One didn't need to see Joakim Noah's halftime exchange with Denzel Washington and Rahm and Ari Emanuel to know the starpower that Staples Center typically houses.

There's always plenty of it on the court, too, and despite Derrick Rose taking another step in writing his legend, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers prevailed 98-91 on Tuesday night.

Rose finished with 30 points, eight assists and countless oohs and aahs solicited from the star-studded crowd.

Facing constant double-teams down the stretch, Bryant settled for 20 points and five assists, with Shannon Brown and Lamar Odom leading the Lakers with 21 points apiece.

The Bulls led 81-79 when Joakim Noah dropped in a jumper with 8 minutes, 48 seconds remaining. That's when the Lakers flooded the floor with shooters in a small lineup and ripped off a 17-2 run.

And even though Bryant only scored two points in the spurt, the Bulls' aggressive double-teaming of him led to open 3-point looks for others.

First, Brown buried one. Then, in rapid succession came 3-pointers from Steve Blake, Matt Barnes and Blake again.

"It's the same (defensive) system, the same thing I saw in Houston and Boston (from coach Tom Thibodeau)," Bryant said. "I think the rule is anybody but. That's his defensive philosophy."

At the other end, the Bulls couldn't buy a basket, shooting 5-for-16 in the fourth and missing all five 3-point attempts. Overall, the Lakers went 10 for 25 from downtown while the Bulls missed 16 of 20 from beyond the arc.

"They put a lo of pressure on us, made the right plays and shot the 3 extremely well," Thibodeau said. "We were closing short. They went small and when you put two on the ball, you have to close out hard, cover that line and challenge those shots. They got uncontested looks."

Kyle Korver missed all four 3-point attempts and five of six shots overall.

"I wish I had the looks I had towards the end before I had the quick looks," Korver said. "I just never got in a rhythm. The first couple shots were tough shots, the shot clock going down. I had some shots you normally don't want to shoot. I shot some off-balance. Just one of those nights."

Meanwhile, Brown was having one of those nights in a positive way.

The Proviso East alum, whom the Bulls didn't pursue in free agency, sank his first four 3-pointers en route to 18 first-half points.

"Shannon Brown has really elevated his game," Noah said. "He's playing at a really high level for them. You have to give credit."

Asked if the Bulls had contact with him during free agency, Brown smiled.

"I don't remember," he said.

Asked if he was surprised that the Bulls didn't pursue him hard, Brown smiled again.

"Nothing surprises me anymore about the business of the NBA," he said.

Asked if he would've considered the Bulls had they pursued him, Brown grew reflective.

"I don't know," he said. "I'm a Laker right now and trying to win that third championship. That's really what's on my mind and trying to get better every day."

The Lakers appeared to break the game open by scoring the third quarter's first eight points to open a 10-point lead. That's when Rose took over.

Despite near constant double- and occasional triple-teaming, Rose kept penetrating seemingly at will, scoring 11 points in the quarter on a dizzying array of drives and contortions.

But Luol Deng, who had 11 of his 13 points in the first quarter, picked up his fourth foul and became a non-factor down the stretch, going scoreless in the fourth.

Noah had a monster game with 19 points, 13 rebounds, four steals, three blocks and disruptive defense on Pau Gasol.

"He won the game," Noah said. "That's the only thing that matters. We played very hard. But that's a very good team.

"These games are good for us. It tells us where we are exactly and if you can compete against them. We feel we can compete against anybody."

The Bulls won the hustle areas, badly outrebounding the Lakers and enjoying a 26-15 advantage in second-chance points.

This was in large part to Noah and Taj Gibson, who thought a pinched nerve in his right foot would sideline him as recently as late Monday night.

But there's a reason Gibson, who finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, has appeared in all 94 games since entering the NBA as an unheralded first-round pick.

He plays through pain.

Gibson skipped Sunday and Monday practices with soreness but underwent extensive treatment late Monday and early Tuesday and that his pain dropped considerably overnight Monday.

"I'm feeling a lot better," Gibson said before Tuesday's morning shootaround. "I'm just happy there weren't any tears. When the doctors were looking at the (MRI) film, their faces were all screwed up so I was a little scared. But there's just a little aggravation that will go away."

Afterward, Gibson vowed to keep playing through the pain. The Bulls continue a four-games-in-five-nights stretch on Wednesday in Phoenix.

"The great thing about this team is everybody wants to improve and beat the elite teams," Noah said. "We're not there yet. But we're pretty close. And we'll see (the Lakers) again in two weeks."

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