NEW ORLEANS -- This was Hollywood East, and with chants of "M-V-P" booming in his ears Thursday night from what should have been a hostile crowd, Kobe Bryant took center stage in one of the command performances of his 20-year NBA career.

Perhaps playing on the New Orleans stage for the last time, Bryant nailed three long-range jumpers in the final six minutes and scored 12 of the Lakers' final 14 points for a team-high 27 that powered the Los Angeles Lakers to a 99-96 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center.

"It makes me feel great," Bryant said of turning a Pelicans crowd into Kobe admirers. "It makes me feel like all the hard work I put in throughout the years has been worth it -- to see the reactions from the fans and the signs."

Bryant re-entered the game with the Lakers, who had led by 12 just a few minutes earlier, now clinging to an 85-79 lead. He immediately hit a 3-pointer from the right wing and came back on the Lakers' next possession to nail another long-range jumper from the left wing.

Each time his shot fell, the Pelicans' home crowd erupted in cheers.

"He's done it for the last 19 seasons," said New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry, who had warned his team of the home crowd turning if Bryant was allowed to get on a roll. "When that happens, the 'Kobe Factor' becomes a possibility, and that's exactly what happened."

The Lakers (11-41), who had lost 14 of their previous 16 games, hung on for the victory when guard Jrue Holiday's contested 3-pointer from the top of the key fell short of the rim at the buzzer. The Pelicans (18-31) lost their third consecutive game despite a game-high 39 points and 11 rebounds by forward Anthony Davis.

"Obviously it wasn't enough to get the job done tonight," Davis said. "(Kobe's) been doing it for 20 years. I don't know why people re surprised. He hit some big threes."

Lakers coach Byron Scott said he was almost flabbergasted by the way in which Bryant seems to have regained a bounce in his step after playing through shoulder and leg injuries. In a 119-115 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday night, Bryant scored a season-high 38 points, including 14 of the Lakers' final 18 points. In the last two wins, Bryant has made 11 of 22 long-range jumpers.

"Kobe's leading by example of how to kind of step on people's necks when we have the chance to," Scott said. "He's got a lot of pep in his step, for whatever reason.

"He did what Kobe Bryant does. He's used to being put in that situation. He loves that. Seeing him hit that big three and hit free throws down the stretch, that's what it's all about. The roll he's on right now is just good to watch."

The Lakers led 85-73 with 8:31 left, but New Orleans scored six straight and had a chance to cut the deficit to four, but Davis missed two free throws.

Bryant came immediately down court and nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing, drawing cheers from the road crowd and giving Los Angeles an 88-79 lead with 5:40 remaining.

Another key exchange happened two minutes later, when Davis missed a wide-open dunk, and the Lakers grabbed the long rebound for a layup on the other end by D'Angelo Russell for a 95-86 lead with 2:50 left.

Scott said during Bryant's retirement tour, he has seen road crowds show the superstar a lot of pent-up love, perhaps because they realize they will not see his like again.

"The places we've been, people have shown him a lot of love," Scott said. "There's a lot of respect for a man who has played this game for 20 years at a very high level. He's given a whole lot to the game of basketball. I think everybody who has watched him play -- love him or hate him -- they respect him and his work ethic, how he brings it to the game every single night."

Davis scored 17 of the Pelicans' first 19 points of the third quarter, but the Lakers still led 79-69 entering the fourth quarter. The Pelicans missed all seven 3-point attempts in the third quarter.

Bryant said he doesn't know where the fountain of youth has come from in the last week.

"I'm as puzzled about it as you are," Bryant said. "I just been working and trying to get my legs. It's hard -- 20 years and all these injuries. I just try to stay with it and work and run every day and lift and stretch. Right now it feels like I have some consistency to my legs."

NOTES: Kobe Bryant played his second-to-last game in New Orleans, eliciting memories of a 50-point performance in a regular-season game against the New Orleans Hornets in 2007. Bryant was the second player in NBA history to record four consecutive games of at least 50 points. Lakers coach Byron Scott was the New Orleans coach during the 50-point explosion. "I kept telling our guys, 'He's going to go off at some time in this game. Just make him make tough shots,'" Scott said. "It ended up working that night and we were able to get the win." ... New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry remembers an impossible jump shot Bryant drained against the Phoenix Suns in the sixth game of the Western Conference finals in 2010. "Grant Hill is defending him out by our basket and he jumps up and I say, 'Good defense,' and (Kobe) moves the jump shot to another angle and makes it and turns around and give me a nice little slap on the hip and says, 'Not good enough,'" Gentry said.