Los Angeles Lakers guard Steve Blake (5) shoots over New Orleans Hornets forward Al-Farouq Aminu (0) in the second half of an NBA game in New Orleans Monday night. The Lakers won 93-91. AP Photo by GERALD HERBERT Lakers 93, Hornets 91

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Pau Gasol had 25 points and nine rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame Kobe Bryant’s absence to beat the New Orleans Hornets 93-91 on Monday night.

Bryant missed his second straight game with a sore left shin, but Ramon Sessions helped pick up the slack with 17 points, including a 3-pointer that put the Lakers ahead by six with 26 seconds left. Andrew Bynum added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who snapped a two-game skid.

Carl Landry had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Marco Belinelli scored 20 points for New Orleans, which led by as much as eight points in the fourth quarter, before the Lakers stormed back.

Grizzlies 94, Clippers 85

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Marc Gasol scored 18 points, Rudy Gay had 16 and the Grizzlies held on to beat the Los Angeles Clippers.

Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo added 13 each for Memphis, which won for the eighth time in 10 games and moved one-half game behind the Clippers for the fourth seed in the Western Conference. Marreese Speights finished had 12 points and Zach Randolph added 10 points and 12 rebounds as the Grizzlies finished with a 48-36 rebounding edge, but committed 20 turnovers.

Chris Paul led Los Angeles with 21 points and six assists.

Pacers 103, Raptors 98

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Danny Granger and George Hill scored 18 points each as Indiana took an early lead and held off Toronto.

Paul George had 15 points and Leandro Barbosa added 14 to help the Pacers — third in the Eastern Conference — win for the fourth time in their last five games.

Hill also had seven rebounds and four assists while making his first start of the season in place of the Darren Collison, who sat out with a groin injury sustained in Indiana’s loss to Boston on Saturday.

Thunder 109, Bucks 89

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Russell Westbrook scored 26 points and Oklahoma City won its second straight, beating Milwaukee in a game that featured seven technical fouls and an ejection of Bucks backup forward Larry Sanders.

Sanders was ejected after earning a pair of technicals in the second half, while Mike Dunleavy, Brandon Jennings and coach Scott Skiles also were assessed technicals for Milwaukee.

Oklahoma City’s Nazr Mohammed and Serge Ibaka also were called for technicals.

Wizards 113, Bobcats 85

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jordan Crawford scored 20 points and Washington got 67 points from its reserves in a matchup of the NBA’s two worst teams.

James Singleton had 18 points and 12 rebounds and Cartier Martin chipped in with 19 points as the Wizards (13-44) swept the three-game season series from the Bobcats. John Wall scored just two points but had 12 assists.

Magic 119, Pistons 89

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Jason Richardson hit six 3-pointers and scored 22 points, J.J. Redick had 20 points and Orlando cruised past Detroit.

Glen Davis added 16 points and 16 rebounds starting in place of center Dwight Howard, who missed his third game in two weeks with back spasms.

Suns 114, Timberwolves 90

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Shannon Brown had 17 points and seven rebounds and Phoenix’s reserves outscored Minnesota’s 66-27.

Markieff Morris led the backups with 21 points and Steve Nash had 14 points and five assists for the Suns, who have won five of their last six games and 11 of 16 to surge back into the playoff picture. They started the day one game behind Denver for eighth in the West.

Nuggets 123, Warriors 84

DENVER (AP) — Rookie Kenneth Faried had season highs of 27 points and 17 rebounds, and the Denver never trailed en route to its most lopsided win of the season.

The 39-point margin exceeded Denver’s previous high of 29 points against Sacramento on Jan. 25, and coincided with the return of Danilo Gallinari. He helped pick up the offense by scoring 15 points in his first game since breaking his left thumb against Dallas on March 19.

Jazz 91, Spurs 84

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Devin Harris scored 25 points, including 11 straight in the fourth quarter, and Utah halted San Antonio’s 11-game winning streak and boosted its own playoff hopes.

Paul Millsap added 18 points for the Jazz.

Rockets 94, Blazers 89

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Goran Dragic scored 22 points and Houston beat Portland to complete a perfect four-game road trip.

Chase Budinger added 15 points off the bench for the Rockets.