Clippers beat Lakers 102-91 to end 9-game losing skid in battle of LA

Davis scores 25, Clippers beat Lakers 102-91

LOS ANGELES — Baron Davis scored 25 points and the resurgent Clippers rallied to hold off the Lakers 102-91 Wednesday night, snapping a nine-game losing streak in the so-called battle of Los Angeles.

Chris Kaman added 21 points and 14 rebounds, Eric Gordon 18, Rasual Butler 14 and Marcus Camby 13 rebounds for the Clippers, who beat the defending NBA champions for the first time since April 12, 2007.

The Clippers have won five straight at home for the first time since a six-game winning streak from Nov. 2-18, 2006.

Kobe Bryant scored 33 points, Andrew Bynum added 15 points and 14 rebounds and Shannon Brown 15 as the Lakers’ four-game winning streak ended.

The Lakers defeated the Clippers 99-92 on opening night, but the Clippers have improved considerably since then despite still not having No. 1 draft pick Blake Griffin, who is injured.

The Clippers twice led by 15 points in the third, maintaining a perilous lead after Bryant’s 13-point barrage highlighted a 23-11 scoring spurt that drew the Lakers within two.

The Lakers scored six straight to open the fourth and tie the game at 79 on Ron Artest’s stepback jumper. The teams traded leads for the next few possessions until the Clippers ran off nine straight for a 92-83 lead. Gordon had four in a row and Butler capped the spurt with a 3-pointer.

It was part of a 19-8 game-ending run for the Clippers, who had their long-suffering fans on their feet and cheering wildly in the closing minutes.

The Clippers used a 14-3 run, including nine straight, to end the first half ahead 52-43. Six different players contributed, with Davis scoring four in a row.

The Lakers shot 34 percent in the half, got outrebounded and had nine fewer assists than the Clippers’ 17.

The Clippers extended their lead to 64-49 before Bryant put on a show in his purple road jersey. He displayed all of his MVP moves, opening with an alley-oop dunk, hitting a 3-pointer that bounced once on the rim and went in, making a fadeaway jumper and a fastbreak driving dunk that got the Lakers to 73-63. Bynum’s basket finally got them into single digits even though they didn’t tie the game until the fourth.

NOTES: F Pau Gasol missed another game with a strained left hamstring, but Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he went through his first pain-free rehab session Tuesday. … The Lakers dropped to 16-8 overall without Gasol in the lineup since he joined the team three years ago. … The Lakers fell to 6-3 in the second game of back-to-backs. … The Clippers recorded their second sellout with 19,388. … They haven’t won the season series since 1992-93.