Gasol leads Lakers over Warriors

Oakland, CA – Pau Gasol recorded his fifth career triple- double with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, while Andrew Bynum added 31 points and pulled down 11 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers downed the Golden State Warriors, 99-87, on Wednesday.

Metta World Peace finished with 18 points and nine assists for the Lakers, who moved to 5-2 without Kobe Bryant this season as he missed his seventh straight game with a sore left shin.

Los Angeles dished out a season-high 34 assists on 37 made baskets.

The Lakers are a half-game ahead of the Clippers, who defeated Denver on Wednesday, for the Pacific Division lead and the third seed in the Western Conference.

Klay Thompson scored 17 points to pace the Warriors, losers of six consecutive contests.

The Lakers, who held an eight-point lead at the break, used a 12-4 run to begin the third quarter to blow the game open. World Peace's three-pointer capped the burst, giving the Lakers a commanding 68-52 advantage early in the third.

The 20-point barrier was breached following Bynum's layup, which made it 84-63 with 2:52 remaining in the third.

Los Angeles took an 84-67 advantage after three and led by as many as 23 in the fourth.

With the contest tied at 21 late in the opening quarter, Bynum, who netted 17 first-quarter points, went on a personal 11-3 surge, giving the Lakers a 32-24 advantage.

Mikki Moore nailed a jumper with 0.5 remaining in the frame, pulling the Warriors within 32-26 after a quarter of play.

Los Angeles, which took a 56-48 lead into the locker room, registered 17 assists on 20 made field goals in the opening half.

Game Notes

The Lakers have won 16 of their past 17 games against the Warriors, including a four-game sweep of the season series...Jeremy Tyler finished with 15 points and six rebounds for Golden State...Los Angeles netted 62 points in the paint.