Charlotte, NC (Best E Casino) - Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol again carried the scoring load, scoring 31 and 26 points respectively, as the Los Angeles Lakers rolled to a 106-97 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.

"It is Christmas time every day," Bryant said about his new teammate Gasol. "We are playing very well as a team. I think with the addition of Pau, and once we get Andrew (Bynum) back, we will be clicking on all cylinders."

Jordan Farmar and Ronny Turiaf each chipped in with 10 points for the Lakers, winners in three straight. Lamar Odom added eight points and 10 rebounds, while Gasol contributed six rebounds and six assists to his point total.

Raymond Felton poured in a season-best 29 points to go along with eight assists and Nazr Mohammed added a season-high 22 points with 11 rebounds in a losing effort for Charlotte, which has dropped seven straight and five in a row at home.

The Lakers systematically built a 30-22 edge and added to it during the second period. A pair of free throws by Gasol made the score 55-42 late in the half, and the Lakers held an 11-point advantage at 55-44 after 24 minutes.

Vladimir Radmanovic's trey late in the third gave the Lakers a 68-57 lead, but the Bobcats clawed their way back within 73-67 on Jared Dudley's jumper with 2:12 left in the period. Dudley scored 11 points with seven rebounds in defeat.

A quick 7-0 stretch brought Charlotte within 89-86 in the final stanza. Mohammed and Felton drained jumpers and Matt Carroll converted a three-point play with 7:17 to play.

The lead grew back to 98-90 on Luke Walton's jumper, and Dudley's three for a 98-93 game was Charlotte's only field goal over a crucial two-minute stretch. By the time Jeff McInnis drained his fifth field goal of the contest, the Bobcats had no chance of a late comeback.

"We made a hard run. We came back, unfortunately things didn't go our way at the end of the game and we couldn't pull it off," said Felton.

Game Notes

McInnis scored 10 points...The 19,270 announced attendance was the third largest in franchise history...The Lakers never trailed...Charlotte shot 50 percent from the floor, but the Lakers also made 50 percent of their shots and drained 29-of-34 from the charity stripe.