LOS ANGELES (AP) – In back-to-back games against Dallas and Denver last week, the Lakers took the most lopsided home loss since the franchise moved to Los Angeles – then lost by 27 points four nights later.

It only made Kobe Bryant more determined. And he’s been attacking the basket ever since.

Last season’s NBA scoring champ became the first Lakers player in 44 seasons to have consecutive 50-point games, following a 65-point effort with 50 in a 109-92 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night.

“I shook my head when I saw we were playing him after a 65,” Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman said. “He just makes shots that you can’t guard, whether you double him or not. He made some unbelievable shots tonight. The majority of them were contested – hard shots – but he made them. Hats off to him.”

Bryant had 65 points, the second-highest total of his career, in a 116-111 win against Portland on Friday night. He’ll be going for the hat trick of 50-point games on Thursday night at Memphis against a Grizzlies team he has averaged 23 points against in two meetings this season.

“I’m just being more aggressive at both ends of the floor,” he said. “At this point in the season, it’s important that I stress the sense of urgency that we have to have, and the type of emotion and energy that you have to play with.”

Bryant became the first Lakers player with consecutive games of 50 or more points since December 1962, when Elgin Baylor reached that figure in three straight contests.

Only two other players in the last 10 years have recorded back-to-back 50-point games. Antawn Jamison did it in December 2000 against Seattle and the Lakers (51-51), and Allen Iverson did it in December 2004 against Milwaukee and Utah (54-51).

Bryant has scored at least 50 points four times this season and has averaged 40 in his next game.

Previously, the most he scored immediately after a 50-point outing was 45 – which he did twice.

The fewest was 14, on a night when Shaquille O’Neal had 34 at Seattle.

Bryant followed up his career-high 81-point game against Toronto in January 2006 with 30 points five nights later against Golden State. When he got 62 against Dallas in December 2005, he scored 21 at Orlando three nights later.

The All-Star MVP, who was suspended one game for hitting Timberwolves guard Marko Jaric in the face with an open hand while taking a shot during a double-overtime loss at Minnesota on March 6, scored 14 in the first 8:12 of the game to help Los Angeles build a 17-point lead.

“We talked about going to Kobe early in games and not waiting,” coach Phil Jackson said. “He had been playing the team role, feeling the game out and waiting till the second half to get going. But there’s just not enough time right now in the season to develop that.”

Bryant credits the return of Lamar Odom and Luke Walton from injuries for making these last two scoring binges possible. Walton, sidelined for 11/2 months because of a sprained right ankle, made only his second start since Jan. 26 and had 10 points and 11 assists in 36 minutes. His steal of Trenton Hassell set up Bryant’s final points – a fast-break dunk with 10.5 seconds remaining.

“Luke and Lamar both make my life a lot easier when they’re out there because they’re so good at recognizing situations on the floor,” Bryant said. “They’re great passers, so teams can’t just front me or overplay me in certain areas. I think we as a team understand that in certain situations, they’ve got to bring it to me in the post or in the mid-post to allow me to facilitate or attack myself.”

Bryant has 17 career 50-point games, including Game 6 of the Lakers’ first-round playoff series last May against Phoenix. They lost that game 126-118 in overtime, but Los Angeles is 12-5 when he scores 50.

Ricky Davis scored 33 points for the Timberwolves, who have lost four of five after splitting consecutive double-overtime games against Boston and the Lakers. The loss put Minnesota 21/2 games behind Golden State for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.

Kevin Garnett added 26 points and 15 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who “held” Bryant to 40 points on March 6 in a double-overtime victory at Minnesota.

“When we played them the last time, Kobe obviously took the scoring load and was aggressive and took the bulk of the shots, but we were able to contain everybody else,” Garnett said. “They were a lot more active on the boards tonight and Kobe got into a flow really fast. We should have trapped him earlier.”

After shooting 23-for-39 from the field against Portland, Bryant was 17-for-35 against the Timberwolves while sending them to their 10th straight road loss. He helped secure the victory with a critical three-point play after Minnesota sliced a 19-point deficit to 95-92 on Davis’ 3-pointer from the left sideline with 2:55 remaining.

Notes: Smush Parker had 19 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for Los Angeles. … The longest road losing streak in Timberwolves history was 22 games during the 1989-90 season. They dropped 28 of their final 32 away from Target Center last season, 14 straight during one stretch.

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