National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
L.A. Lakers 102, Washington 96
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, December 14, 2012
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, District of Columbia
Officials: #12 Violet Palmer, #38 Michael Smith, #31 Scott Wall
Attendance: 20308

Lakers 102, Wizards 96:
Kobe Bryant scored 30 points and short-handed Los Angeles held off host Washington to snap a four-game losing streak.

Jodie Meeks came off the bench to score a season-high 24 points as the Lakers won for only the fourth time in 13 games to avoid matching the franchise's worst start in 10 years. Los Angeles won for only the second time in 13 games when Bryant scores 30 points in a contest.

Reserve Cartier Martin scored 21 points and Martell Webster and Nene added 17 apiece for the league-worst Wizards, who cut a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit to three before falling to Los Angeles for the 10th time in 11 meetings.

Bryant, who battled back spasms in Thursday's loss at the New York Knicks, struggled with his shooting (9-for-29), but he scored eight straight points in a 10-0 spurt. The surge helped the Lakers open a 14-point lead with just under 2 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

Meeks scored 10 straight points to extend the advantage to 88-72 early in the fourth, but Nene scored seven points in a 17-4 spurt to pull Washington within 92-89 with 5 1/2 minutes to play. Dwight Howard's basket and three free throws by Bryant pushed the lead back to eight points.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Lakers F Pau Gasol (knee tendinitis) sat out his seventh straight game and F Jordan Hill joined him on the bench due to back spasms. ... Martin, Kevin Seraphin and Nene combined for 54 points and 24 rebounds off the bench. ... Bryant, who passed John Havlicek for No. 9 on the all-time list for field goals made, received an invitation from the Harlem Globetrotters via Twitter offering him the chance to face the Washington Generals. After Thursday's loss to the Knicks, Bryant said he wished the Generals were on the team's schedule.
Top Game Performances
 
L.A. Lakers   Washington
Kobe Bryant 30 Scoring Cartier Martin 21
Kobe Bryant 7 Assists Jordan Crawford 6
Dwight Howard 14 Rebounds Cartier Martin 8
Kobe Bryant 11 Free Throws Made Nene 9
Jodie Meeks 3 Steals Jordan Crawford 2
Dwight Howard 4 Blocks Shaun Livingston 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
L.A. Lakers 102 45.1 8-29 20-28 18 45 6 10 13
Washington 96 43.4 8-21 16-20 19 48 4 6 19
Upcoming Games
  • Washington will play their next game on the road against Miami. The Wizards have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .176 after a loss.
  • L.A. Lakers will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Lakers have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .467 after a loss.