Pau Gasol scored 23 points, five teammates finished in double figures, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 113-95 Saturday night for their seventh straight victory.

The Lakers (38-17), tied with Phoenix for the Western Conference lead, also won seven in a row earlier this season, their longest streak since they won 11 straight late in the 2003-04 season before going on to reach the NBA finals.

The Lakers have also won six straight road games -- their longest such streak in five years.

Lamar Odom added 20 points and 10 rebounds; Kobe Bryant had 17 points and seven assists; Sasha Vujacic scored 17; Jordan Farmar added 14, and Derek Fisher scored 12 for the Lakers.

Corey Maggette scored 23 points, Tim Thomas had 20 points and seven rebounds and rookie Al Thornton added 14 points for the Clippers (19-34), who were coming off back-to-back wins for the first time since their 4-0 start to the season.

Chris Kaman (sore lower back) and Sam Cassell (sprained right wrist) sat out, leaving the Clippers with a makeshift lineup. Kaman is averaging 16.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots. Injured starters Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston have been sidelined all season.

The Lakers broke the game open by outscoring the Clippers 28-14 to start the third quarter for an 84-62 lead. Fisher made three 3-pointers for nine points, Odom scored eight and Luke Walton added six during the spurt.

The Lakers led 90-72 entering the final period. The Clippers drew within 13 when Thomas made their only 3-pointer with 3:19 remaining. But the Lakers scored the next seven points to pull away.

The Lakers, coming off a thrilling 130-124 victory over the Suns three nights earlier, weren't the same team in the first half, shooting just 43.2 percent in taking a 56-48 lead. Gasol shot 5-for-7, Bryant was 4-for-7 and their teammates went 10-for-30 in the half.

The Lakers outscored the Clippers 12-3 to finish the first quarter for a 29-21 lead. Farmar scored five points and Bryant added four during the spurt, which put the Lakers ahead for good.

Game notes
The game was played before an announced crowd of 20,236 at Staples Center. ... Lakers F Vladimir Radmanovic strained his right calf late in the first quarter and didn't return. ... Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said he expects Brand and Livingston to play this season, but isn't sure when. "It's not going to be for a while," he said. ... The Lakers go for their eighth straight win Sunday night in Seattle. After that, they'll have 16 home games remaining and 10 road games left. They've played an NBA-low 25 home games. ... Maggette has scored 20 or more points in eight straight games. ... The Clippers used their 22nd different starting lineup of the season. ... The Lakers shot 10-for-26 from 3-point range, while the Clippers were 1-for-14.

The Los Angeles Lakers are feeling good about themselves lately, but they're not about to overlook their crosstown rivals.

The Lakers will be trying to match their longest winning streak of the season on Saturday when they face the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Lakers (37-17) won their sixth straight on Wednesday, beating Phoenix 130-124 on the road. The Lakers, who posted their second-highest scoring total, have averaged 116.0 points during the run while outscoring opponents by nearly 14 per game.

"We are playing very well, so our confidence is naturally pretty high, and we feel like there are a lot of things we are able to recognize as a group, both on the offensive floor and the defensive floor," said Kobe Bryant, who scored 41 points. "Our confidence stems from the fact that we can adjust play by play and quarter by quarter, and not lose too much rhythm in doing it."

Wednesday's victory moved the Lakers into a tie for first place in the Pacific Division with the Suns, who were playing their first game with former Laker Shaquille O'Neal. Phoenix moved a half-game ahead of the Lakers with Friday's win over Boston, but the Lakers clinched the season series against the Suns.

"The really important part of this is the season series," Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson said. "We now have an advantage if this is going to be a tight race as it's been. That's all you get out of a game like that: momentum, obviously, and some confidence for our team."

Pau Gasol chipped in 29 points and is averaging 21.9 in eight games since joining the Lakers in a Feb. 1 trade with Memphis. Lamar Odom added 22 and 11 rebounds for his third straight double-double.

"It's one more game, a game that really felt good and was great to win. It was a nice statement," Gasol said. "But now we've got to keep playing and keep winning, keep doing the same thing. It doesn't matter if you go to Phoenix and you win and then tomorrow you lose to the Clippers."

The Lakers have won four of six against the Clippers (19-33), who also play their home games at Staples Center. The Clippers are mired in last place in the Pacific, but have won back-to-back games for the first time since starting the season 4-0.

"The records are thrown out when we play the Clippers. It's an obvious fact, and the reality is that they're a talented team," Jackson said. "On their home court, it's going to be very difficult to win the game, we know that."

Bryant has averaged 25.7 points in 43 career games against the Clippers, but 38.3 in the last 11 meetings.

The Clippers upset Utah 114-104 on Friday, finally succeeding in their 14th attempt at consecutive wins since their 4-0 start. Rookie Al Thornton scored 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, and Corey Maggette also had 27.

"I'm glad it happened," coach Mike Dunleavy said. "Now we have to go for three in a row. Utah has been playing great basketball, but our guys played for the whole 48 minutes."

Brevin Knight had four points and four assists in 22 minutes while starting at point guard for the injured Sam Cassell, who sprained his right wrist in Wednesday's 100-86 victory over Memphis.