Los Angeles - The Los Angeles Lakers didn't have much difficulty remembering their recent visits to Detroit - and even less trouble reversing those fortunes.

   Kobe Bryant scored 30 points Thursday night, and the Lakers closed the third quarter on a decisive 20-0 run to pull away from the short-handed Detroit Pistons for a 92-77 victory.

   "It feels good to finally walk out of here with a win," said reigning league MVP Bryant, who added eight rebounds and seven assists.

   The Lakers had lost nine in a row, including three in the playoffs at the Palace of Auburn Hills, until snapping the lengthy slide dating back to January 8, 2002.

   "I have some Alzheimer's and amnesia, but it's not that bad yet," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said sarcastically. "We know what we've done, and we know the types of games we've lost here, but they came in, they had dedication and they wanted to do the right thing."

   Jackson, who tied NBA Hall of Famer Pat Riley for the most Lakers' games coached with 727, said there was little his club could take away against the bruised and battered Pistons.

   He noted that Rasheed Wallace was out with a calf injury, Rick Hamilton with a groin injury and Allen Iverson with a bad back.

   "They're short-handed, and we know this is a game we're supposed to win," he said.

   Derek Fisher scored 16 points for the Lakers (57-14), whose fourth-straight victory moved the Western Conference leaders within one game of idle Cleveland for the NBA's top record. Spanish native Pau Gasol had 12 points with 11 rebounds while Lamar Odom also chipped in with 12 and 10 boards.

   "We want to be the best team in the league," Odom said. "We have to set goals in order to get better, and one of our goals is to be the best, have the best record before the playoffs start. Ultimately, we want home court advantage in the playoffs."

   The Lakers trailed by three at halftime and 10 early in the third quarter before taking charge. After slicing the deficit to 55-50 at the 6:39 mark, they ran off 20 consecutive points while the Pistons missed 13 straight shots.

   Trevor Ariza made consecutive put-back dunks, and Fisher followed with a three pointer and two free throws, giving the Lakers the lead for good, 61-55.

   Bryant sandwiched four free throws around two by Gasol, and Sasha Vujucic's three pointer capped the burst, opening up a 70-55 cushion.

   "We've taken some really good butt whippings in the past in this building," Fisher said. "We had to come out in the third quarter and play really strong."

   The Lakers never let the lead dip below 10 points in the final 12 minutes en route to the win.

   Will Bynum collected career-highs of 25 points and 11 assists off the bench for Detroit (34-37), which fell into a seventh-place tie with Chicago in the Eastern Conference playoff race after their seventh loss in the past nine games.

   Elsewhere: Chicago Bulls 106, Miami Heat 87:

   John Salmons scored 13 of his 27 points in the game-turning 32-14 third quarter as Tyrus Thomas had 15 with 13 rebounds and the Bulls charged past the visiting Heat for their sixth win in seven games.

   The league's top scorer, Dwyane Wade, tossed in 31 points for Miami (38-34), which dropped into a fifth-place tie with idle Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference playoff scramble. Portland Trail Blazers 129, Phoenix Suns 109:

   LaMarcus Alrdidge scored 14 of his season-high 29 points in the pivotal 35-22 third quarter and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Trail Blazers shot a torrid 60 per cent from the field (50-of-83) to stop the Suns' season-high six-game winning streak.

   Brandon Roy collected 26 points and nine rebounds while Spanish rookie Rudy Fernandez scored 23 with a career-high five three pointers for host Portland (45-27), which tied idle New Orleans for fifth place in the Western Conference playoff chase.

   Shaquille O'Neal scored 20 points, and Jason Richardson added 16 for Phoenix (40-32), which fell 3.5 games back of idle eighth-place Dallas for the final Western Conference playoff spot.