Perhaps More Meaningful Than The Pro Bowl: Lakers, Celtics Tip Off At 3:30 P.M.

Expect plenty more reaction to this game at our team blogs, Silver Screen and Roll and CelticsBlog.

Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Kobe Bryant hit a jumper with 7.3 seconds left and finished with 19 points and six assists, as the Los Angeles Lakers held on for a 90-89 win over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.

Andrew Bynum also ended with 19 points to go along with 11 rebounds, while Pau Gasol donated 11 points and as many boards for the Lakers, who have won four in a row and are 17-3 against the Eastern Conference this season. Ron Artest chipped in with 11 points and three steals in the win.

Phil Jackson picked up his 533rd regular season win with Los Angeles and is now tied with Pat Riley for the most victories in Lakers history.

Rajon Rondo led all scorers with 21 points and dished out 12 assists, while Paul Pierce went for 15 points for Boston, which was unable to recover from Friday’s 100-91 loss at Atlanta and has now dropped three straight and six of eight overall.

Tony Allen added 14 points off the bench and Kevin Garnett had 10 points and nine rebounds in defeat.

LA trailed 73-66 entering the fourth quarter, but were able to slice the deficit to 81-78 following a Jordan Farmar reverse layup with 6:58 to play.

Then with the Lakers down by three, 89-86, with 1:04 to play, Artest’s basket got Los Angeles to within one. Pierce was whistled for an offensive foul on the Celtics next possession, giving the visitors the ball back with 27.5 seconds left.

Bryant held the ball with a defender draped all over him and with the shot clock winding down, buried a jumper from the key with 7.3 ticks showing.

Following a Boston time out, Pierce kicked the ball out to Ray Allen, who missed from three-point range as time expired.

Los Angeles set the pace early, taking a 30-19 lead after the opening 12 minutes, but the second quarter had a much different tone.

Gasol’s dunk put the Lakers ahead 40-34 with 7:43 left in the half, but the Celtics came storming back. Tony Allen’s jumper ignited an 18-2 Boston run and after Pierce knocked down a corner three-pointer, the Celtics were in front by a 52-42 margin with 1:34 left.

Bynum made a layup and Derek Fisher nailed a three to get LA to within 52-47 heading into the locker room.

The Lakers were able to come back and tie the game at 58-all after an Artest jumper with 7:36 to play in the third period, but a pair of Rondo makes put Boston back in front by four a short time later. Pierce’s two free throws with 31 seconds left in the quarter stretched the lead to 73-64 before Bryant closed out the third with a short jumper.

The Lakers have now won 10 of the last 14 meetings versus Boston...Bryant is 28 points shy of Jerry West for first on the Lakers’ all-time scoring list...LA improved to 5-2 on its eight-game road trip...Fisher and Farmer ended with nine and eight points, respectively.