Los Angeles - The Los Angeles Lakers sent the winless Charlotte Bobcats to their seventh consecutive preseason loss, but the defending Western Conference champions were more concerned about losing Kobe Bryant to a hyper-extended right knee.

Jordan Farmar scored 15 of his 17 points in the final quarter, sparking the Lakers past the Bobcats 102-98 on Tuesday night.

"He's the spark tonight, and he was the spark on Sunday night," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said of his energetic backup guard. "His play is inspiring."

Bryant played just 14 1/2 minutes and scored just four points before asking to come out with 3:08 left in the second quarter, after landing awkwardly while going up for a rebound. The reigning league MVP is listed as day-to-day and will be re-examined on Wednesday.

"I didn't even ask him about the injury," Jackson said. "I thought he got banged in the shin, but our trainer (Gary Vitti) said he hyper-extended his knee, somewhat. We'll see what it's like tomorrow and go from there."

Andrew Bynum collected 16 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers (4-2). Trevor Ariza added 14 points, while Spain's Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher chipped in with 12 points apiece.

Gerald Wallace and Jason Richardson tallied 16 points apiece for the Bobcats, who are still searching for their first win under new head coach Larry Brown.

Despite another setback, Brown remained upbeat by the play of his ever-hustling team.

"I was pleased, a lot of our young kids played well," he said. "It was encouraging because we had some periods in the game where we played pretty darn good.

"I'd be discouraged if they weren't trying hard, but they are trying hard and I'm proud of that," he added. "We're going to get better, this is a pretty good team."

Elsewhere Boston Celtics 101, New York Knicks 90

Eddie House scored 14 of his 20 points in the final quarter, and the reigning NBA champion Celtics closed out their preseason schedule with a wire-to wire win over the host Knicks.

Leon Powe had 19 points with 12 rebounds for Boston (6-2) while Kevin Garnett collected 14 and nine boards.

Nate Robinson tossed in 25 points for the Knicks (3-3) who shot just 40 per cent (31-of-77) from the floor.

Miami Heat 102, Memphis Grizzlies 85

Dwyane Wade scored 25 points, and rookie Michael Beasley added 19 as the Heat beat the visiting Grizzlies, for their first preseason win in five tries under new coach Erik Spoelstra

Rookie OJ Mayo netted 28 points for the Grizzlies (2-5), who were without their top player Rudy Gay (staph infection).

Chicago Bulls 109, Dallas Mavericks 105

Derrick Rose, the top pick in last summer's draft, scored 14 of his 30 points in the final quarter, including the go-ahead jumper with 41 seconds left, and the visiting Bulls erased a 19-point deficit in the final 8:50 left to slip past the Mavericks.

German wunderkind Dirk Nowitzki topped the Mavericks (4-3) with 26 points while Gerald Green added 19 points in just 16 minutes.

New Orleans Hornets 101, Indiana Pacers 96

David West scored 26 points, while fellow all-star Chris Paul had 21 points along with 15 assists, as the undefeated Hornets (6-0) closed on an 11-0 run in the final 3 1/2 minutes to top the Pacers.

Danny Granger paced Indiana (3-4) with 20 points

Cleveland Cavaliers 91, Philadelphia 76ers 83

LeBron James scored 20 points, Daniel Gibson added 17, and the Cavaliers used a late 12-2 run to pull away for their second straight preseason victory.

Andre Iguodala scored 19 points for the Sixers (3-3) who were outscored 24-12 in the final frame.

Denver Nuggets 105, Toronto Raptors 94

JR Smith scored 22 points while Carmelo Anthony and Nene added 15 apiece as the Nuggets (5-1) beat the Raptors in a preseason game.

Italy's Andrea Bargnani led the Raptors (4-4) with 19 points and Spaniard Jose Calderon had 18 with seven assists.

Phoenix Suns 86, LA Clippers 69

Amare Stoudemire scored 21 points, Frenchman Boris Diaw added 14 with 10 rebounds, and the short-handed Suns romped past the equally-depleted host Clippers, in a preseason contest.

The Suns (4-3) easily won despite the absence of two-time league MVP Steve Nash (right ankle sprain), and Shaquille O'Neal.

Chris Kaman had 16 points with 12 boards for the Clippers (4-2) who without injured starters Baron Davis, Marcus Camby, Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley, were outscored 46-25 in the second half.

Golden State Warriors 126, Lietuvos Rytas 106

Stephen Jackson scored 16 of his 28 points in the third quarter, and Corey Maggette added 17, leading the Warriors over Lithuanian club Lietuvos Rytas in preseason play.

Chuck Eidson had 28 points, eight assists and nine rebounds for Lietuvos, which committed 27 turnovers, leading to 36 points for their hosts.