INQUIRER Sports

LOS ANGELES - Kobe Bryant poured in 41 points with eight rebounds Sunday as the Los Angeles Lakers bounced back from an ugly NBA loss with a 118-110 victory over Atlanta.

Andrew Bynum added 21 points for the Lakers and Lamar Odom chipped in 11 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists for the defending NBA champions.

The Lakers were coming off their worst home loss in two seasons, which saw them fall 94-80 to the Mavericks at Staples Center on Friday.

The Lakers shot just 39.5 percent from the field in that one, prompting coach Phil Jackson to suggest that fans should get their money back.

Bryant made sure there was no repeat with the 97th 40-point game of his career. He capped his effort with eight points in the waning minutes that helped thwart an attempted Hawks rally.

Bryant scored 19 points in the third quarter, as the Lakers took charge with a 22-3 scoring run.
Ignited by a Bryant dunk, the Lakers finally got their offense firing, holding the Hawks scoreless for more than five minutes.

The Hawks lost for the first time this season.

Atlanta's Joe Johnson scored 18 of his 27 points in the first quarter and rookie point guard Jeff Teague scored 12 points in the fourth.

Jamal Crawford added 17 points and Mike Bibby had 15 for Atlanta, who wilted under the Lakers' third-quarter onslaught.

The Lakers were again without Spain's Pau Gasol, the team's second-leading scorer and leading rebounder last season.

Gasol admitted before the game he was getting frustrated with a lingering right hamstring strain that has seen him miss three games.

He was hurt early in the pre-season and didn't dress for Sunday's contest.

"We've done all the right treatment and rehab, and now we've just got to be patient," Gasol said. "It's not going away, and it was hard for a few days. I didn't expect it to be this way, but we're doing what we have to do."

Gasol said he wasn't sure if his busy off-season, which included leading Spain to their first European title, had left him with muscle fatigue that contributed to the injury.

"It's a couple of years that I've put my body through a lot of work, so maybe that has something to do with it," Gasol said. "Or maybe it's just a one-time thing."