Shannon Brown started in place of an injured Kobe Bryant and delivered career-bests of 27 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double in the NBA. Andrew Bynum returned from a two-game absence because of a bruised right hip and scored 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Ron Artest had 15 points, Pau Gasol had 14 and Derek Fisher scored 11. Lamar Odom scored nine points in a reserve role and grabbed a team-leading 18 rebounds. Oh, and the Lakers won their fourth in a row without Bryant, who has a sprained left ankle.

Next: the Boston Celtics visit Staples Center on Thursday.

Will Bryant be ready to play by then?

“I’m sure he wants to be,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “I’m sure he’s making every attempt to be. He’s doing therapy. He’s almost doing therapy too much in the process of trying to get this thing better. I think he’ll give it a try and we’ll see how it is Thursday.”