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Bryant scored 12 of his 34 points in the final quarter and the host Lakers pulled away to beat the stubborn Toronto Raptors 117-108 on Tuesday night for their 13th victory in the last 16 games.

 With a sloppy 114-113 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night, coupled with a San Antonio Spurs' 107-103 win over the Denver Nuggets the following night, the powerhouses were tied atop the Western Conference with identical 44-19 records.

 However, the Lakers rebounded and regained the top spot by one- half game over the idle defending NBA champions.

 "We needed it, we had to play hard to beat this team tonight," Lakers forward Lamar Odom said after a 20-point, nine-rebound effort.    "We were kind of disturbed with the loss to the Kings on Sunday, but teams are getting up to play us and we have to accept the challenge."

   Derek Fisher had 18 points with four three-pointers for the Lakers, who buried a season-high 15-of-32 from behind the arc.    Spain's Pau Gasol had a quiet night with just 12 points, but hit two key baskets down the stretch.

 The Lakers will find out if they are road warriors or road kill with a grueling trip that takes them to playoff contenders New Orleans, Houston, Dallas and Utah, which have a combined 101-26 record at home.

 "It's always fun to get on the road in a hostile environment, particularly this trip," Bryant said. "We're looking forward to the challenge."

   TJ Ford scored half his 28 points in the final quarter to pace the Raptors (34-29) who fell to 2-4 without All-Star forward Chris Bosh (sore right knee).

 Anthony Parker had 21 points while Nesterovic finished with 18.

 Unable to shake their visitors, Jordan Farmar nailed consecutive jumpers to open up the final frame, giving the Lakers an 87-77 advantage.

 The Raptors wouldn't go away, though. A layup by Nesterovic drew them to within 106-100 before Gasol answered with an eight-foot hook shot.

 After Nesterovic hit a 19-foot jumper, Gasol again answered, this time with a 14-foot jumper. Fisher followed with a wide-open three- pointer from the right corner, giving the Lakers a 113-104 advantage with 41 seconds left to seal the victory.

 Elsewhere:

   Phoenix Suns 132, Memphis Grizzlies 111

   Amare Stoudemire scored 29 points with 13 rebounds and the Suns sent the Grizzlies to their 15th consecutive road loss.

 Raja Bell netted 18 of his 20 points in the third quarter for the Suns (42-22), who led 72-41 at halftime and coasted to their eighth straight win in the series.

 Brazilian speedster Leandro Barbosa and newcomer Gordon Giricek added 18 points apiece.

 Rudy Gay had 20 points for the Grizzlies (14-48), losers for the 17th time in the last 19 games.

 Chicago Bulls 108, Utah Jazz 96

   Drew Gooden scored a season-high 24 points while Ben Gordon came off the bench to add 19, and the Bulls broke the Jazz's five-game winning streak.

 Turkey's Mehmet Okur paced North-west Division leading Utah (42- 23) with 22 points and 18 rebounds, while Deron Williams finished with 20 points and 10 assists.

 Washington Wizards 105, Milwaukee Bucks 97

   Antawn Jamison scored 23 points, rookie Nick Young had a career- high 22, and the Wizards (31-32) handed the Bucks their sixth loss in the last seven games.

 Michael Redd led visiting Milwaukee (23-31 with 26 points while Charlie Villanueva had 24 and 16 rebounds.

 Indiana Pacers 114, Seattle SuperSonics 107

   Mike Dunleavy scored 32 points, Danny Granger had 23 and the Pacers ended a three-game skid by sending the visiting SuperSonics to their fifth straight loss.

 Kevin Durant topped Seattle (16-48) with 27 points while Jeff Green and Nick Collison added 15 apiece.

 Portland Trail Blazers 103, Minnesota Timberwolves 96

   Brandon Roy scored seven of his 27 points, including the go-ahead layup with five minutes, 48 seconds left, to trigger a decisive 14-4 run, and visiting Trail Blazers pulled away from the Timberwolves.

 Al Jeferson had 20 points with 10 rebounds for the Western Conference-worst Timberwolves (14-49) who were denied a season-high third straight victory.

By Paul Levine, dpa