Beat the Milwaukee Bucks 118-107 on Tuesday night to snap a two-game losing streak.
Los Angeles had started 8-0 before the consecutive losses, but Brown and Bryant sparked the Lakers on both ends of the floor against what had been the stingiest defence in the NBA.
Bryant scored 13 points in the third quarter, including seven straight in a crucial stretch. Brown didn't skip a beat in the fourth, hitting four 3-pointers that stifled the Bucks' rally.
Brandon Jennings scored 31 points, Andrew Bogut had 12 points and 18 rebounds, and Drew Gooden added 22 points and 13 boards for Milwaukee (5-6), which had its three-game winning streak end.
Brown's reverse layup gave Los Angeles a 99-88 lead with just over 8 minutes to play. Then the reserve guard added a jumper and a 3-pointer moments later to make it 104-90.
After Milwaukee went on a 7-0 run, Brown hit another 3 that pushed the lead back out to 107-97, and Milwaukee never got within two possessions of tying.
Bryant helped the Lakers pull away late in the third quarter, scoring seven straight to break open a tight game in the first of three-game Midwest swing for Los Angeles that includes stops in Detroit and Minnesota.
After Bryant hit two free throws, he stripped John Salmons on the ensuing possession and got the ball back from Derek Fisher on the fast break. Bryant hit an easy layup as Jennings fouled him and converted the three-point play.
Bryant then drew another foul, this time on Salmons, and hit both of the free throws to make it 82-75.
Los Angeles showed it could play a little defence that has been missing, too, in losses to Phoenix and Denver. Milwaukee committed four turnovers in the stretch because of the Lakers' pressure even as the pace clearly favoured Los Angeles.
The Lakers came in as the highest-scoring team in the NBA, averaging 112.5 points, and the Bucks were allowing an NBA-low 89.4. Steve Blake's 3-pointer busted the 90-point mark in the closing seconds of the third quarter and gave the Lakers their biggest lead, 90-81, heading into the fourth.
Milwaukee had held some potent offences to pitiful performances during its three-game winning streak. But there wouldn't be a repeat performance against the Lakers, who got to the rim and the foul line seemingly as much as they wanted. Pau Gasol had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Lamar Odom added 13 points and Fisher had 10.
Bulls 95, Rockets 92
HOUSTON Derrick Rose scored 17 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and Chicago opened its seven-game road trip by beating Houston.
Rose also had seven assists, and Luol Deng added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, who won their fourth straight overall and earned their first victory in three road games this season.
Luis Scola scored 27 points and former Bull Brad Miller added 21 for the Rockets, who've lost their last four meetings with Chicago after winning 11 of the previous 12.
Trail Blazers 100, Grizzlies 99
MEMPHIS, Tenn. Wesley Matthews, subbing for injured guard Brandon Roy, scored a career-high 30 points to lead Portland over Memphis.
Matthews shot 11 of 19 from the field, including 5 of 10 from three-point range, as the Trail Blazers salvaged a win after losing their first two games on a three-game road trip. Portland beat Memphis for the eighth straight time on the road.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 23 points for the Trail Blazers, while Andre Miller finished with 19, 13 in the fourth quarter. He also had nine assists.
Rudy Gay led Memphis with 20 points, while Zach Randolph had 19 points and 14 rebounds.
Cavaliers 101, 76ers 93
CLEVELAND Daniel Gibson scored 18 points, Jamario Moon added 13 and Cleveland finally shook its third-quarter blues to beat Philadelphia, which lost its fourth in a row and played without swingman Andre Iguodala.
Gibson had eight assists and Joey Graham added 13 points off the bench as the Cavs (5-5) ended a two-game slide and got back to .500.
Cleveland outscored Philadelphia 26-16 in the third quarter. It was only the second time in 10 games this season that the Cavs have outscored their opponent in the third.
Thaddeus Young scored 17 and rookie Evan Turner 16 to pace the Sixers. Iguodala sat out with a troublesome Achilles' tendon.
Nuggets 120, Knicks 118
DENVER Carmelo Anthony scored 26 points and his teammates overcame his emotional blowup in the closing minutes to lead the Denver Nuggets past the New York Knicks, 120-118 Tuesday night.
Denver led by 16 early but the Knicks made a game of it by trimming a 12-point deficit to start the fourth quarter to 109-107 with 3:07 left on Raymond Felton's free throw after Anthony was whistled for a technical after tossing his headband when he was tied up by Wilson Chandler while going for a slam dunk.
Anthony was then whistled for a loose-ball foul on the jump, and Chandler sank both foul shots to cap an 11-0 run and tie it at 109.
Chauncey Billups and Ty Lawson hit back-to-back jumpers and the Nuggets settled down.
