NEW ORLEANS — Kobe Bryant scored 29 points, making him the fifth player in NBA history to score 30,000, and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped a two-game skid with a 103-87 victory over the New Orleans Hornets Wednesday night. Bryant entered the game needing only 13 points to eclipse the scoring milestone and did so with a short jumper late in the first half that was perhaps the least spectacular of his baskets, which included the usual array of soaring dunks, demoralizing transition 3-pointers and turnaround, off-balance jumpers. At 34 years old, Bryant is the youngest to reach the milestone. Wilt Chamberlain was 35 when he hit the mark, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone were each 36 and Michael Jordan was 38. Dwight Howard added 18 points for the Lakers, who trailed by a point at halftime but seized control with a 13-0 run to open the third quarter, and the lead grew as large as 20. Ryan Anderson scored 31 for New Orleans, hitting 5 of 8 3-pointers, and Greivis Vasquez added 16 points. Spurs 110, Bucks 99: Tony Parker and Gary Neal each scored 22 points, and San Antonio had a season-high 53 rebounds in the win over Milwaukee. Tim Duncan added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs. Tiago Splitter had 15 points, Manu Ginobili scored 11 and Matt Bonner had a season-high 12 rebounds. Monta Ellis had 21 points and 11 assists for Milwaukee. Brandon Jennings added 14 points and Ersan Ilyasova scored all of his 17 points in the first half. Knicks 100, Bobcats 98: J.R. Smith hit a fallaway jumper from the left wing as time expired to give New York a win over Charlotte. Carmelo Anthony scored 20 of his 23 points in the first half for New York and Tyson Chandler had 18 points and 17 rebounds. Kemba Walker scored 25 points for the Bobcats. Pacers 99, Trail Blazers 92: Paul George scored 22 points and George Hill added 18 to help Indiana beat Portland. David West had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers (10-9), who have won four of five and moved above .500 for the first time since a 2-1 start. Damian Lillard led Portland with 23 points. Wesley Matthews scored 19, LaMarcus Aldridge had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and J.J. Hickson had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Trail Blazers. Celtics 104, Timberwolves 94: Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 10 rebounds and remained unbeaten against his former team as Boston beat Minnesota in Rajon Rondo's return from a two-game suspension. Boston went 1-1 without Rondo, suspended for his role in a scuffle during a game against the Brooklyn Nets last Wednesday. Rondo had 17 points and 11 assists, Paul Pierce scored 18, Jason Terry 17 and Brandon Bass 12 for the Celtics. Kevin Love had 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Nikola Pekovic scored 14 for the T-Wolves. Warriors 104, Pistons 97: Klay Thompson scored 19 of his 27 points in the third quarter to help Golden State pull away to beat Detroit. The Warriors, starting a seven-game Eastern trip, snapped Detroit's five-game winning streak at home. Golden State has won two straight games in Detroit after losing 25 of 29. Hawks 108, Nuggets 104: Josh Smith's steal, jam and free throw with 31 seconds remaining extended Atlanta's lead and the Hawks held on to beat Denver. Smith had 16 points and 13 rebounds on his 27th birthday, while Al Horford led the Hawks with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Ty Lawson paced Denver with a season-high 32 points and Corey Brewer added 19. Bulls 95, Cavaliers 85: Marco Belinelli scored a season-high 23 points, Luol Deng added 22 and Chicago took control early on to beat Cleveland. Belinelli, starting his second straight game in place of injured shooting guard Richard Hamilton, helped the Bulls bounce back from a four-point home loss to Indiana on Tuesday. They went ahead for good less than two minutes in and shot 66.7 percent in the first quarter. Jazz 87, Magic 81: Al Jefferson scored a season-high 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Utah over Orlando. Jefferson had just eight points at halftime but scored 17 in the third quarter and was the difference down the stretch as the Jazz held off a furious Orlando comeback attempt. Clippers 112, Mavericks 90: Blake Griffin had 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Chris Paul added 14 points and 13 assists, propelling Los Angeles over Dallas for its fourth straight victory. Jamal Crawford had 20 points, Caron Butler scored 16 and DeAndre Jordan 12 for the Clippers. Reserve Vince Carter scored 16 points for Dallas. Derek Fisher added 15 points. Kings 107, Raptors 100: DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points and 13 rebounds to help Sacramento beat Toronto for only its third win in the last 12 games. The Kings used strong fourth-quarter play from Cousins and Tyreke Evans to earn a rare victory. Sacramento suffered an embarrassing 35-point loss Sunday against the Clippers. — AP
