Lakers Gameday | 01/19/09 | Lakers 105, Cavaliers 88

LOS ANGELES(AP) Kobe Bryant and LeBron James tussled to a virtual standoff Monday night. But Bryant's supporting cast was far more effective, and that was the difference as the Los Angeles Lakers beat Cleveland 105-88 to snap a five-game losing streak to the Cavaliers.

Bryant had 20 points, six rebounds and 12 assists while shooting 9-of-22. Pau Gasol led Los Angeles with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Andrew Bynum and Sasha Vujacic scored 14 points each and Derek Fisher added 11 for the Lakers, whose 32-8 record is tops in the Western Conference.

James had 23 points and nine rebounds, but shot just 9-of-25. Mo Williams added 16 points, six rebounds and five assists and Sasha Pavlovic scored 12 for the Cavaliers (31-8), who absorbed their most one-sided loss of the season.

Bryant scored nine points during a 16-7 run to start the fourth quarter, giving the Lakers a 91-73 lead with 6:35 remaining. But just when the game seemed out of reach, the Cavaliers scored 11 straight points in three minutes to make it 91-84.

A jumper by Fisher ended the drought, and after a foul shot by James, Gasol scored on a dunk and Trevor Ariza made a 3-pointer to give the Lakers a 13-point lead, and the Cavaliers went quietly after that.

Gasol scored eight points and Bryant added six during a 22-10 run that gave the Lakers a 75-64 lead - largest of the game for either team to that stage. It was 75-66 entering the fourth quarter.

Wally Szczeriak scored seven straight points to give Cleveland a 38-37 lead, and the Cavaliers led 50-49 at halftime. James shot 4-of-11 and scored 10 points in the half while Bryant went 2-of-5 including a 15-footer with less than a second left in the half for five points, but he had six assists.

Bryant began the game guarding James, and the fans reacted with a murmur of anticipation when they saw the matchup.

Bryant, guarded by Pavlovic early on, dislocated the ring finger on his shooting hand in the opening two minutes, but trainer Gary Vitti popped it back into place and Bryant played on without coming out of the game or showing any ill effects.

Notes: Lakers F Luke Walton (injured right foot) missed his ninth straight game, although coach Phil Jackson said before the game that Walton was available. ... With Lamar Odom (right knee) and Sasha Vujacic (back spasms) having returned to action in recent days, the only unavailable player for the Lakers right now is G Jordan Farmar (left knee). ... The Cavaliers played without C Zydrunas Ilgauskas (left ankle), G Delonte West (right wrist) and G Eric Snow (left knee). ... The Lakers have an 8-2 record against the Cavaliers at Staples Center since the arena opened in 1999, but had lost the previous two home games to Cleveland. ... The game was the opener of a four-game trip for the Cavaliers, who are 11-8 on the road and have lost four of their last five road games. ... The Cavaliers are 11-2 against Western Conference teams and the Lakers are 11-5 against the East. ... The game was the second of six straight for the Lakers at Staples Center including a designated road game against the Clippers on Wednesday night.

LeBron James is having a MVP-caliber season in helping lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to the top of the Eastern Conference with the league's best record. Considering the way he has played against the Los Angeles Lakers lately, he probably would receive reigning league MVP Kobe Bryant's vote.

In a matchup featuring the best team from each conference, James looks to help lead the Cavaliers to their sixth straight win over Bryant and the Lakers as they open a four-game road trip Monday at Staples Center.

After falling to Boston in the East semifinals last season, James has Cleveland (31-7) poised to make a run for its first NBA title. The Cavaliers, who have not won a division title since 1975-76, have a 9 1/2-game lead over second-place Detroit in the Central Division, and are competing with Orlando and Boston for the best record in the East.

Los Angeles (31-8) once again looks like it might control home court throughout the Western Conference playoffs, as it has a five-game lead atop the conference. The Pacific Division-leading Lakers lost to Boston in last season's finals and are seeking their first title since 2001-02.

Bryant, who received his first MVP award last season, recorded his 15th career triple-double and first since April 1, 2005 his last time out.

The 10-time All-Star had 28 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in the Lakers' 109-103 loss to the Magic on Friday, but missed two jumpers in the waning moments.

The Lakers have lost two straight games after winning 10 of 11. They have not dropped three in a row since Jan. 23-27 of last season, which included a loss to Cleveland.

"We have to back it up and stop this bleeding right now," Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson said.

Facing the Cavs might not be the answer, though.

Cleveland has won five straight games over the Lakers since a 99-98 loss on Jan. 12, 2006 - the longest win streak by the Cavs in the series.

In their last meeting on Jan. 27, Cleveland won 98-95 at Los Angeles, behind James' 41 points and nine rebounds. James, the league's second-leading scorer (27.8 points per game), is averaging 37.3 points in his last three games versus the Lakers.

Bryant, who is third in the league in scoring (27.2 ppg), had 33 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in last season's loss to the Cavs at Staples Center. He is averaging 32.4 points during the Lakers' five-game losing streak to Cleveland.

The Cavs are coming off Friday's 92-78 win over New Orleans, as James bounced back from one of his worst outings of the season.

After he went 8-of-28 and had eight turnovers in Thursday's 102-93 overtime loss to Chicago, James finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists on Friday.

The four-time All-Star has led the Cavs in scoring, rebounding and assists in three straight games - a franchise first. He also became the first NBA player to do it since Bryant last season.

"We went out and executed it," said James, who has averaged 29.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists in the last three games. "It's always good before you go on the West Coast to get a win."

Cleveland has had no trouble defending its home court - going 20-0 at Quicken Loans Arena - but has been vulnerable on the road. The Cavs are 11-7 on the road, and have lost three of their last four away from Cleveland.

The Lakers, meanwhile, are 20-3 at home, but have split their last four games at Staples Center, including Friday's loss to Orlando.

Los Angeles boasts the league's top-scoring offense (107.6 ppg), but it may have trouble against the league's stingiest defense.

The Cavs, who limited the Hornets to just 37.3 percent shooting, are first in the league in field goal defense (41.9 percent) and scoring defense (89.0 ppg). Cleveland is 15-0 when holding opponents to less than 40.9 percent shooting and 25-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 95 points.