Dwight Howard and <a href="http://www.thenational.ae/topic/people/sport/american-sport/kobe-bryant">Kobe Bryant</a> formed a dominate combination to maintain the Los Angeles Lakers' turnaround in form with a <a href="http://www.thenational.ae/topic/subjects/nba">104-88</a> victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Howard ruled the inside with 31 points and 16 rebounds in his second game since missing three with a shoulder injury, while Bryant controlled the perimeter with 31 and six assists. It was the Lakers second straight win after enduring a six-game losing streak. After taking a seven-point lead at halftime, the home Lakers ran away from the Bucks in the fourth quarter where they opened with a 21-7 run that provided a 100-80 lead. Showing new-found teamwork, Los Angeles compiled 30 assists on the night while shooting 50 per cent from the floor. Monta Ellis led Milwaukee with 17 points as the visitors fell to 3-2 under interim coach Jim Boylan. In-form City rivals the Los Angeles Clippers made it two wins out of two without Chris Paul as they beat the Houston Rockets 117-109. All-Star Paul was unavailable for the second straight night with a knee injury, but Jamal Crawford poured in 30 points off the bench and Blake Griffin and Eric Bledsoe added 19 each to lead the Clippers to victory. James Harden scored 23 points and Jeremy Lin added 12 points and 10 assists for Houston, whose poor shooting in the third quarter contributed to their fourth straight loss. The Clippers' city rivals also won, with Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard sharing 62 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 104-88. Bryant and Howard each had 31 points, while the latter also pulled down 16 rebounds. The Indiana Pacers cruised to a 103-76 win over the Charlotte Bobcats thanks to 18 points and seven rebounds from Roy Hibbert. It was a fifth straight defeat for the Bobcats, who have only won two in their last 26. The Brooklyn Nets extended their winning run to seven games as they saw off the Toronto Raptors 113-106. Brook Lopez led the Brooklyn offence with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Joe Johnson and Deron Williams added 21 apiece. The Denver Nuggets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 115-111 in overtime and the New Orleans Hornets were 111-99 winners over the Philadelphia 76ers. Follow us
