<p>Kobe Bryant's fast start afforded him the luxury of a late rest as the Los Angeles Lakers made light work of the free-falling Charlotte Bobcats with a 106-73 blowout home win on Tuesday. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The NBA's leading scorer notched 18 points in the first quarter and recorded the game-high 24 by halftime, where the Lakers built a substantial lead against the league's worst team, allowing Bryant to sit out the fourth quarter. <br /><br />An entire quarter on the bench was a rare but welcome treat for the 16th year veteran, who entered the night second in the league in minutes per game.<br /> <br />Los Angeles (13-9) set the early tone with a 10-0 run in the first quarter, where they grabbed a 12-point lead before going up by 24 at halftime. The defeat was the latest reverse for the tumbling Bobcats (3-19), who lost their ninth straight game, the most since they dropped a franchise worst 13 in a row in 2006.<br /><br />Gerald Henderson led all Charlotte scorers with 14 points on a night his team shot just 34 percent from the field. <br /><br />The Lakers, on the other hand, were able to break the 100-point mark for the second consecutive game after going 13 without doing so. <br /><br />Andrew Bynum chipped in 20 points and 11 rebounds on the day he learned that he will be named to his first NBA All-Star Game when the voting is announced later this week. <br /><br />Results: Boston: 93 bt Cleveland: 90; Indiana: 106 bt New Jersey: 99; Atlanta: 100 bt Toronto: 77; NY Knicks: 113 bt Detroit: 86; Memphis: 100 bt Denver: 97 via OT; Golden State: 93 bt Sacramento: 90; LA Lakers: 106 bt Charlotte: 73.<br /></p>
<p>Kobe Bryant's fast start afforded him the luxury of a late rest as the Los Angeles Lakers made light work of the free-falling Charlotte Bobcats with a 106-73 blowout home win on Tuesday. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The NBA's leading scorer notched 18 points in the first quarter and recorded the game-high 24 by halftime, where the Lakers built a substantial lead against the league's worst team, allowing Bryant to sit out the fourth quarter. <br /><br />An entire quarter on the bench was a rare but welcome treat for the 16th year veteran, who entered the night second in the league in minutes per game.<br /> <br />Los Angeles (13-9) set the early tone with a 10-0 run in the first quarter, where they grabbed a 12-point lead before going up by 24 at halftime. The defeat was the latest reverse for the tumbling Bobcats (3-19), who lost their ninth straight game, the most since they dropped a franchise worst 13 in a row in 2006.<br /><br />Gerald Henderson led all Charlotte scorers with 14 points on a night his team shot just 34 percent from the field. <br /><br />The Lakers, on the other hand, were able to break the 100-point mark for the second consecutive game after going 13 without doing so. <br /><br />Andrew Bynum chipped in 20 points and 11 rebounds on the day he learned that he will be named to his first NBA All-Star Game when the voting is announced later this week. <br /><br />Results: Boston: 93 bt Cleveland: 90; Indiana: 106 bt New Jersey: 99; Atlanta: 100 bt Toronto: 77; NY Knicks: 113 bt Detroit: 86; Memphis: 100 bt Denver: 97 via OT; Golden State: 93 bt Sacramento: 90; LA Lakers: 106 bt Charlotte: 73.<br /></p>