LOS ANGELES - Pau Gasol scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in his season debut as the Lakers beat the Bulls 108-93 at the Staples Center.

Kobe Bryant nearly had a triple-double with 21 points, nine boards and eight assists for Los Angeles, which built a 20-point lead in the third quarter and cruised from there.  Ron Artest added 15 points as the Lakers improved to 9-and-3 on the season.

Derrick Rose recorded 20 points and six assists to lead Chicago, which had its two-game winning streak snapped to fall to 6-and-5.  John Salmons scored 18 points, and Joakim Noah added a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Bulls in defeat.

The Bulls continue their road trip on Saturday against Denver.

Other games played last night:

• The Utah Jazz hadn't won a regular-season game in San Antonio since February 1999 until Deron Williams contributed 21 points in Utah's 90-83 win over the Spurs.  Carlos Boozer scored 10 of his 18 points in the final period and finished with 11 rebounds.


• Peja Stojakovic was the star in the Hornets' 110-103 win over the Sunds, hitting seven 3-pointers and finishing with 25 points and 13 rebounds.  Devin Brown and rookie Marcus Thornton each scored 19 for New Orleans, which won its second straight under new head coach Jeff Bower.