Kobe Bryant’s 37 points and Andrew Bynum’s 21 points and 22 rebounds – the first 20-20 game of his career – helped the Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 108-99 Tuesday night for their fourth victory in five games.
He barely missed his career-high of 23 rebounds in his second career 20-rebound game, playing a team-high 38 minutes.
The Lakers also got 14 points from fellow 7-footer Pau Gasol, who was nearly traded to the Rockets last month in a three-team deal for Chris Paul. Bynum and Gasol patrolled the paint on defense and repeatedly beat Houston inside, combining for 17 points in the second half.
Kyle Lowry scored 22 points and Luis Scola added 20 for the Rockets, who opened a three-game trip with their eighth loss in 11 road games against the Lakers. Kevin Martin had 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting, missing seven of his eight 3-point attempts.
Information from Espn.com contributed to this report.