Kobe Bryant scored 19 points before sitting out the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Lakers crushed the Oklahoma City Thunder 107-89 in the NBA on Tuesday.

The Lakers led from start to finish for the ninth time this season and closed within one game of idle Cleveland for the best record in the NBA.

Lamar Odom scored 18 points before fouling out and Pau Gasol had 14 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists for Los Angeles. All of the Lakers starters spent the final 8 minutes on the bench, getting some needed rest two games into a seven-game road trip.

At Chicago, Kirk Hinrich scored 24 points filling in for the injured Derrick Rose as Chicago beat Pistons 99-91 and pulled within a game of the seventh-place Detroit in the Eastern Conference.

Tyrus Thomas had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Joakim Noah scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Bulls earned their fifth win in six games.

(Xinhua News Agency March 26, 2009)