The Los Angeles Lakers displayed the toughness they lacked last season to beat the Boston Celtics 92-83 and end the NBA champions' 19-game winning streak on Christmas Day.
Pau Gasol scored seven successive points in the final three minutes and Kobe Bryant had a game-high 27 points as the Lakers (24-5) earned a measure of revenge against the Celtics. It was the first meeting between the two since the Celtics beat the Lakers 4-2 in the best-of-seven NBA finals in June.
"It was fun just because of the challenge of stopping the streak," Bryant told reporters.
"We made the right plays. They were determined not to let me beat them, and Pau (Gasol) did a great job stepping up and hitting big shots."