Dwight Howard slams two of his 23 against Brooklyn.

667
The winning percentage of the Nets after the Lakers victory over them on Tuesday. It marks the first time the Lakers have beaten a team over .500 this season.

90
The amount of points the Lakers allowed on Tuesday night. They are now 4-1 when the opposition scores 90 points or less. Their only loss was the 84-82 defeat to San Antonio last Tuesday.

85
The amount of points the Lakers starters scored on Tuesday, led by Kobe Bryant’s 25 on 15 shots. Other than Darius Morris, the other four starters scored at least 17 points.

59.5
The percentage of shots the Nets missed on Tuesday…meaning of course they shot 41.5% from the floor, hitting 34 of 82 shots. Only one player who took more than three shots hit 50% of them…Brook Lopez at 11-18.

51
The percentage of free throws the Lakers hit on Tuesday, going 19-37. Yes a lot of that was Dwight Howard who shot a miserable 7-19 (36.8%), with a bunch of them in the 4th quarter as Brooklyn began to purposely foul him. Despite that, the Lakers still hunkered down and won the game.

33
The number of points the Nets scored in the second half. This marked the first time all season the Lakers have won a game they trailed at the half. Brooklyn led 57-56 at the break.

27
The number of points the teams’ two benches scored. Neither was very effective…the Nets had 17 from the reserves, and the Lakers just 10.

23
The number of assists the Lakers had on their 35 baskets. They only turned the ball over 11 times, and with that came a very solid assist/turnover ratio of 2.09. Ball movement wasn’t as crisp as it has been, but Brooklyn is a very good defensive team also.

15
The number of rebounds Dwight Howard grabbed on Tuesday. He’s now pulled down 73 boards in his last five games (14.6 rpg), and has seven double-doubles on the season…including five in a row.

3
The number of field goals the Lakers made in the 4th quarter against the Nets…and yet they won the game! Metta World Peace hit a three, Dwight Howard had a dunk, and Kobe had a baseline runner in the final two minutes. Other than that, it was all free throws…and lots of missed ones too. But it didn’t matter, they got the win.

See you after tomorrow’s game in Sactown.

Kobe throws in two points on his way to a triple-double.

15,005
The number of points Pau Gasol has scored in the NBA, as he passed the 15,000 point mark on Sunday, making him the 10th foreign-born player to do so. He has scored 6,039 of those points with the Lakers.

116.5
The number of points the Lakers are averaging their last two games after having their first practice with Mike D’Antoni on Thursday.

94
The number of points the Lakers starters scored on Sunday, with all five in double-figures, led by Dwight Howard’s 28 to go along with 13 rebounds and three blocks.

80
Bernie Bickerstaff’s winning percentage as head coach, as he has gone 4-1 since Mike Brown’s dismissal. If Mike D’Antoni sits on the the bench Tuesday, Bernie will go down with the best winning-percentage in Laker coaching history. And if not for the the last 60 seconds against San Antonio he’d be a perfect 5-0.

68
The Lakers first half scoring output, their best of the season. Seems as if the Mike D’Antoni system is really paying dividends on the offense the last two games.

58
The number of rebounds Dwight Howard has pulled down the last four games, 14.5 per night. In the previous four, he’d only grabbed 32, including a season-low of seven against Detroit.

54
The Lakers’ shooting percentage on Sunday, as they blistered the nets all night long. Every Laker starter shot better than 50% from the field, except for Kobe…and guess what he shot…yeah only 50% at 9-18. It was that kind of night.

18
The number of triple-doubles Kobe Bryant has accomplished in his career, and his first since 2010. His line for the night…22 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists…and throw in three steals for good measure.

15
The number of fouls the Lakers committed on Sunday, as they continue to play solid defense without fouling. And eight of their 15 fouls came from two players on Sunday, Kobe and Metta World Peace who each had four.

13
For the second straight game, the Lakers won the turnover battle and committed just 13, with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.08. Great ball movement all night and lots of guys knocking down open shots.

See you after Brooklyn, on Tuesday.

Kobe Bryant fights to get shot up against Phoenix.

131
The number of times the Lakers have beaten the Phoenix Suns all-time in the regular season. The two teams have played each other 222 times counting Friday. The Lakers have a +.500 regular season winning percentage against every team in the NBA except for the Boston Celtics and amazingly…the Charlotte Bobcats.

114
The amount of points the Lakers scored Friday, their most this season. And they did it while playing a much more up tempo offense which is the hallmark of a Mike D’Antoni-coached team.

92
Kobe Bryant’s free throw percentage through the first nine games. After hitting 10-11 on Friday, he’s now made 56 of his first 61 to start the season. Oh by the way, he’s also shooting 53.1% from the field.

52
The amount of points Metta World Peace has scored in his last three games, including 22 against Phoenix on Friday. He’s also made 11 of his last 26 three-pointers, as his shooting is definitely improving. Good to see.

48
The number of rebounds the Lakers grabbed on Friday, as they continue to dominate their opponents in that category this year. They’re averaging over 47 rebounds a night, nearly 15 at the offensive end. They had 17 offensive boards Friday.

25
Number of assists the Lakers had on Friday, which certainly is a big part of the reason they scored 114 points. Kobe and Darius Morris had 6 apiece to lead the team.

12
The number of turnovers the Lakers had Friday, which was a season-low. Think about the fact that they were playing a more up tempo style, but actually turned the ball over less. That’s a good sign right there.

7
The amount of foul shots Phoenix made on Friday. They actually only attempted 15, which isn’t surprising considering they don’t have a lot of guys that drive to the basket, and they do rely on the outside shot so much. But still interesting. Kobe by himself made 10.

That’s all for tonight, see you Sunday.

Dwight Howard dunks amongst three Spurs on Tuesday.

503
The Lakers regular season winning percentage against the Spurs after Tuesday night’s loss. They’re now 74-73 all-time against San Antonio, but 34-18 against them in the playoffs.

98
The number of missed shots the two teams had combined Tuesday, in what was a very ugly offensive game. The Lakers shot just 41.9% from the field and the Spurs an even worse 38.9%.

69
The Lakers free throw percentage as a team after eight games…not good. They were awful on Tuesday again, hitting just 14-22 (63.6%). Those things matter in close games.

55
Kobe Bryant’s field goal percentage this season after eight games. He hit 12-19 shots on Tuesday against the Spurs for 28 points. He’s also hitting 92% of his foul shots and 44.1% from the three-point line. Basically he’s on fire.

33
The age Metta World Peace turned today. He scored 12 points on his birthday, but missed a wide-open three near the end of the game that would have sealed the win for the Lakers.

33
The amount of rebounds Dwight Howard has grabbed combined the last two games. He had 18 against Sacramento on Sunday and 15 more on Tuesday against San Antonio.

18
The amount of points the Lakers bench scored Tuesday. Nobody shot a particularly horrible percentage, they just didn’t get up a lot of shots. Jordan Hill looked good again with eight points and six rebounds, and lots of great hustle.

8
The number of turnovers the Spurs committed Tuesday. Want to know how to stay in a game you’re shooting under 40% in? Well here’s one way, don’t turn the ball over. Conversely the Lakers turned it over 17 more times Tuesday.

Looking for a bounce-back on Friday against Phoenix, see you then.

Dwight Howard grabs a rebound against Kings.

18,997
The number of free tacos Jack in the Box will have to give out after the Lakers held yet another opponent under 100 points on Sunday in the win.

143
The number of rebounds Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard have grabbed combined this season. Just looked like a nice number to mention. That is of course over 10 per game, and is sure to improve as Howard gets his legs back. He had his Laker career-high with 18 boards Sunday.

102
To keep in the rebounding mode, the number offensive rebounds the Lakers have grabbed this year through the first seven games. That’s nearly 15 a night…impressive. Jordan Hill grabs 3.5 off the bench alone.

79
The combined number of points the Lakers starting five scored minus Steve Blake scored. Even more impressive was they shot 27-54 (50%) from the floor as well. Dwight Howard led all scorers with 23 points, to go along with his 18 rebounds and three blocks.

60
The percentage of shots the Kings missed on Sunday, hitting only 36-90 from the floor, including a miserable 1-10 from Marcus Thornton. Laker opponents are shooting just 42.4% from the field for the season.

34
The number of minutes it took Jason Thompson to foul out against Dwight Howard. I know that’s a lot minutes, but so what, it’s a fun stat to mention.

22
In one of the poorer stats of the night, the amount of points the Lakers bench scored. They struggled again except for Jordan Hill and Darius Morris, who continue to lead the reserves with solid play. Antawn Jamison had another tough night…no points and only two shot attempts.

11
The number of minutes it took the Kings’ Jimmer Fredette to score 18 points…wow! He went 7-9 from the floor, 3-5 from beyond the arc, and 1-1 from the line. Pretty impressive stat line.

2
The Lakers current winning streak. Hey it’s better than a two-game losing streak.

More numbers after San Antonio on Tuesday!

Kobe Bryant takes shot against Warriors.

The By The Numbers recap for the Lakers’ 101-77 win over the Golden St. Warriors at Staples Center on Friday night. The Lakers are now 2-4, and next play home to Sacramento on Sunday night.

100
Bernie Bickerstaff’s winning percentage as Laker coach after Friday’s game, good for the best winning percentage in Laker coaching history! Yes we know it’s only one game, we’re only joking.

90
The amount of shots the Lakers took on Friday night, a season high. They only hit 40% of them, but were much more aggressive offensively and had far better spacing at that end of the floor than the first five games. Seems just Mike Brown leaving already led to some better offensive flow.

58
The amount of rebounds the Lakers pulled down Friday. They have now outrebounded every opponent this season by an average of 47-37. Pau Gasol led everyone in the game with 16 boards, four at the offensive end.

54
The amount of points the Lakers scored in the second half Friday, their best second half output this season. They also held the Warriors to under 40 points in both halves.

37
The total points the Lakers’ bench players scored against Golden St., which marked a season-high. Two players scored in double figures…Jordan Hill had 14 and Darius Morris continues to play well off the bench, he scored 10. Hill was also a perfect 5-5 from the field. Golden St.’s bench scored just 23 points and shot a horrid 9-33 (27.3%) from the floor.

34
The Warriors’ field goal percentage on Friday, as the Lakers defense continues to hold teams to dismal shooting from the floor. Golden St. made just 29 of their 86 shots, and were held under 20 points in two of the four quarters.

19
The amount of turnovers Golden St. committed Friday. Finally someone turned the ball over more than the Lakers, who still had 16 miscues themselves.

5
The number of Lakers in double-figures, let by Kobe Bryant’s 27 points on 10-18 shooting from the field and 5-6 from the line. Kobe is averaging 27.2 points, on 56% shooting from the floor, and 91% from the line through the first six games. Not bad for #24 at 34.

Lakers look for two straight on Sunday against Sacramento at Staples Center. See you after the game!

Kobe Bryant looks to shoot against Jazz.

The By The Numbers recap for the Lakers 95-86 loss to the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City. The Lakers are now 1-4, and next play home to Golden St. on Friday night.

93
The amount of turnovers the Lakers have committed during the first five games of the season. What’s really sad is they have more turnovers than bench points. Wednesday was the perfect example of this…19 turnovers and 12 bench points. It’s getting to be a scary trend.

89
The percentage of free throws the Jazz made Wednesday. While they only shot 18, they did make 16, including several down the stretch when the Lakers tried to make a game of it…or more correctly, Kobe tried to make a game of it.

49
The number of shots the Lakers missed on Wednesday from the field, for a miserable season-low 33.8% (25-74). Only one player who took more than two shots hit 50% of them…Dwight Howard…going 7-11.

46
One of the more-positive numbers of the night…the number foul shots the Lakers attempted, as they continue to get to the line a lot, courtesy of everyone fouling Dwight Howard. Kobe Bryant hit 15-17 and has made 33-36 (91.7%) to start the season. The negative on Wednesday? They only hit 32 of the 46 attempts.

24
The point differential between the Jazz bench and the Laker bench Wednesday…36-12 was the final tally. No Laker reserve hit more than one basket, although Jordan Hill did have 12 rebounds. Yay for hustle!

17
The percentage the Lakers shot from the three-point line on Wednesday, going an abysmal 4-23. Before Wednesday, the Lakers actually were shooting a very solid 40.6% from beyond the arc. Steve Blake, Kobe Bryant, and Metta World Peace combined to shoot 4-18 from distance though in Utah.

11
The total team assists for the Lakers. Other than Kobe Bryant, no player had more than two, as the team looked completely out of synch offensively all night, and struggled with any consistent ball movement. The game became “stand around and watch Kobe,” which is a terrible habit the team has always had when they find themselves down.

5
The amount of baskets the entire Lakers’ bench made in Utah. Nothing more needs to be said about that. Oh, keep in mind Randy Foye off the Jazz bench had five three-point baskets himself.

Here’s to better luck at home at Staples Center on Friday against Golden St., where the Lakers play their next six games.

Dwight Howard gets fouled going to the basket.

The By The Numbers recap for the Lakers 108-79 win over the Detroit Pistons at Staples Center on Sunday. The Lakers are now 1-3, and play next at Utah on Wednesday night.

108
The amount of points the Lakers scored on Sunday night, their best offensive output of the season thus far. They also shot 51.9% from the floor and are shooting 50.3% through the first four games.

81
The amount of points the Lakers starters scored against the Pistons, with four of the five in double-figures, led by Dwight Howard’s 28 points on 12-14 from the field.

46
The percentage of threes the Lakers made Sunday, hitting 10-22 from beyond the arc. So far this season, the Lakers shooting from the 3-point line has been impressive at 40.6%, with Steve Blake leading the way hitting 5-8 for 62.5%.

35
The percentage that Detroit hit from the floor, making just 28-79 shots. Think about this…Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, and Metta World Peace made 25 baskets by themselves.

32
The amount of minutes Kobe Bryant played Sunday, which makes all Laker fans happy. Kobe played 43 minutes Friday against the Clippers, and with a strained foot he doesn’t need to be logging so many minutes this early in the season. He got much needed time off against Detroit, only needing to take 10 shots as well.

28
The Lakers led at halftime on Sunday 62-34, which was easily their best performance in any half this season. They didn’t let up much in the second half, as they increased the lead to 36 at one point, before winning by 29.

15
The amount of turnovers committed by the Lakers Sunday. Might not seem like a big deal, but when a team commits 59 turnovers in their first three games, 15 sounds a lot better. Also keep in mind, many of those 15 came in garbage time with the game out of hand. The Lakers did protect the ball relatively well all night.

1
The Lakers’ current winning streak. Hey, have to start somewhere!

See you guys Wednesday after the Utah game.

Kobe battles through double-team against Clippers.

The By The Numbers recap for the Lakers 105-95 loss to the Clippers at Staples Center on Friday. The Lakers are now 0-3, and next play home to Detroit on Sunday.

1,725
The amount of steals Kobe Bryant has in his Lakers career, after picking one up against the Clippers.  He passed Magic Johnson for first all-time in Lakers’ history.

107
The number of points Lakers’ opponents are averaging through the first three games of the season.

59
The number of turnovers the Lakers have committed in the first three games this season, including 45 combined in the last two against Portland and the Clippers.

48
The number of points the Lakers’ bench has scored in the first three games of the season. No player has yet to score in double-figures off the bench either.

40
The number of points Kobe Bryant scored on Friday, on a brilliant 14-23 from the field and 10-10 from the foul line. Problem was he got little help, as three Laker starters had at least five fouls, including Dwight Howard. Kobe is shooting an amazing 61.4% from the field, and 94.1% from the line through the first three games.

34
The number of years since the Lakers last started a season 0-3. You want to know how that season ended? Here’s a hint, not with a championship. Magic Johnson was drafted #1 by the Lakers the next season, and the rest is history.

20
The number of points Steve Nash and Antawn Jamison have scored combined this season. Granted Nash didn’t play on Friday night, but it is highly unlikely that anyone saw those numbers coming.

11
The number of assists that leads the Lakers. While that number certainly isn’t impressive to begin with, what’s really disturbing is that Steve Nash isn’t the guy that has them. Both Pau Gasol and Steve Blake lead the team with those 11 assists. Nash has just eight so far this season in his two games.

Let’s hope next game’s numbers are a lot more fun to talk about, besides Kobe’s record steal of course.