"I'm not happy with the ballgame. We didn't do [things] the right way, but we were able to prevail," Lakers head coach Phil Jackson said.

Eric Gordon paced the Clippers with 24 points, while Zach Randolph donated 18 points and 10 boards in the club's fifth straight loss.

"Defensively we were pretty good, but offensively, through stretches, we struggled," Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy said.

The Lakers were firmly in front for most of the game, as two Gasol free throws resulted in a seemingly comfortable 81-62 cushion with seven minutes to play.

But Fred Jones scored eight points during a 16-0 Clippers run over a five- minute span, and Randolph's jumper with 2:22 remaining cut the deficit to 81-78.

It was a one-point game with under a minute on the clock, and that was as close as the Clippers got.

Gasol managed a tough bucket in the lane, Randolph missed a potential tying three-pointer in the corner, and Bryant made it an 87-82 game with a pair of free throws with 10 seconds to play.

Gordon netted a three-pointer and Derek Fisher went 1-for-2 at the foul line to give the Clips one last shot to tie it, but Baron Davis' trey in the corner was off the mark.

LA's 9-0 run midway through the opening quarter helped the West leaders take a 30-17 lead heading to the second frame. The halftime score was 54-44 in favor of the Lakers, who stayed ahead, 68-56 after an inefficient third stanza for both clubs.