PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Kobe Bryant warmed up after a sluggish first half Friday and finished with 24 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 99-91 victory over Philadelphia.
Los Angeles owned an eight-point lead at the break but Bryant contributed only two points to the effort over the first two quarters. He then scored 22 in the second half, helping the Lakers improve to 4-2 on an eight-game road trip.
Pau Gasol added 19 points and 10 rebounds, Ron Artest had 18 points and Lamar Odom 13. Los Angeles has a 16-3 record this season against teams from the Eastern Conference.
Allen Iverson scored a season-best 23 for Philadelphia. Iverson, despite a brief retirement this winter and a lackluster campaign, was voted by the fans to start in next month's NBA All-Star Game.
Los Angeles scored the first seven points of the third quarter, five of them by Bryant. He then went on a personal 6-0 run to end the period, giving the Lakers a 76-67 cushion heading into the closing 12 minutes.
