LOS ANGELES (AP) – Kobe Bryant had 22 points and a season-high 13 assists, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 104-96 victory over Minnesota on Friday night and sending the Timberwolves to their 12th straight loss.

Lamar Odom scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Pau Gasol added 17 points and 14 rebounds to help the Lakers win their sixth in a row, following their first three-game skid since obtaining Gasol during the 2007-08 season.

The defending NBA champions beat the Timberwolves for the 10th straight time despite losing injury-plagued center Andrew Bynum, who strained his left Achilles' tendon early in the third quarter. He had 11 points and five rebounds.

Bryant shot 4 for 11 from the field and had seven assists in the first quarter, after averaging just 4.9 through his first 63 games. The Lakers have had only two other double-digit assist performances by an individual this season — both by the 2008 MVP.

The Lakers have won 18 of the last 19 games in which Bryant has had fewer than 20 field-goal attempts. The only blemish was 105-85 loss at San Antonio in which he took a season-low 10 shots and scored 16 points. He has put up 20 or more shots in 14 of their last 15 defeats — and 30 or more in five of them.

Jonny Flynn scored 20 points for the Timberwolves, who have lost 18 of 19. Kevin Love added 19 points and 11 assists.

Bryant had an unusually quiet first half with 11 points — eight of them on free throws — and took only three shots from the field in more than 15 minutes on the floor. His only field goal of the half was a 3-pointer with 2:14 left in the second quarter.

With the two-time NBA scoring champ orchestrating the offense early on instead of concentrating on scoring, the Lakers opened up a 13-point lead late in the opening quarter and led 59-49 at halftime. The Timberwolves opened the third with a 17-7 run, tying it at 68 on Darko Milicic's 23-footer with 4:49 left in the quarter.

After a Lakers timeout, Bryant intercepted Corey Brewer's pass and fed Gasol for a dunk that put Los Angeles ahead to stay. They pulled out to a 10-point lead by the end of the third and took their biggest lead, 91-76, on Shannon Brown's two free throws with 7:47 to play. The Timberwolves got as close as 95-88 on Love's three-point play with 2:51 left.

Los Angeles converted 19 Minnesota turnovers into 26 points. The Timberwolves forced 15 turnovers by the Lakers, but had only nine points to show for it.