11 January,2010 12:53 PM IST | | AFP
Andrew Bynum picked up the slack with a career-high 18 rebounds as Los Angeles overcame a poor shooting night from star Kobe Bryant and rolled to a 95-77 win over Milwaukee on Sunday.
Bynum also pumped in 17 points for the Lakers who needed this win to avoid losing three straight games for the first time in almost two years.
"We hit the boards pretty hard," Bynum said. "Next time I am going to try and get 20 (rebounds)."
Shannon Brown finished with a season-best 19 points, Jordan Farmar added 17 and Derek Fisher scored 11 for the defending National Basketball Association champions. Brown scored 15 of his points in the second half.
Bryant, who is playing with a broken right index finger, went four-of-21 from the field and finished with just 12 points.
"He has been fiddling around with a (bandage) for the broken finger," coach Phil Jackson said of Bryant. "He went from using a hard protective plate to nothing at all and it is different for how he shoots the ball.
"But it wasn't all about shooting. It was about balls not being there and not coming in."
Hakim Warrick had 14 points and Jodie Meeks finished with 12 for the Bucks.
Brandon Jennings, Luke Ridnour and Charlie Bell had 10 each for the Bucks, who had won three straight but dropped to 5-11 on the road.
