Pau Gasol had a huge game to lead the Lakers past the San Antonio Spurs tonight at Staples Center. He scored 21 points, 19 rebounds, eight assists and five blocked shots as Kobe Bryant watched from the training room while getting treatment on his sprained left ankle. Ron Artest had 18 points, Lamar Odom had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Farmar and Derek Fisher scored 13 apiece. Andrew Bynum (bruised right hip) also didn’t play. Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 21 points and Tony Parker scored 20.

“It was fun,” Gasol said after the Lakers improved to 40-13, including 2-0 without Bryant. “I think it was a good challenge for us. The way we played tonight, (it) was beautiful to be out there. We played hard and got a nice win. I think it’s got to be reassuring for the rest of the team and for the guys who don’t play that much that are now stepping up. We have to play different roles without Kobe and Bynum out there.”