Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant celebrates after a basket in the first half of their NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards in Los Angeles, Sunday, March 21, 2010. (AP)

LOS ANGELES – Kobe Bryant scored 20 of his 24 points on a variety of jump shots during a dynamic second quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers sent the Washington Wizards to their 11th straight loss, 99-92, Sunday night.

Pau Gasol had 28 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers, who won their sixth straight after a three-game skid. The defending NBA champions had little trouble with woeful Washington in the first three quarters, jumping to a 26-point halftime lead after another memorable quarter by Bryant.

After hitting four 3-pointers and scoring 16 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes before halftime alone, Bryant fell one point shy of matching Alex English for 12th place on the NBA's career scoring list when he scored just two points in the second half.

Former USC guard Nick Young matched his season high with 22 points for the Wizards, who are two losses shy of tying the worst skid in franchise history, established in 1967 and matched in 1995.

Al Thornton had 18 points, and Andray Blatche added 16 points and 12 rebounds as Washington wrapped up a four-game road trip with its seventh straight loss to the Lakers.

Bryant's perimeter accuracy propelled the Lakers on a 25-6 run to a 59-33 halftime lead. He did it all on shots longer than 12 feet, including three consecutive 3-pointers in the final minutes.

Bryant then shut it down in the second half, taking his only shot in the opening moments of the third quarter. Washington outscored the Lakers 32-17 in the fourth to trim the margin of victory.

The Lakers played the first of several games without starting center Andrew Bynum, who could be out for more than two weeks after straining his left Achilles' tendon in Friday's win over Minnesota. Bynum, the Lakers' third-leading scorer (15.0) and rebounder (8.3), might be sidelined until shortly before the playoffs with his third significant injury in three years.

Lamar Odom took Bynum's spot in the Lakers' starting lineup, getting four points and 13 rebounds. Ron Artest scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Bynum's absence also meant 19 minutes for Josh Powell, who scored five points.

Los Angeles improved the Western Conference's best record to 52-18 with a league-best 32nd home victory. The Lakers lead Denver by five games in the conference standings with 12 to play.

The Lakers got a comfortable win before starting the biggest remaining test of their regular season: They'll open a five-game road trip in San Antonio on Wednesday, with future stops in Oklahoma City and Atlanta. The Lakers play just four of their final 12 games at Staples Center.

Bynum has strained tendon, return uncertain
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Andrew Bynum's left Achilles' tendon is not torn, and the Los Angeles Lakers are cautiously optimistic their starting center can return from his latest injury in two weeks.

Yet Lakers coach Phil Jackson said Sunday he can't predict a return timetable for Bynum, who strained his tendon early in the third quarter of the defending NBA champions' win over Minnesota on Friday night.

"We really have nothing definitive about it," Jackson said. "We really don't know how this therapy is going to come out. The best thing I heard today is that he felt better from Day One to Day Two."

An MRI on Saturday showed the injury wasn't as serious as the Lakers initially feared, revealing no tears in Bynum's heel. Yet Jackson acknowledged Bynum's lost conditioning and the Lakers' overall cautiousness with their oft-injured center could keep him out until shortly before the playoffs in mid-April.

"An Achilles' or a leg injury is something you can't really stay in great shape with," Jackson said. "Taking off and landing, all your power moves, are something you're going to have to adjust."

Bynum was inactive for the Lakers' home game against Washington on Sunday, and he won't play on Los Angeles' ensuing five-game road trip. He is averaging 15 points and 8.3 rebounds this season, third on the Lakers in both categories.

Bynum said he has pain and swelling in his heel, but can get around easily in a plastic walking boot. He's hoping to recover well enough to play in the Lakers' next home game against Utah on April 2, but knows he might not be in game shape by the time they return from the road.

Major injuries are nothing new for Bynum, the prep-to-pro center who has emerged as a talented NBA big man during the past three seasons. He missed 46 games during the 2007-08 season with a dislocated left knee, and he sat out 32 games last season with a torn ligament in his right knee.

"Fortunately, this year we got two more months of playing time out of Drew," Jackson said. "Hopefully this (injury) is a short duration."

Jackson moved Lamar Odom back into the Lakers' starting lineup against the Wizards, shifting Pau Gasol from power forward to center. The 6-foot-10 Odom plays multiple positions for Los Angeles, frequently excelling as a guard, but will mostly defend big men in Bynum's absence.