Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Kobe Bryant scored 27 points and the Lakers used a late push to beat the Celtics, 92-83, ending Boston's franchise-record 19-game winning streak and getting a small measure of revenge from losing last seasons' NBA Finals, all on a milestone Christmas Day for Los Angeles head coach Phil Jackson.
Pau Gasol scored seven of his 20 points in the game's final three minutes as the Lakers moved to 15-1 at home on the year, capturing their 12th straight at the Staples Center. They've won three in a row overall, moving to 24-5 on the season.
Jackson captured the 1,000th win of his illustrious career, becoming the fastest coach to attain the milestone, doing so in his 1,423rd game, passing the mark of ex-Lakers coach Pat Riley (1,434 career games).
Bryant, who also had nine rebounds and five assists, shot 13-of-23 from the field. Lamar Odom chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds for LA, which also got 10 points from Sasha Vujacic.
The Lakers finished the game on a 13-2 run.
Kevin Garnett scored 22 for Boston, which suffered its first defeat since November 14 against Denver and fell to 27-3 on the season. Paul Pierce added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, whose 19-game run was tied for the fourth-longest in NBA history. The Lakers' 33-game surge during the 1971-72 season is the all-time mark.
