Lakers vs. Bulls: In-game report

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Final: Lakers 96, Bulls 87

The Lakers started this four-game trip the right way, getting a victory over the struggling Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night at the United Center.

The Lakers also saw the return of a healthy Kobe Bryant, who scored 42 points, 20 in a sizzling first quarter.

Bryant played with a splint on his fractured right index finger and he was feeling better after playing Saturday night’s game against the Utah Jazz with a stomach problem.

Pau Gasol, who still didn’t get the touches he had complained about after Saturday night’s game, had another big rebounding night.

Gasol had 16 rebounds to go along with 10 points.

Gasol had grabbed 20 rebounds against the Jazz and Timberwolves in his most recent two games.

The Lakers, who had their 11-game winning streak snapped against the Jazz on Saturday night, play the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

The Bulls, who got 21 points and six assists from second-year guard Derrick Rose, have lost nine of their last 11 games.

Third quarter: Bulls 73, Lakers 72

By the end of the third quarter, Kobe Bryant was the only Laker to have scored in double figures.

Bryant had 36 points on 12-for-22 shooting.

Other than Ron Artest, who was two-for-12 through three quarters, Bryant was the only player to get up double-figure shots.

That was part of the reason why the Lakers trailed by one point at the end of the third.

Right after Lamar Odom launched an ill-advised three-pointer that led to a jumper by Luol Deng that tied the score at 64-64, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson leaped out of his seat and called a quick timeout with 4:17 left in the third.

Jackson gathered his players together and admonished them for their poor play.

Halftime: Lakers 54, Bulls 48.

It turns out that Kobe Bryant, who has a fractured right index finger, wore a splint that had plastic on top and metal on the bottom during the Utah game Saturday night. He didn’t shoot the ball well in that game.

For the game against the Bulls, Bryant wore a splint that was plastic on top and flexible plastic on the bottom.

It seemed to work for Bryant in the first quarter. He missed just four of his 12 shots in the first. He had 20 of the Lakers’ 31 points in the first quarter.

Bryant finished the first half scoring almost half of the Lakers’ points, helping his team to a 54-48 halftime lead over the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Tuesday night.

Bryant had 25 points on 10-for-17 shooting in the first half.

Bulls guard Derrick Rose, who suffered a strained left rib in the first quarter that forced him to the locker room, came back to play in the second quarter.

Rose had 12 points in the first half.

Bryant, looking for ways to get his touch back after he fractured his right index finger Friday night, has experimented with a variety of splints recently.

Bryant was seven for 24 from the field against the Utah Jazz on Saturday night, one for nine from three-point range.

Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said Bryant has worn a metal splint and a plastic splint in an attempt to ‘get a touch on the ball so he can get rotation on it when he shoots it.’

Jackson said Bryant tried out the splints during the team’s shoot-around before Tuesday night’s game against the Bulls.

‘He looked pretty good then,’ Jackson said. ‘I don’t know how he’ll look tonight.’

Jackson also said that Bryant was feeling much better after suffering from a stomach ailment that sapped his energy against the Jazz.

-- Broderick Turner