AP Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP)—The Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat both traded Shaquille O’Neal after winning NBA titles with the “Big Aristotle.”

The Lakers have rebuilt themselves into a championship-caliber team, while the Heat are faced with a long climb from the bottom of the standings.

Jordan Farmar scored a career-high 24 points, Kobe Bryant added 21 and the Lakers extended their winning streak to a season-best 10 games Thursday night with a 106-88 victory over Miami.

“Four years ago they made a massive change in personality and dimension when they traded Shaquille,” Heat coach Pat Riley said. “They took in a lot of young guys and they didn’t make the playoffs the first year. The next two years they were good and they lost in the first round to Phoenix—and now they’re here.”

The Lakers (41-17) maintained their one-game lead over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs for best record in the Western Conference, and lead Phoenix and New Orleans by two. Just 6 1/2 games separate the top nine teams in the West.

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