NEW YORK — Kobe Bryant scored 33 points in another effortless night at Madison Square Garden, and the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 113-96 victory over the struggling New York Knicks on Friday night.
Bryant scored 19 points in the first quarter, and perhaps only the lopsided score kept him from recording a sixth 40-point game at the arena. He also grabbed 10 rebounds.
Pau Gasol added 20 points for the Lakers, who beat the Knicks for the eighth straight time overall and fifth in a row at the Garden, where Bryant owns the scoring record of 61 points that might’ve been in jeopardy if he played more than 29 minutes.
He sat on the bench in the fourth quarter, rising only to pump his fist a few times after baskets by teammates who were too good for the Knicks even without him.