LOS ANGELES -- Joakim Noah played the final 6:53 with five fouls. Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau didnt want to take him out with the Bulls double-digit lead slipping away, and thats just the way the All-Star centre wanted it. Noah finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and the Bulls held off the stubborn Los Angeles Lakers 92-86 on Sunday after nearly blowing a 19-point advantage. After picking up his last foul, Noah made a key block against 7-footer Chris Kaman and got a dunk at the other end -- all in a 16-second span. "It was too tight. Either we were going to win it with him, or that was going to be it," Thibodeau said. "At that point, I didnt think we could afford two or three minutes (with Noah on the bench), so we rolled the dice and were fortunate. Were a little short-handed right now -- and the way they spread you out on the perimeter, you need guys that can cover ground." Kirk Hinrich had 19 points and Taj Gibson added 18 for the Bulls, who never trailed against an injury-ravaged Lakers squad missing Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Jordan Farmar, Nick Young, Jodie Meeks and Xavier Henry. Gasol, who had a season-high 19 rebounds the previous time the teams met, missed his fourth straight game because of a groin strain. Kaman scored a season-high 27 points off the bench for the Lakers, who won their previous two games following a 3-19 slide that buried them in the race for a Western Conference playoff spot. The 11-year veterans point total was two off his career high, which came on Feb. 13, 2012, when he was playing for New Orleans against Dallas. "Hes been in the league for a long time, and hes one of the most skilled big men Ive ever seen ever since I was in high school," Gibson said. "He has both left and right-hand hooks, a mid-range game -- and once hes in a rhythm like he was today, its really hard to stop him." Point guard Steve Nash, playing his third game after missing 39 because of a nerve problem in his back, had eight points in 21-plus minutes before departing with 5 minutes left in the third quarter because of irritation in his left leg. The 18-year veteran and two-time MVP, who celebrated his 40th birthday Friday with a team-high 19 points in a victory at Philadelphia, was hit on the same leg he fractured last season. "It was just getting worse lately," Nash said. "But I wanted to play, especially when we are losing. You want to try to fight through it. Ive been through that before and I know where it goes, so I didnt want to risk it. I think it was the smartest decision to come out." Gibson, whose buzzer-beating layup in overtime gave the Bulls a 102-100 victory over the Lakers on Jan. 20 at Chicago, led the Bulls to a 52-46 halftime lead with 16 points. He made his seventh start of the season as Carlos Boozer missed his second straight game with a left calf strain. The Bulls, who finished their trip 3-3, opened with a 10-0 run while the Lakers missed their first six shots -- including an airball by Wesley Johnson on a 3-point try from 27 feet. Chicagos starters outscored Los Angeles starters 73-24. "We wanted to throw the first punch," Noah said. "We started off the game just going to Taj and he set the tone for us in the post." Gibsons reverse layup increased the Bulls margin to 15 before Los Angeles scored the next 12 points to slice the deficit to 42-39 with 5:55 left in the second quarter. But Chicago built its lead back up to 72-53, its biggest of the game, with a 15-5 run capped by Hinrichs 3-pointer with 3 1/2 minutes left in the third. Down by 13 with 6:37 to play, the Lakers narrowed the gap to 88-84 after Steve Blake stole the ball from Hinrich and Kaman fed Johnson for a slam dunk that capped a 13-4 run with 48.3 seconds left. But D.J. Augustin, who had 15 points off the bench, sank four free throws in the final 21 seconds to help seal the victory. The Bulls are 15-5 in games theyve led by at least 15 points. Thursday night, they blew a 16-point lead at Golden State and lost 102-87. "It was very important to close this one out, being the last game of the trip," Hinrich said. "Thats something we have to work on -- keeping our foot on the gas pedal and not relaxing. We didnt do that today, but well definitely take the win." Chicago is 19-20 since star-crossed All-Star Derrick Rose went down with his second major knee injury in three seasons. "The whole time Ive been here weve had some real tough injuries and weve always been at the egde, but we always crawl and fight our way back. Thats our mindset," Gibson said. "Weve got young guys, new guys, and they believe in the same thing. We believe weve got a shot at the playoffs. We believe in each other. And that shows by the way we play." NOTES: The Bulls starters outscored the Lakers starters 73-24. ... The Lakers have used 25 different starting lineups and the Bulls have used 18. ... The Lakers ended the first half with a stellar passing play started by Blake, in which four different players touched the ball on the fast break and Jordan Hill was left standing all alone under the basket for a layup with 0.06 seconds on the clock. Gene Autry Angels Jersey . -- The Sacramento Kings have claimed forward Travis Outlaw off waivers under the NBAs new amnesty provision, filling out the frontcourt with another veteran. Luis Garcia Angels Jersey . After not scoring 40 points in the opening quarter in the last five seasons, the Rockets have done it five times this season and twice in the last three games. https://www.cheapangels.com/1273j-kaleb-cowart-jersey-angels.html .com) - Kam Chancellor bobbed his head in celebration as he crossed the goal line on his game-clinching 90-yard interception return. Dean Chance Angels Jersey . Defenceman Tessa Bonhomme was among three players released from the team Tuesday morning along with defenceman Brigette Lacquette of Waterhen, Man. Nick Adenhart Jersey . The biggest shock of this seasons competition was on when Watford took a 2-0 lead after 30 minutes at Etihad Stadium, only for a remarkable Aguero-led comeback by City in the final half-hour. The Argentina striker produced clinical finishes in the 60th and 79th minutes to level the score before Aleksandar Kolarov put City in front in the 87th.TORONTO - First things first: Episode 3 of The Baseball Podcast is up for your listening pleasure. Toronto Star baseball columnist and TSN contributor Richard Griffin joins me for a half-hour of talk on manager John Gibbons strategy when it comes to his starting pitching and struggling bullpen, whether Brett Lawrie will see increased action at second base and Jose Bautistas great start to the season. Give it a listen here. GIBBONS LIKES HIS OFFENCE The Blue Jays entered Thursdays action with 166 runs scored in 34 games. Thats an average of almost 4.9 runs per game, good for fourth in the majors. Manager John Gibbons is in his seventh season, over two tenures skipping the Blue Jays. He believes this is the strongest offence hes had. "I would think this is probably the top," said Gibbons. "My last go around here we were really strong in the pitching department. We had some good offences but I dont think it equaled what we have here now. You need that in the American League. You need to be able to slug it out." Toronto boasts the league leader in on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) and walks. Hes Jose Bautista. Bautista and Colby Rasmus, with nine home runs each, are amongst the league leaders. Melky Cabreras 48 hits are the most in the sport this season. As a team, the Blue Jays rank second in home runs (44); second in slugging percentage (.432) and third in on-base plus slugging percentage (.761). ENCARNACION DISCUSSES FRANCISCO General manager Alex Anthopoulos has credited Edwin Encarnacion with helping to lure Juan Francisco to the Blue Jays. "Ive known Juan from a long time ago, he was playing with me in Cincinnati," said Encarnacion. "When he was young, I was older in here and hes one of my best friends. He had a couple of more (options) to go so I called him and asked him to come here because they can give him the opportunity to play here at this level.dddddddddddd" Francisco, 26, hit 18 home runs last season while playing with the Braves and Brewers but was cut by Milwaukee late in spring training. He signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays on April 2 and began the year at Triple-A Buffalo. His contract was selected on April 20 to replace Adam Lind, who went on the disabled list with a back injury. Aside from the opportunity the Blue Jays could afford him, Encarnacion was pressed Francisco to come to Toronto out of fear he would sign with another American League East team. The division, specifically the ballparks in the division, are friendly to power-hitting left-handed bats. "Thats why I dont want him to go to another team, like Tampa or another team," said Encarnacion. SANTOS STARTING FROM SCRATCH Sergio Santos pitched a scoreless eighth inning in Wednesdays 10-0 win over the Phillies. Thanks to the big lead it was a pressure-free inning. After two-straight outings featuring blown saves and three on the season, Santos is in the process of rebuilding his confidence. "It was nice to execute on the things that I wanted to do as far as locating my fastball, moving it in and out," said Santos. "It was nice. Its a nice first step, hopefully in the right direction." His stuff is good. Santos has struck out 18 hitters in 10 1/3 innings. The problem is hes walked nine and of the 12 hits hes allowed, three have been home runs. Santos expects more of himself. "Hopefully I can build off what happened (Wednesday) night and never look back again," he said. LAWRIE UPDATE Brett Lawrie took part in batting practice and fielded ground balls before Thursdays game. He left the fourth inning of Monday nights game in Philadelphia with lingering tightness in his right hamstring. Fridays game against the Angels may be more hopeful than reality. Lawries more likely to return on the weekend. ' ' '