Kobe Bryant scored a season-high 42 points to spark the Los Angeles Lakers to their 12th victory in 13 games, pounding the Chicago Bulls 96-87 in an NBA game on Tuesday.

Bryant, wearing a splint on his broken right index finger, scored 20 points in the first quarter and finished with a slam dunk in the closing seconds that had the Chicago crowd chanting "MVP" for Most Valuable Player honours.