 20 points and also had 11 rebounds and five blocked shots versus the Warriors. Bynum is averaging 12.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in nine games as a starter.

Luke Walton, meanwhile, didn't play Sunday because of the sprained right ankle he suffered during practice Friday. His status for Thursday's game is uncertain.

The Lakers' bench, though, got healthier with the return of Ronny Turiaf, who missed two straight games with a concussion. The third-year forward had 10 points in 10 minutes against Golden State.

The game will be the first for Phil Jackson since signing his previously announced extension on Wednesday. It's believed to be a two-year deal worth about $24 million.

This will be the last of consecutive home games for Los Angeles, which will play five of its next six on the road. San Antonio has won eight of its last 10 road games against the Lakers.