Los Angeles, Feb 3 (EFE; odds by IDSca.com).– The Los Angeles Lakers got 38 points from Kobe Bryant in a 119-115 victory here over the Minnesota Timberwolves, avoiding what would have been a franchise-record 11th straight loss.

The 37-year-old Bryant made 10 of his 21 shots from the field, including going 7-of-11 from distance, grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists Tuesday night at Staples Center, while star shooting guard Andrew Wiggins led the way for the visitors with 30 points.

Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio had a game-high 15 assists for the Timberwolves and only committed two turnovers in 29 minutes of action.

For Bryant, it marked the first time he had made at least 7 shots from 3-point range since March 28, 2008.

The Lakers, who have won 16 championships, 11 of them since moving to Los Angeles from Minneapolis after the 1959-1960 season and five with Bryant on the team, are the only NBA franchise that has never lost more than 10 consecutive regular-season games.

Los Angeles built a double-digit lead in the second quarter, with rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell – who scored 18 points off the bench – attacking the rim aggressively and Bryant bringing the crowd, including actor and longtime Lakers fan Jack Nicholson, to its feet by making his third 3-pointer.

The Timberwolves (14-36) did not make a single 3-point shot in the first half, while soft defense allowed the Lakers, who led 66-52 at the intermission, to record their highest point total of the season through two quarters.

Bryant’s hot shooting from deep continued in the second half when he made his fifth 3-pointer to give the Lakers an 85-69 lead, but inspired play by Rubio and power forward Gorgui Dieng and a 3-pointer by center Karl-Anthony Towns helped the Timberwolves chip away at the lead.

Later on, horrible transition defense by the Lakers and electric play by Wiggins allowed the Timberwolves, who made their first seven field-goal tries of the fourth quarter, to momentarily grab the lead at 102-101.

But a heroic effort by Bryant, who scored 14 of his team’s final 18 points, proved enough to snap the team’s 10-game losing streak and lift the rebuilding Lakers (10-41) to a rare victory.

The Timberwolves, for their part, stumbled to their fifth straight loss, and Rubio bemoaned that the defeats did not seem to bother his teammates enough.

“Sometimes it seems like we don’t mind losing,” the point guard told EFE afterward.

“We’re going through a rough patch. We came here eager to break that streak, but it didn’t happen. And tomorrow we have another game. It’s not fun losing,” he added. EFE

According to Pay-Per-Head (PPH) provider IDSca.com, based in Costa Rica, moderate prop-betting action has formed around the Lakers in what could be their worst season in franchise history.

Bryan’s individual points in a game are also a common prop bet in the NBA; star centers also provide an opportunity to bet on rebounds per game.

The Lakers currently have the worst odds to win the Western Conference, and they are in a race to the bottom against the Philadelphia 76ers.