Los Angeles, CA (Best E Casino) - Kobe Bryant dropped 30 points, pulled down seven rebounds and handed out seven assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 107-93 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Staples Center.

Bryant benefited from the return of Lamar Odom, who scored 18 points and grabbed 10 boards in his first game of the season. Odom sat out the Lakers' first four games while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, but played 37 minutes in helping the Lakers get back over the .500 mark.

Derek Fisher and Ronny Turiaf added 11 points apiece for LA, while the center- tandem of Chris Mihm and Andrew Bynum combined for 20 points and 20 rebounds.

The Lakers, who have played four of their five games at home to open the season, now head to Texas for a difficult pair of road tests against San Antonio Tuesday and Houston Wednesday.

Al Jefferson scored 24 points and corralled 15 rebounds for Minnesota, but the Wolves could not hang in the second half and dropped their fourth straight to open the young season.

Ryan Gomes and Sebastian Telfair, each of whom came over from Boston along with Jefferson in the offseason trade for Kevin Garnett, had 17 and 15 points, respectively.

Minnesota is off to its worst start in more than a decade, having started the 1994-95 season 0-6. The team heads to Sacramento to face the struggling Kings Saturday.

Garnett and Boston, conversely, have begun the season 4-0.

Minnesota got out to an early 17-9 lead, but Bryant brought the Lakers back, and they led 30-28 after one.

The T'Woves never trailed by more than four in the second quarter until Bryant was fouled in the lane with 2.5 seconds to go, and hit a pair of free throws to send the Lakers into the half with a 56-50 advantage.

An 18-3 run that bridged the second and third quarters gave LA a comfortable 68-52 edge, and they led 83-69 by the end of the third.

Minnesota pulled within seven on a number of occasions in the fourth, but were unable to get closer. Jefferson's baby hook made it 100-93 with just over two minutes to go, but Mihm converted a tip-in and Bryant hit a pair at the foul line to make it 104-93, effectively putting the game away.

Game Notes

The Lakers overcame subpar free-throw shooting (30-for-41) and three-point shooting (5-for-18), as well as 18 turnovers...Minnesota's Gerald Green, who was questionable with an infected toe, played almost 10 minutes, scoring five points. Guard Rashad McCants sat out with a sprained ankle.