Los Angeles, CA (My Sportsbook) - Lamar Odom scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds, as the Lakers edged the Charlotte Bobcats, 99-97, at Staples Center, making Los Angeles' Phil Jackson the winningest coach in club history.
Two days after Kobe Bryant became the all-time leading scorer in Lakers history, Jackson picked up his 534th regular season win to pass Pat Riley. Jackson has 1,079 victories in his coaching career.
Andrew Bynum added 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who were coming off a 5-3 road trip. Ron Artest and Pau Gasol each donated 14 points. Bryant was held to just five points on 2-of-12 shooting.
Stephen Jackson ended with 30 points and seven rebounds for the Bobcats, who finished a six-game road trip with a 3-3 mark. Nazr Mohammed tallied 23 points and 17 boards. Flip Murray had 15 points off the bench in defeat.
Ahead 82-81 with 7 1/2 minutes remaining in the fourth, Los Angeles went on a 10-3 run. Jordan Farmar tallied five points during the burst, including a trey to make it 92-84 with 5 1/2 minutes to go.
The Bobcats fought back with an 8-1 spurt to get within one on Mohammed's short jumper with over 1 1/2 minutes to play.
Gasol made a hook shot at the other end before blocking Jackson's shot. Odom followed with a tip-in to give the Lakers a 97-92 margin with 1:02 to go.
Mohammed cut the gap to three with a pair of free throws with 41.3 seconds to go. The Bobcats still had a chance following a Bryant missed three-pointer.
On an inbound pass with 9.7 ticks left, LA stole the ball and Farmar put home a slam to seal the game with 4.5 seconds remaining.
The Bobcats held a 21-19 edge after 12 minutes of play, but it was the Lakers who led 49-47 at the half.
Down 63-61 with less than four minutes left in the third, Los Angeles went on an 11-2 spurt. Odom scored the final six points of the burst to give the Lakers a 72-65 lead. Jackson's tip-in cut the gap to 72-67 heading to the fourth.
Game Notes
The Lakers have won eight straight and are 24-3 on the year at Staples Center...Los Angeles had dropped three straight on their home floor to the Bobcats, who were without All-Star forward Gerald Wallace (hamstring).