BOSTON (Reuters) – Kobe Bryant made amends for a poor  shooting game by sinking a spectacular game-winning jumper as  the Los Angeles Lakers edged the Boston Celtics 90-89 on  Sunday.

Bryant drilled a difficult 15-footer with 7.3 seconds left  despite the close attendance of Ray Allen, who then went on to  miss a three-point attempt as time expired to ensure the Lakers  (37-11) took a satisfying win over their long-time rivals.

“I was thinking about last year when I had a chance to win  a game in regulation but missed it. I wanted to make up for  that,” Bryant told reporters after L.A. beat Boston for the  third time in a row since losing to the Celtics in the 2008 NBA  Finals.

“The fans are very knowledgeable here and it’s always a  great place to get a win.”

Bryant finished with 19 points and six assists despite  8-for-20 shooting and Andrew Bynum added 19 and 11 boards as  Los Angeles captured its fourth straight win. In a marquee matchup between the last two NBA champions,  the Celtics recovered from an early deficit and looked poised  to prevail when they led by 11 with less than nine minutes  remaining.

DRY SPELL

However, the home team suffered a dry spell that allowed  the Lakers to inch closer and the visitors pulled within one on  Ron Artest’s drive with 45 seconds remaining. Artest then drew an offensive foul on Paul Pierce to set up  his team’s final possession.

Rajon Rondo led the way with 21 points and 12 assists for a  struggling Boston (29-16), who have suffered six defeats in  eight games.

Injuries and an aging roster have been of concern for the  Celtics, who have compiled a mediocre 13-8 home record this  season.

The Lakers took the life out of the TD Garden in the first  where Bynum had 12 points for the hot-shooting visitors, who  took a 30-19 advantage, before Rondo sparked a Boston  comeback.   The newly named All-Star point guard scored nine in the second  and the Celtics seized the momentum with a 30-10 turnaround to  grab a 49-40 advantage with 3:01 left before the half.

“We came back with some energy from our bench who gave us a  lift and we stuck with it and kept fighting,” Rondo said.

“No matter what are offense does we have to come down and  play defense.”