Lakers down Bobcats

CHARLOTTE — Kobe Bryant scored 31 points and Pau Gasol added 26 to help the Los Angeles Lakers register a 106-97 road win over the Charlotte Bobcats in the NBA on Monday.

The Lakers took a 13-point lead but the Bobcats were able to trim it down to 89-86 in the fourth quarter.

But the Lakers easily extended the lead with Bryant leading the way, the All Star guard putting the Lakers ahead by 11 with two free throws with 1:07 left.

Bryant scored 30 or more for the third straight game while Gasol hit nine of 11 field goal attempts and was 8-for-12 from the stripe.

Raymond Felton scored 29 points and NAzr Mohammed finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Bobcats, who have lost seven straight.

The Bobcats were without main man Gerald Wallace, out with a foot injury, for the fourth time in the last five outings.

"I was a little more aggressive and a little more determined when I got the ball early in the game," Gasol said.

In Houston, the Rockets cruised to a 95-83 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers with Chinese center Yao Ming leading the home team to a seventh consecutive triumph with a game-high 25 points.

Rafer Alston added 17 points and seven assists for the Rockets, who won for the 11th time in 12 games despite getting off to a sluggish start.

"We didn’t start out the game with a sense of urgency," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said.

"There were a lot of shots I thought we could have gotten in the paint, but we weren’t attacking them."

Alston and Tracy McGrady connected on just two of 10 shots in the first half, which ended with Portland just one point ahead after they failed to build on a 24-18 first quarter.

The Rockets turned things around in the third quarter, using a 13-point performance by Alston to take command.

"We’ve realized that we don’t have much margin for error," Alston said.

"So we’re talking to each other when we’re in the locker room at halftime, when we’re walking back out onto the court."

LaMarcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 22 points as Portland welcomed Brandon Roy back to the line-up after missing two games because of a death in his family.

Roy added 15 points and dished out eight assists but Portland was unable to hold off a rampant Rockets side.

Larry Hughes scored 40 points and LeBron James added 29 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds to power the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 118-111 road win over the Orlando Magic.

Kobe Bryant scored 31 points and Pau Gasol added 26 to help the Los Angeles Lakers register a 106-97 road win over the Charlotte Bobcats.

Manu Ginobili had a season-best 34 points and a career-high 15 rebounds to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 93-88 road win over the Toronto Raptors. Tim Duncan added 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Spurs.

Jose Calderon led the Raptors with a career-best 27 points.

Toronto coach Sam Mitchell missed the game because of a death in his family.

The Philadelphia 76ers won their fourth consecutive game, turning back the Dallas Mavericks 84-76 behind Andre Miller’s 21 points.