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Lakers Muscle Up and Take Down Knicks
01.10.11
Andrew Bynum rises up for dunk against Knicks.
The Lakers got tough on Sunday night, and played a very physical brand of basketball against the upstart New York Knicks, winning going away 109-87 at Staples Center.
Kobe Bryant scored 27 points to go along with 10 rebounds, as the Lakers held the high-scoring Knicks to just 87 points on 36.0% shooting from the floor.
The Lakers big front line pushed the Knicks around all game long, and dominated on the boards 61-42, including 17 offensive rebounds. The game also had its share of chippiness, as the Lakers were assessed four technical fouls and a flagrant foul.
Andrew Bynum scored 18 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in a strong effort against Amare Stoudemire, but was ejected from the game in the fourth quarter with two technical fouls for arguing a call against him. It was a game loaded with emotion and hard fouls.
Ron Artest was hit with a technical early in the first quarter as it appeared he put his hands near the throat of the Knicks’ Shawne Williams. He then picked up a flagrant foul for dropping Stoudemire with a clothesline on his way to the basket in the third quarter. Bryant and Stoudemire also got into a heated argument moments later.
The Lakers led virtually the entire game, although the Knicks kept it close early, thanks to a lot of early Laker turnovers. A late second quarter push gave the champs a 52-47 lead at halftime.
After the break, the game got rougher, and the Knicks simply could not make shots. The Lakers led by double-figures for most of the second half. The Knicks got to within seven early in the fourth quarter on a three-point play by Stoudmire, but could get no closer, as the Lakers won going away by 22.
Pau Gasol also had a dominant game up front, scoring 20 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and blocking four shots. Shannon Brown had 16 off the bench, and Lamar Odom scored 13 points and a pulled down a season-high 18 rebounds.
For the game, the Lakers didn’t shoot particularly well themselves at only 41.8% (38-91), although they did hit 8-17 from the three-point line, and turned the ball over only 13 times. After a sloppy start where they turned the ball over five times in the first five minutes, they committed just eight the remainder of the game. Taking care of the ball didn’t allow the Knicks to get into the transition game they desperately needed to in order to beat the bigger Laker squad.
The Knicks were led by Amar’e Stoudemire’s 23 points, 10 rebounds, and six blocked shots. Stoudemire shot just 7-24 from the floor, and didn’t hit his first basket until the middle of the second quarter. In fact he scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half, but many were after the game was out of reach.
The Lakers played their first game without backup forward Matt Barnes, who is scheduled to have surgery this week to repair a torn meniscus he suffered on Friday against New Orleans. The Lakers won’t have a timetable for his return after the surgery.
The Lakers have now won four straight, six out of seven, and haven’t lost to the Knicks since February of 2007.
Los Angeles’ next game is Tuesday night at home against the woefully bad Cleveland Cavaliers, who have certainly suffered without LeBron James. They’ve currently lost 10 in a row after their setback on Sunday in Phoenix, and are sitting with NBA’s worst record at 8-29.
Kobe Moves Up Scoring List, Lakers Beat Hornets
01.08.11
Kobe Bryant takes shot against Hornets.
Kobe Bryant moved up to 9th place on the NBA’s scoring list, passing Oscar Robertson, as the Lakers made enough plays down the stretch to hold off the New Orleans Hornets 101-97 on Friday at Staples Center.
Bryant scored a game-high 25 points, putting him at 26,720 for his career. He surpassed the Big O’s mark of 27,210 with a short jumper inside the paint with just over one minute left in third quarter. He already passed Dominique Wilkins to put himself inside the top 10 earlier in the week against the Detroit Pistons.
The game was close all night, as the Lakers had a 10-point lead momentarily in the fourth quarter, but never had a double-digit otherwise. They led at halftime 51-46, but the Hornets came out strong defensively early in the third quarter, and took a brief 62-61 lead with about four minutes left in the period.
The Lakers responded and got the lead back up to seven at 80-73 to start the fourth quarter. After Lamar Odom hit a three-pointer to make it 87-77 with just under eight minutes left, the Hornets responded with six straight points, but could never get closer than three. Bryant then hit two baskets in the final two minutes, and the Lakers were able to make enough free throws down the stretch for the win.
Pau Gasol rebounded from a sub-par game in Phoenix on Wednesday, to score 21 points, grab 13 rebounds, and dish out seven assists, hitting 6-8 from the floor. Lamar Odom, playing with a sore left shoulder, didn’t appear to be bothered by the injury, scoring 17 points, to go along with 13 rebounds. Andrew Bynum chipped in with 17 points, five rebounds, and three blocked shots, as the Lakers dominated the scoring in the paint.
The Lakers, who shot over 60% in the first half from the field, finished the game at 50.6% (39-77), and 5-12 from beyond the arc. They also limited their turnovers, which has plagued them recently. On Friday, they had just 11 to the Hornets’ 12. The Lakers held New Orleans to 43.4% (33-76) shooting from the floor, although the Hornets did hit 8-19 from the three point line.
Everything wasn’t all rosy though for the world champs, as Matt Barnes sprained his knee early in the first half. And while he did score a basket and continue to play a little longer, he did eventually leave the game, and an MRI is scheduled tomorrow to assess the severity of the injury.
Also, early in the fourth quarter, Steve Blake turned an ankle when he landed on Andrew Bynum’s foot. Blake left the court, had his ankle wrapped, and did return to the bench in uniform.
The Hornets were led by David West’s 23 points and 12 rebounds. Trevor Ariza and Marco Belinelli both scored 17 points, and Emeka Okafor had 13 points and 13 rebounds. Chris Paul took just six shots, scoring 12 points, but he did have a game-high 10 assists.
The Lakers’ next game is against Amar’e Stoudemire and the much-improved New York Knicks at Staples Center on Sunday. This will be the first meeting between the new-look Knicks and the Lakers this season. The Knicks knocked off Stoudemire’s old team, the Phoenix Suns, on Friday easily 121-96.
Kobe Leads Lakers Past Suns
01.06.11
Andrew Bynum throws in two against Suns.
The Lakers went into Phoenix for the second time this season, and came out with their second victory, a hard fought 99-95 win at US Airways Arena on Wednesday.
Kobe Bryant scored 11 of his game-high 24 points in the third quarter, as the Lakers turned a one-point halftime deficit into a seven-point lead after three quarters. He also grabbed seven rebounds, dished out five assists, hitting 9-17 from the field.
The Suns, who have been struggling defensively as of late, erased a 12-point first half deficit to take a 50-49 lead at the break. The Lakers grabbed the lead quickly in the third quarter, and never trailed in the second half, leading by as much as eight several times.
But the Suns would not fold, and got to within one point at 92-91, on a three-pointer by Vince Carter with just over two minutes left. Derek Fisher then hit a jumper, followed by a three-pointer by Ron Artest from the corner with just under 90 seconds left, as the Lakers hung on down the stretch for the win.
The win pushed the Lakers road record to 13-6, as they won their second straight game on the second night of a back-to-back.
Andrew Bynum had 14 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks, despite playing in foul trouble all night. Shannon Brown had 13 points off the bench, and Lamar Odom had 12 points and a team-high 10 assists, as he continues his stellar all-around play this season.
For the second straight night, the Lakers controlled their recent turnover struggles, committing just 12, which didn’t allow the high-scoring Suns to get into a running game for easy baskets. The world champs also outrebounded the Suns 47-31, including 14 at the offensive end. The extra possessions helped the Lakers offset the Suns’ advantage from the field, 48.6% to 47.1% and their 11 three-pointers.
The Suns were led by Jared Dudley’s 21 points off the bench, as he hit 8-11 from the floor, including 3-4 from beyond the arc. Dudley was one of six Suns’ players in double figures. Vince Carter had 13 points, Marcin Gortat had 12 points and nine rebounds, and Steve Nash had 11 points to go along with 10 assists.
The Lakers return home for a Friday night game against the New Orleans Hornets. The Lakers beat the Hornets 103-88 back on December 29th. Friday’s game will be the first of three straight at Staples Center, as the Knicks come to town on Sunday, and then the LeBron-less Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.
Link: Lakers @ Suns Box Score
Lakers Find Themselves, Blow Out Pistons
01.04.11
Kobe Bryant drives to basket against Pistons.
After another shaky first half, the Lakers bounced back in the second, and stormed past the struggling Detroit Pistons 108-83 at Staples Center on Tuesday night.
Kobe Bryant scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out eight assists, and in the process became the league’s 10th all-time leading scorer, passing Hall of Famer Dominque Wilkins with 26,671 points. Bryant missed his first nine shots of the game, but rebounded to hit six of his next nine on his record-breaking night.
Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 21 points, hitting 7-11 from the field, to go along with seven rebounds. Lamar Odom had 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench, and Andrew Bynum, plagued by early foul trouble, finished with 13 points and six rebounds, hitting all six of his shots.
The slumping Pistons stayed close early, rallied from an 11-point first half deficit to close the score to 45-42 at halftime. In the second half, the Lakers put the hammer down and took advantage of 19 Detroit turnovers, to turn a close game into a rout. The Pistons found themselves down by as much as 29 points in the fourth quarter, as they continue to struggle on the road. They are now 3-16 away from the Palace of Auburn Hills.
The win was a welcomed sight for the Lakers, who have had trouble blowing out even bad teams at home recently. In fact you’d have to go all the way back to December 3rd when the Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 113-80 to find a home game they have won by more than 10 points. That win broke a season-long four-game losing streak.
On this night, the Lakers did everything pretty well, for the first time at home in a while. They shot 47.2% (42-89) from the field, hit 18-22 foul shots (81.8%), outrebounded the Pistons 41-37, and turned the ball over a season-low six times. They also held the Pistons to 44.4% (32-72) shooting, and just 3-13 from beyond the arc. All of those numbers added up to free tacos for fans at the game, and an easy win.
The Pistons were led by Tracy McGrady and Greg Monroe, who each scored 14 points. McGrady, oddly enough starting at the point guard position, also had six assists, but did turn the ball over six times. Tayshaun Prince had 12 points, and Richard Hamilton, now coming off the bench, scored 11.
The Lakers hope to carry this momentum into their game tomorrow night in Phoenix, where they face the new-look Suns in the second game of a back-to-back. The Lakers won in Phoenix in the second game of the year 114-106, but were blitzed by 22 three-pointers, as the Suns won 121-116 at Staples Center back on November 14th.
Lakers Asleep At The Wheel Against Grizzlies
01.04.11
Kobe Bryant drives to basket against Grizzlies.
In another lackluster effort Sunday night, the Lakers lost for the third time in four games at home, and once again to another non-playoff team in a blowout. This time it was the Memphis Grizzlies who took it to the Lakers 104-85, in a game they led almost the entire way.
The Lakers came out flat from the start, and by the middle of the first quarter found themselves behind by nine points, and they never recovered. They trailed by the same nine points at halftime, and did actually get to within one point in the third quarter. But that’s as close as they got to the lead.
Lamar Odom missed two free throws that would have at least tied the game early in the third quarter, the Grizzlies then went on a 19-4 run that buried the Lakers, despite Kobe Bryant scoring 21 of his game-high 28 points in the second half. It was obvious on this night it was going to take more than Bryant’s heroics to pull out a win, but no one else offered much resistance.
The losses at home are not only alarming because of who the Lakers are losing to, it’s also how they are losing. They’ve now been blown out by two sub-.500 teams by 19 points, in addition to the 16-point waxing by the Miami Heat on Christmas Day. The only win in the last four at home was a close 102-98 victory over Philadelphia on New Year’s Eve, a game the Lakers could have easily lost.
Only two other Laker players scored in double figures Sunday. Shannon Brown had 11 points off the bench, and Pau Gasol had 10 points and eight rebounds. Andrew Bynum scored nine points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and had five blocks, but took only eight shots from the floor.
The Lakers actually outshot the Grizzlies from the field, hitting 46.5% (33-71) to 45.6% (41-90), but turned the ball over 20 times, which allowed Memphis to take a staggering, 19 more shots. That was the difference in the game. The Lakers were also outrebounded 44-37, but that stat was not nearly as damaging as the turnovers.
Rudy Gay, who missed the team’s loss on Saturday in Utah, scored 27 points on 10-19 from the field. Zach Randolph scored 21 points to go along with eight rebounds, and O.J. Mayo torched the Lakers off the bench with 15 points.
Bryant also picked up his fifth technical foul in the last six games, as it appears his frustration is growing with more than just the officiating.
The Lakers next game is Tuesday night at home against the woeful Detroit Pistons, whom the Lakers beat easily 103-90 back on November 17th in Detroit. In that game, Bryant had 33 points and nine rebounds, Gasol had 25 and 12 rebounds, and Odom had 15 points and 14 rebounds.
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