By BRETT HUSTON

Posted Dec 18 2009 11:30PM

Kobe Bryant's buzzer-beater bailed the Los Angeles Lakers out in their latest game, but they don't figure to need such late heroics from the reigning Finals MVP during the next stop on their road trip.

The Lakers already helped the New Jersey Nets reach NBA infamy by dealing them a lopsided loss last month, and the league's worst team doesn't figure to have much of a chance to snap its latest slide when the defending champs visit the Meadowlands on Saturday night.

Los Angeles (20-4) had its 11-game winning streak snapped when it embarked on a five-game road trip last Saturday, falling 102-94 in Utah. Bryant had an unusually off night, shooting 7 of 24 and finishing with a season-low 16 points.

Bryant has more than redeemed himself. The 11-time All-Star poured in a season-high 42 points in leading Los Angeles back from a fourth-quarter deficit to a 96-87 win in Chicago on Tuesday, then scored 39 the next night and hit a 15-footer at the buzzer in overtime of a 107-106 victory over Milwaukee.

Bryant, who's playing despite a broken right index finger suffered Dec. 11 against Minnesota, had a similar attempt to win the game in regulation that glanced off the side of the rim.

"He's done it for a very long time and he's done it a couple of times this year already," guard Derek Fisher said of Bryant. "As a team, we don't like to be in those situations because for the most part we feel that we hadn't played the type of game that we can play."

Los Angeles is 17-0 when Bryant scores at least 21 points.

He had 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in just 28 minutes against New Jersey (2-25) on Nov. 29 in a 106-87 win that sent the Nets to 0-17 and tied them for the worst start in NBA history.

New Jersey became sole owners of the infamous mark three days later, but then won two of its next three games. Any thoughts of a turnaround, though, have been silenced as the Nets have lost six straight by an average of 17.4 points.

They fell behind by 40 in the fourth quarter Friday in Toronto en route to a 118-95 loss.

"They got whatever they wanted,'' said swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts, who had 16 points in his return after missing three games with a sprained knee. "That's how teams are going to start looking at us, if they haven't already. You will get whatever you want on the Nets. That's how I'd be looking at us.''

Douglas-Roberts was held to five points on 2 of 11 shooting against the Lakers last month. Center Brook Lopez led the way in that contest with 26 points and 12 boards, but also committed six turnovers.

Pau Gasol had 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Los Angeles, and lately he's been dominating the boards. Gasol has recorded at least 20 rebounds three times in his past four games after never having had more than 19 in any game coming into this season.

Gasol scored 21 points and grabbed 12 boards in a 105-90 Lakers win at New Jersey on Feb. 5, 2008 - his first game after being traded from Memphis - and he's averaged 25.6 points in five victories against the Nets since then.

Bryant's 21.4-point career average versus New Jersey, meanwhile, is his lowest against any opponent. He's averaged 16.2 points on 30.0 percent shooting in his last six road games against the Nets.

Copyright 2009 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Scouting Report

There is no way to candy coat the situation. Even after firing coach Lawrence Frank and replacing him with Kiki V. the Nets are still a team that is struggling.

Register to Lakers Courtside Connection to view full Scouting Report.

Kobe Bryant (avulsion fracture, right index finger) is probable.
DJ Mbenga (sprained right ankle) is day-to-day.
Luke Walton (pinched nerve, back) is out.

Tony Battie (right groin strain) is questionable.
Keyon Dooling (sore hip flexors) is out.
Jarvis Hayes (strained left hamstring) is out.
Yi Jianlian (upper lip laceration) is out.

SEASON & SERIES NOTES; CONNECTIONS
The Lakers currently lead the season series with New Jersey 1-0, after sweeping last season’s series with the Nets 2-0. The Lakers have lost just four total season series to New Jersey since the Nets first season in the NBA (1976-77), most recently dropping the 2005-06 series 0-2. This will be the 72nd meeting between the Lakers and Nets with Los Angeles leading the all-time series 52-19. The Lakers have won 6-of-their- last-7 games against the Nets and are 7-3 in their last 10 meetings with New Jersey overall. The Lakers are 7-4 at STAPLES Center all-time against the Nets. In New Jersey, the Lakers are 7-3 in their last 10 games and are winners of their last three straight at IZOD Center. In their first meeting of the year last season, the Lakers defeated the Nets 120-93 11/25 at STAPLES Center, with the 27-point differential surpassing the old mark of 25 points (3/24/97) as the Lakers largest margin of victory ever against the Nets. Under head coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers are 13-6 against New Jersey. In 20 games including 16 starts against the Nets, Kobe Bryant is averaging 21.4 points, his lowest average against any team in the NBA. Two seasons ago, Pau Gasol made his Lakers debut against the Nets, totaling 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting, 12 rebounds and four assists 2/5/08 at New Jersey. Andrew Bynum was born in Plainsboro, New Jersey and attended St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey. At St. Joseph, Bynum averaged 22.0 points, 16.0 rebounds and 5.0 blocks as a senior and was named a 2005 McDonald’s High School All-American.

GASOL CRASHING THE BOARDS
With 78 rebounds over his last four games (20 rebounds 12/11 vs. Minnesota, 20 rebounds 12/12 at Utah, 16 rebounds 12/15 at Chicago, and a career-high 22 rebounds 12/16 at Milwaukee), Pau Gasol is currently enjoying the best four-game rebound stretch of his career and the best four-game span league-wide since Marcus Camby had 79 rebounds over four games in January 2009. Furthermore, with 26 points and 22 rebounds 12/16 at Milwaukee, Gasol became the first Laker to record a 20pt/20reb game since Lamar Odom posted 23 points and 21 rebounds 3/24/08 at Golden State. Prior to that, the most recent Lakers player to record a 20/20 game was Shaquille O’Neal in 2004.

Lastly, with 20 rebounds 12/12/09 at Utah and 20 rebounds 12/11/09 vs. Minnesota, Pau Gasol became the first Laker to record 20 rebounds in consecutive games since Lamar Odom posted 22 rebounds 3/23/08 vs. Golden State and 21 rebounds 3/24/08 at Golden State. The only other Laker to record back-to-back 20-plus rebounds in the past thirty years is Vlade Divac, who did so 2/24/95 vs. Charlotte (24 rebounds) and 2/25/95 vs. Los Angeles Clippers (20 rebounds). Prior to that, the most recent Lakers player to post consecutive 20 rebound games was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (20 rebounds 1/24/78 vs. Philadelphia, 21 rebounds 1/27/78 vs. Milwaukee).

40-POINT GAMES
Kobe Bryant scored 42 points 12/15/09 at Chicago, marking the 101st time in his career that he has scored 40+ points in a game and the 5th time this season, surpassing his total for all of last season (4). Bryant’s 46 points February 1, 2008 at Toronto moved him past Elgin Baylor (88 40+ games) for 3rd all-time and into 1st in Lakers franchise history. In the history of the NBA, only two players have more career 40-point games: Wilt Chamberlain (271) and Michael Jordan (173). The Lakers are now 70- 31 all-time in games that Bryant scores 40+ points and are 5-0 in such games this season. Bryant holds the Lakers franchise record for 40-point games in a single season, recording 27 during the 2005-06 campaign. Bryant also holds the franchise record for most consecutive 40-point games (9), established during the 2002-03 season, which is tied for the fourth longest such streak in NBA history (Michael Jordan) behind Wilt Chamberlain, who twice posted streaks of 14 and once had a 10-game streak.

LAKERS RECENT 11-GAME WIN STREAK TIES FOR NINTH LONGEST IN TEAM HISTORY
The Lakers saw their recent 11-game win streak come to and end in a 102-94 loss in Utah on 12/12. With their victory over the Timberwolves December 11th, the Lakers won for the 11th straight time, further surpassing their longest win streak from a season ago when the Lakers strung together 7-straight victories on three occasions, most recently from 1/30/09 – 2/10/09. The Lakers victory over the Jazz December 9th marked the 24th time in franchise history that the team has put together a 10+ game win streak (20 in Los Angeles, 4 in Minneapolis). The Lakers last 11-game win streak came during the 2003-04 season from March 13 – April 2, 2004. The Lakers have not won 12 straight games since a streak of 19 consecutive victories from February 4 – March 13, 2000, part of a 19-game streak that ranks as the 2nd longest in team history.

ARTEST REACHES 10,000 CAREER POINTS AND 2,000 CAREER ASSISTS
With 16 points and one assist December 12 at Utah, Ron Artest scored his 10,000th career point and dished his 2,000th career assist. Currently in his 11th NBA season, Artest has averaged 16.0 points (10,024) and 3.2 assists (2,007) over 628 career games. Furthermore, the Lakers now have four players with over 10,000 career points (Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest). The only other teams in the league with four or more players with 10,000 career points are San Antonio with five players (Tim Duncan, Michael Finley, Antonio McDyess, Tony Parker, Richard Jefferson), Dallas with four players (Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Jason Terry) and Boston with four players (Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rasheed Wallace).

JUST ADD GASOL
Since Pau Gasol made his season debut 11/19 vs. Chicago, the Lakers are 12-1, after winning their first 10 games with Gasol in the lineup, while defeating teams by an average of 12.5 points per game (163). Additionally, with Gasol’s return, all five starters have scored in double-figures four times whereas in the previous 11 games without him in the lineup, not once did that occur. In games played without Gasol since he joined the Lakers, Los Angeles is 15-7 overall (6-4 in 2007-08, 1-0 in 2008-09 and 8-3 in 2009-10). With Gasol in the lineup, the Lakers are 98-23 (.810) in the regular season since he joined the team in February of 2008 (22-5 in 2007-08, 64-17 in 2008-09 and 12-1 in 2009-10) and 30-14 (.682) in the playoffs.

LAKERS PLAY STINGIEST DEFENSIVE 4TH QUARTER IN FRANCHISE HISTORY (SHOT CLOCK ERA)
Leading by two entering the 4th quarter of their December 9th contest with Utah, the Lakers played the best defensive 4th quarter in franchise history (shot clock era), holding the Jazz to the third fewest 4th quarter points (6) in the NBA’s shot clock era. During the period, the Lakers forced nine turnovers, including three shot clock violations in a three minute span, while limiting the Jazz to just 2-of-18 shooting from the field. Only the Warriors (2 points, 2/8/04) and the Trail Blazers (5 points, 3/15/06) have scored fewer points in a 4th quarter than what the Lakers limited the Jazz to (7th time a team has scored six 4th quarter points). Overall, the Jazz’s six fourth quarter points were the fewest points in any quarter the Lakers have surrendered since holding the Los Angeles Clippers to three points in the second quarter of 95-68 victory 12/14/99. The franchise record for fewest points allowed in any quarter is two, established in the third quarter of the Lakers 87-80 victory vs. Dallas 4/6/97.