LAKERS 105 CLEVELAND 88

NBA math, courtesy of the Lakers: Two stars are better than one.

Monday’s game was supposed to boil down to Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James, but Pau Gasol pushed the numbers in the Lakers’ favor, an equation that turned into a 105-88 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Staples Center.

In a game that had just about everything -- two of the league’s top headliners, an injury to one of them, and a nearly blown Lakers lead followed quickly by a recovery -- the Lakers finally beat the Cavaliers after failing in their last five tries, a peculiar skid that extended to January 2006.

The night started with a gasp from Lakers followers, Bryant sustaining a dislocated finger less than two minutes into the game, and it finished with the Lakers (32-8) moving ahead of Cleveland (31-8) in the season-long race for the league’s best record. Both teams, however, still trail Orlando (33-8).

Bryant, playing through discomfort, had 20 points, 12 assists and six rebounds. James had 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

The Lakers hadn’t lost three consecutive games since acquiring Gasol last February. He personally helped make sure it didn’t happen Monday, compiling 22 points and 12 rebounds. He made 11 of 13 shots.

“If something’s working, you’ve got to continue to exploit it,� Gasol said. “It was that kind of night.�

The Lakers survived a scare early in the first quarter when Bryant grabbed his right hand and bent over in agony after trying to slap the ball away from James.

He headed for the sidelines and had a dislocated ring finger on his right hand popped back into place by trainer Gary Vitti.

“My teammates looked at it and looked away,� Bryant said. “Not fun.�

Bryant continued to play, though he aggravated the injury early in the third quarter despite playing with his ring and pinkie fingers taped together.

“He’s got a number of issues going on,� Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. “He seems to fight his way through it. It’s good we have a day off in between games. He’s just been banged up a little bit recently.�

Postgame X-rays were negative. Bryant is expected to play Wednesday night against the Clippers.

Bryant, still sporting a small bandage over his right eye after needing four stitches in a recent game against the Miami Heat, seemed somewhat affected by his injured finger.

He made only nine of 22 attempts, but made four of nine in the fourth quarter, including a 16-foot turnaround as the shot clock expired and a 13-footer over James.

James, like Bryant, struggled with his shot, making only nine of 25 attempts.

Andrew Bynum also made an impact for the Lakers, collecting 14 points and six rebounds and doling out two hard fourth-quarter fouls -- one on a drive by James, one on a shot down low by Anderson Varejao.

Not to be overlooked was a 14-point effort by Sasha Vujacic, who made four three-point shots.

The Cavaliers were without two injured starters -- center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and shooting guard Delonte West -- but they showed no early effects, building a quick 15-8 advantage and leading at halftime, 50-49.

The Lakers led by as many as 18 after a run early in the fourth quarter, but James’ layup brought the Cavaliers to within 91-84 with 3:32 to play.

The Cavaliers came no closer, however, and Trevor Ariza made two three-pointers in the final 1:56.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Best of the best

The Lakers and the Cavaliers are battling for the NBA’s best record, along with the Magic and Celtics. Their records through Monday:

*--* -- W L Pct. Orlando 33 8 805 LAKERS 32 8 800 Cleveland 31 8 795 Boston 34 9 791 *--*

The Lakers’ season records against the other three:

vs. Cleveland...1-0

vs. Orlando...0-2

vs. Boston...1-0

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