Odom cures what was ailing Lakers
Kobe Bryant was sick. The Cleveland Cavaliers just looked it.
With Bryant suffering from the flu, Lamar Odom scored a season-high 28 points - 15 in the third quarter- and Pau Gasol scored 18 as the streak-busting Los Angeles Lakers dominated the second half and handed Cleveland its first home loss this season, 101-91 on Sunday to complete a 6-0 road trip.
Bryant was not himself. The superstar vomited before the game, shivered with chills throughout and needed intravenous fluids at halftime. But Odom picked up the offensive slack, helped contain LeBron James on defense, and was the biggest factor in the Lakers outscoring the Cavaliers 50-30 after halftime.
"That was one of the best games he's played for us," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said of the enigmatic Odom. "He's had some spectacular games, but that was a terrific game. It was the total package of his game. He broke people down with his speed and quickness to the basket and got some easy shots."
It's been a tough few days for Cleveland. First, guard Mo Williams was bypassed for the second time as an all-star. Then, James had his apparent historic triple-double in New York downgraded by an NBA review, and now, the Cavaliers have had their invincibility at home stripped by the road-weary Lakers.
"You have to give the Lakers credit," said James, who scored 16 but missed 15 of his 20 field-goal tries. "I missed a lot of easy looks that I usually make."
The Cavaliers came in 23-0 at Quicken Loans Arena, but were stopped by the Lakers, who are gaining a reputation for stopping streaks.
They ended Boston's 19-game winning streak on Christmas Day and halted a 12-game run by the Celtics earlier this week. This was Cleveland's first loss at home since Game 5 against Washington in the first round of last season's playoffs.
"I didn't want it to happen," James said. "But I'm glad it's over."
The Lakers weren't intimidated in one of the NBA's rowdiest arena and went undefeated on a road trip that also included stops in Minnesota, Memphis, New York, Toronto and Boston. Los Angeles' trip started rocky with center Andruw Bynum injuring his knee against the Grizzlies, but it couldn't have ended any better.
Beginning with Bryant's record-setting 61-point performance against the Knicks, the Lakers have gone 4-0 without Bynum. They didn't commit a turnover in the final 19:28 against the Cavs.
"We're playing for perfection," Odom said, "and in order to do that, it takes a lot of energy, focus and commitment to winning and doing whatever it takes. We got production from everyone."
Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 22 to lead Cleveland, which shot just 28 percent (11 of 39) in the second half and didn't play its customary shutdown defense. Williams, whose all-star snub had infuriated the Cavs, scored 19 and James finished with 12 assists and 8 rebounds.
Odom, who added a season-best 17 rebounds, was unstoppable in the third, when the Lakers outscored the Cavaliers 31-16 and turned a 10-point deficit into a 82-77 lead entering the fourth.
"I never play the game for stats," Odom said. "It's all about winning."
Guarded by Wally Szczerbiak and rookie J.J. Hickson, Odom scored 13 of Los Angeles' last 16 points to close the quarter, capping his one-man scorefest with a two-handed dunk off a miss in the final second as the Lakers became just the fourth team this season to lead Cleveland at home after three.
But unlike the three other teams, the Lakers finished the job.
Los Angeles pushed its lead to 10 in the fourth before the Cavaliers closed to 93-89 on 2 free throws by Ilgauskas with 3:06 left. But Bryant hit a high-arching fadeaway, and Gasol dropped 1 of 2 free throws to make it 96-89 when the jumbo scoreboard above midcourt went dark, a symbolic moment for Cleveland's players and fans.
James was stripped on the Cavs' next possession, and Gasol made 2 more free throws and scored on a putback as the Lakers put an exclamation point on one of their biggest wins this season.
Cleveland's crowd was at a playoff pitch from the outset for one of the most anticipated games of the season, a matchup of the league's top stars, both leading MVP candidates, and two of the NBA's best teams.
But the game never materialized into a Bryant vs. James affair as Odom stole the spotlight.
Bryant got more medical treatment after the game and was not available for interviews.
Spurs 105, Celtics 99
BOSTON -- Roger Mason pulled up and leaned into a 3-pointer with 20.4 seconds left, and Tim Duncan scored 23 points with 13 rebounds to lead San Antonio.
It was the second loss in three games for the defending champions, who lost to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday in an NBA finals rematch to snap a 12-game win streak.
Kevin Garnett scored 26 points with 12 rebounds, Paul Pierce had 19 and eight and Rajon Rondo had 16 assists for the Celtics.
Matt Bonner scored a season-high 23 points and Manu Ginobli had 19 as a reserve for the Spurs, who won for the ninth time in 11 games. They lost to Denver on Tuesday, when Duncan, Michael Finley and Tony Parker all sat out; for Finley, it snapped a streak of 284 consecutive games.
Trail Blazers 109, Knicks 108
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Brandon Roy's finger-roll at the buzzer gave Portland a victory.
Travis Outlaw made a jumper with 31.9 seconds left to pull Portland within one at 108-107, and Al Harrington missed a layup on the other end for New York. The Trail Blazers called a timeout with 4.3 seconds left before Roy took an inbound pass from Rudy Fernandez and drove for the winning layup.
Roy finished with 19 points and eight assists, while Outlaw led the Blazers with 23 points. Greg Oden had 17 points and 12 rebounds for his 15th double-double of the season, and added a career-high six blocked shots.
David Lee led the Knicks with 29 points and 11 rebounds.
Hornets 101, Timberwolves 97
NEW ORLEANS -- Sean Marks dunked with 7.8 seconds left to cap a career-high 18-point effort, and short-handed New Orleans overcame the ejection of David West.
Rasual Butler scored 23 and Devin Brown 14 for New Orleans, which won its second straight while handing Minnesota its third-straight loss.
Al Jefferson led Minnesota with 25 points and 14 rebounds, but had to be helped off the court inside the final 30 seconds with an apparent right knee injury.
New Orleans started the game without All-Star Chris Paul (groin) and starting center Tyson Chandler (ankle) and lost another All-Star when West was ejected late in the second quarter for a flagrant on Mike Miller.
Magic 101, Nets 84
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Dwight Howard had 30 points and 16 rebounds to lift the Orlando to a victory against New Jersey, which played without Vince Carter.
Mickael Pietrus added 17 points, and Hedo Turkoglu scored 15 for the Magic, who rebounded from an ugly loss to Indiana on Friday and improved to 2-1 since injured All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson suffered a shoulder injury.
Devin Harris had 28 points and 12 assists, and Brook Lopez added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Nets, whose four-game winning streak ended.
Carter missed the game with a hyperextended right elbow.
Heat 96, Bobcats 92
MIAMI -- Dwyane Wade shook off flu-like symptoms to score 22 points and regain the NBA scoring lead, rookie Mario Chalmers scored 16 and added a career-best 13 assists, and Miami held off Charlotte.
Daequan Cook added 16 points and Udonis Haslem scored 14 for Miami, which shot a season-best 56 percent and won for the second time in its last six games.
D.J. Augustin scored 27 points for Charlotte, which has lost five straight but never let the Heat take more than an eight-point lead in this one. Juwan Howard added 14, while Boris Diaw and Emeka Okafor each scored 10 for the Bobcats.
Wizards 119, Pacers 117
WASHINGTON -- Caron Butler scored 15 straight points, including a game-winning 18-footer at the buzzer and Washington beat Indiana.
Butler, who missed the previous two games with the flu, scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and 35 overall as Washington overcame a 110-103 deficit with 5:08 left.
Danny Granger led Indiana with 29 points, while T.J. Ford added 23 and Troy Murphy had 18 and 10 rebounds.
Thunder 116, Kings 113
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Kevin Durant scored 39 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder held off Sacramento after blowing a 19-point second-quarter lead.
Jeff Green and Nick Collison each scored 15 points and Nenad Krstic had 14 for Oklahoma City, which pulled out the win despite missing four of five free throws in the finals seconds. The Thunder have a two-game winning streak for just the third time this season.
Beno Udrich scored 29 points, and John Salmons and Kevin Martin each had 23 for the Kings.