NBA Wednesday Aftermath

Kobe Bryant poured in 32 points as the Los Angeles Lakers claimed a 114-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Pau Gasol had 22 points and 13 rebounds and Andrew Bynum added 18 points for the Lakers, who recovered from a narrow loss to the Indiana Pacers to record their eighth win in their last nine games.

Rajon Rondo dished out a career-high 17 assists and turned in the team's first triple-double in two seasons as the Boston Celtics avenged one of their only two losses with a 114-96 win over the Indiana Pacers.

LeBron James barely broke a sweat while collecting 21 points, six assists and five rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers eased to a 118-82 defeat of the New York Knicks.

Elsewhere, Dwight Howard registered 23 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks to lead the Orlando Magic to a 100-89 triumph over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Steve Blake buried three free throws in the final 13 seconds to help the Portland Trail Blazers hold off the Washington Wizards 98-92 and extend their winning streak to six games.

Charlie Villanueva scored a season-high 23 points and added 10 rebounds off the bench to help the Milwaukee Bucks end a four-game losing streak with a 97-90 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Chris Paul scored 24 points and added 15 assists and three steals as the the New Orleans Hornets used a third-quarter surge to post a 104-91 win over the Phoenix Suns.

Emeka Okafor had 25 points and 13 rebounds as the Charlotte Bobcats won consecutive games for the first time this season with a 103-97 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, while Dwyane Wade scored 23 points as the Miami Heat defeated the Utah Jazz 93-89.

Joe Johnson led all five starters in double figures with 26 points as the Atlanta Hawks downed the Memphis Grizzlies 105-95, while the Houston Rockets used a free-throw advantage to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 103-96.

ESS