Lakers 113, Celtics 99: Dwight Howard had 24 points and 12 rebounds as Los Angeles cruised to an impressive win over visiting Boston.

Seven players scored in double figures for the Lakers, who avenged a 21-point loss to the Celtics on Feb. 7. Kobe Bryant had 16 points and Antawn Jamison added 15 off the bench.

Paul Pierce scored 23 of his 26 points in the first half for Boston, which opened its five-game road trip with a loss at Denver on Tuesday. The Celtics trailed by as many as 19 points midway through the third quarter and were down 104-82 with 8:02 to play.

Howard was 10-of-13 shooting in 30 minutes for Los Angeles, which remained 3 1/2 games behind the Houston Rockets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Bryant missed all four of his shots from beyond the arc and has made one of his last 34 3-point attempts over the last 15 games.

The Celtics fell to 8-17 on the road and were outrebounded 49-34. Lakers forward Earl Clark had a career-high 16 boards along with 14 points.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Los Angeles PG Steve Nash had seven assists and passed Magic Johnson for fourth place on the NBA’s career assists list with 10,144. … The Lakers were playing their first game since the death of longtime owner Jerry Buss. “We lost what was the greatest owner in sports ever,� Bryant said in a pregame tribute. ... The Celtics fell to 8-3 since losing PG Rajon Rondo to a season-ending knee injury.