NEW YORK - Kobe Bryant had the third-highest scoring game of his career dropping 58 points but the Los Angeles Lakers still came up short against the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday, losing 133-124 in triple overtime.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (L) is fouled by Charlotte Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace during first quarter of their NBA basketball game in Charlotte December 29, 2006. [Reuters]

Bryant's tally comes behind only his magical 81-point night against the Toronto Raptors last January and a 62-point performance against the Dallas Mavericks last December.

The Bobcats replied with 20-point plus efforts from four players, led by 28 from Gerald Wallace and a career-high 27 from Matt Carroll.

Emeka Okafor helped out with 22 and a career high 25 rebounds, while Raymond Felton also had 22 points to go with 15 assists to give the Bobcats victory in the first triple-overtime game in franchise history.

Bryant shot 22-of-45 from the field and was 10-of-12 from the free throw line but missed on game-winning jump shots in the final seconds of regulation. He also committed a costly foul on Derek Anderson late in the third overtime.

Anderson hit all three of his foul shots allowing the Bobcats to open up a five-point cushion with just over a minute to play.

*With the injured Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal watching from the bench, the New Jersey Nets rolled to a 91-81 win over the Heat in Miami.

*LeBron James, who will celebrate his 22nd birthday on Saturday, poured in 32 points and Donyell Marshall added a season best 29 as the Cavaliers powered to a 109-99 win over Milwaukee.

*Darrell Armstrong's only point of the game was a big one, dropping a foul shot with less than a second to play to lift the Indiana Pacers to a 93-92 win over the Detroit Pistons.