Lakers 118, Warriors 116: Kobe Bryant scored 34 points and brought Los Angeles back into the game in the fourth quarter before leaving with a probable torn Achilles' tendon with three minutes left as the Lakers edged visiting Golden State.

Bryant will undergo an MRI exam Saturday to confirm the initial diagnosis. Pau Gasol recorded a triple-double with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and Dwight Howard scored 28 as the Lakers took advantage of a huge free throw disparity and maintained their one-game lead over the Utah Jazz for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.

Stephen Curry went 9-for-15 from 3-point range en route to 47 points and added nine assists for the Warriors, who had their lead over the Houston Rockets for sixth place in the West trimmed to a half-game. Klay Thompson added 25 points for Golden State, which attempted 16 free throws to Los Angeles’ 50.

Thompson drained a 3-pointer to give the Warriors a 116-115 lead with 1:23 left but was short on a jumper on the next possession, and Steve Blake’s free throws with 42 seconds left put the Lakers on top. Carl Landry missed a jumper with 2.9 seconds left and Howard split two free throws before Curry’s desperation heave from 75 feet rimmed out at the buzzer.

Curry went 9-for-13 from the field in the first quarter and scored 22 points in the period to help give the Warriors a 32-26 lead. The star guard slowed down a bit in the second quarter and ended up one point short of the NBA season-high for a half with 32 as Golden State and Los Angeles went into the break knotted at 57.

Thompson started to heat up in the third quarter and scored on three straight possessions sandwiched around two more jumpers from Curry to put the Warriors on top 71-66. Golden State led by as much as nine before settling for a 90-85 lead heading into the fourth.

The Lakers found their stroke from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter and Bryant capped a 9-0 run with a pair from beyond the arc to tie it at 107 with 3:45 left. Bryant tied it again with a pair of free throws but left for the locker room with 3:05 left.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Curry (261) is third all-time in made 3-pointers in a season. He needs to hit nine from beyond the arc in the last two games to surpass Ray Allen’s NBA record of 269. … The Warriors were without C Andrew Bogut (ankle), who did not make the trip to Los Angeles after suffering the injury on Thursday. … Gasol’s triple-double was the sixth of his career.