Kobe Bryant willing Lakers to wins For all who doubted this circus of a team - and that certainly includes this column - Kobe Bryant is staging one of his career-best performances and setting a lofty standard for anyone bent on long-term stardom in the NBA. [...] when games reach that crucial stage, he drifts back in time for a clutch three-pointer or an out-of-nowhere dunk. Last week he became the Lakers' first player since Jerry West, in 1970, to register at least 40 points and 10 assists in back-to-back games. With seven wins in their last nine games, the Lakers owe a lot to Dwight Howard, healthier than he's been all season and apparently (one can never be sure with this guy) warming to Bryant's domineering presence on the court and in the locker room. More relevant, from a Bay Area viewpoint, would be the Lakers surging all the way up to No.