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"Kobe Bryant is always looking for something to improve, something to fix, some way to gain an edge, part of what drives him to be, well, Kobe Bryant. But he seemed satisfied when asked whether there was anything the Lakers could be doing better these days. "Not really," he said. "We are doing well." The Lakers (16-3) have won nine consecutive games, eight with Pau Gasol back in the lineup, and their only close call came against Miami, when Bryant's 27-foot three-point basket at the buzzer prevented a loss. Coach Phil Jackson gave the starters and Lamar Odom a day off after the Lakers throttled the Phoenix Suns on Sunday for the second time in a month. Their reserves were required to report to the team training facility and do some light work Monday, but the only thing staring uncomfortably at the Lakers is the end of the home-friendly part of their schedule. They have two more games at Staples Center before hitting the road, finally, for five games. Beyond that, there's really no reason to complain. Victories against Utah on Wednesday and Minnesota on Friday would give them their longest winning streak since they won 11 in a row toward the end of the 2003-04 season. "We've got the best record in the league and we want to keep it that way," Gasol said. "It's just the first quarter of the regular season. We've still got a long ways to go. We understand that we've had a lot of home games this first part of the season and that it's going to get complicated and a lot harder. So we have to be ready for it." Seventeen of the Lakers' first 21 games will have been at Staples Center before they play Saturday at Utah. They will then fly home for two days before heading back out for a four-game trip to Chicago, Milwaukee, New Jersey and Detroit."