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Lakers End Slump, Bury Kings By 33
12.03.10
Kobe Bryant scores two over Luther Head.
The Lakers’ longest losing streak in 2 1/2 years is over. Back at home on Friday, the Lakers made short work of the Sacramento Kings in their easiest win of the season, 113-80, ending a four-game skid.
The champs came out focused from the start, and played strong defense from the opening tip to the final horn. They shot 56.6% from the field, and held the Kings to just 40.3%, including 5-16 (31.3%) from the three-point line. All stats were a vast improvement over what had been happening at both ends of the court during the losing streak.
Kobe Bryant was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points, and got to be a spectator the entire fourth quarter during the Lakers’ largest blow out of the season. He played a little over 26 minutes for the night.
Pau Gasol, playing despite a sore left hamstring, scored 16 points, with five rebounds, five assists, and three blocks in under 27 minutes. It was also a welcomed, short evening for Gasol, who has logged heavy minutes in recent games as the Lakers continue to try to get by without Andrew Bynum and Theo Ratliff.
Lamar Odom added 16 points and seven rebounds, and the Lakers’ bench, led by Shannon Brown’s 14 points, outscored the Sacramento bench 52-37.
The Kings kept the game close for most of the first quarter and trailed only 21-16 after the first 12 minutes. But the Lakers took over from there, leading 52-35 at the break, and by as much as 35 in the fourth quarter en route to the 33-point win. The 80 points were also a season-low for a Laker opponent.
Jason Thompson led the Kings with 19 points and 10 rebounds, although most of his damage was done when the game was well out of hand in the second half. Tyreke Evans had 15 points, but continues to struggle with his shot, hitting just 5-15 from the field.
A game against the struggling Kings was just what the doctor ordered for the Lakers, as they will head out on a six game road trip beginning next week, and are in desperate need of a positive swing of momentum before the two-week marathon.
The Lakers next game is Tuesday night at Staples Center against another stuggling team, the Washington Wizards, who do boast one of the league’s most-exciting rookies, and the number one pick in the draft, John Wall.
Another Laker Debacle in Houston
12.02.10
Lamar Odom drives past Shane Battier.
The streak continues…now it’s at four. And it’s not the kind of streak the Lakers were hoping for, it’s a streak of losing. The team’s problems continued Wednesday night in Houston, as the Rockets rallied in the fourth quarter, and beat the Lakers 109-99 at the Toyota Center
The Lakers haven’t lost this many games in a row since April of 2007, when they were a team barely scraping to make the playoffs, not the two-time defending NBA champions. But that’s the reality of the situation right now and certainly nobody in the league is going to feel sorry for them.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 27 points, to go along with four rebounds, four assists, and four steals. But really Lamar Odom had the best night for the Lakers, scoring 25 points on 11-16 from the floor, and grabbing 11 rebounds.
In what has been a familiar theme for the Lakers during this stretch, their defense let them down again when they needed it most. Leading by nine midway through the final quarter 89-80, the Rockets got hot from the three-point line, led by Shane Battier who was the hero late.
Battier scored 11 points in the final 2:30 of the game, including two three-pointers that put the Rockets up 105-99 with under a minute left. Bryant attempted to get the Lakers back in the game with some desperation three-pointers but was unable to connect, and the Rockets made foul shots down the stretch for the win.
Kevin Martin led the Rockets with 22 points, Battier scored 17, including 4-6 from beyond the arc. Luis Scola added 14 points, and 9 rebounds.
Pau Gasol, who again looked tired from all the heavy minutes he has been playing, complained of a tight hamstring in the second half, but did finish out the game for the Lakers. It was a struggle all night for the Spaniard however, as he managed a season-low eight points and nine rebounds in just under 39 minutes.
The lone bright spot for the Lakers on this night was the play of the bench. Matt Barnes was a spark in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter when they Lakers went up by nine. He scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Shannon Brown added 11 points.
The Rockets shot a sizzling 50.6% from the field, and 10-22 (45.5%) from the three-point line. The Lakers, who were over 50% for much of the game, shot just 45.5% from the field and hit only 5-16 (31.3%) of their three-point attempts. The Rockets also played without center Yao Ming, and point guard Aaron Brooks, both recovering from leg injuries.
The Lakers try to get back on track Friday at home against the struggling Sacramento Kings. And with the way thing are going, nothing looks like a sure thing anymore.
Lakers Sudden Skid Reaches Three
12.01.10
Kobe Bryant bottled up in Memphis.
It wasn’t that long ago the Lakers started the year 8-0, and discussions began to creep up how this team might challenge the Bulls’ magical 72-10 record. Now just ten games later, the team is searching for answers, as they have dropped three straight following Tuesday’s 98-96 loss in Memphis against the Grizzlies.
In a recurring theme over the last week, the defense continues to struggle, allowing yet another sub-.500 team to shoot well, as Memphis hit 48.8% from the field, and 8-12 (66.7%) from the three-point line, and seemingly scored at will down the stretch of the game.
The struggles also continued on the offensive end, as the Lakers, once leading the league in scoring at over 112 points per game, now have scored less than 100 in their last four games, shooting another miserable 43.6% from the floor, and an even worse 7-22 (31.8%) from the three-point line.
Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 29 points, but again struggled with his shot, hitting just 9-25 from the field. He did also had seven rebounds and five assists. Pau Gasol continues to play too many minutes, as he logged just under 45 on Tuesday, scoring 15 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, despite shooting just 5-13 from the floor.
Despite all the issues, the Lakers trailed by only two at halftime 51-49, but fell down by as many as 13 in the fourth quarter, before a late rally got them back in the game. Ron Artest hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to 98-94 with just over a minute left.
After the Lakers scored to make it 98-96, they were able to force a Grizzly turnover with 14 seconds left in the game, and decided not to call timeout to set up a play. Bryant dribbled up court and drove to the middle of the lane, but lost the ball in mid-air and was forced to pass out to Ron Artest, who had his last ditch attempt blocked by Rudy Gay to seal the win for the Grizzlies. Artest finished with 12 points.
Mike Conley scored a season-high 28 points on 10-13 shooting, inciuding 4-5 beyond the arc. Rudy Gay only had 14 points, but had six big blocks, including the one on Artest as time ran out. The Grizzlies had six players score in double-figures, and turned the ball over only seven times.
The loss dropped the Lakers to 13-5, and they are now shockingly sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference, 2 1/2 games behind the San Antonio Spurs, who continue to play very well at 15-2.
The Lakers conclude their short two-game trip on Wednesday in Houston, in the second of a back-to-back set. The Rockets are without center Yao Ming, and most-likely without starting point guard Aaron Brooks, both out with injuries.
Lakers Fail to Show Against Pacers
11.30.10
Kobe Bryant shoots over Brandon Rush.
The Indiana Pacers had never beaten the Lakers at Staples Center since the facility opened in 1999, including three Finals losses in 2000. On Sunday night, they changed all that, beating the Lakers 95-92 in a very lackluster performance by the world champs.
The Pacers took over in the second quarter, outscoring the Lakers 28-19, and holding a 51-45 lead at halftime. They never relinquished that advantage, and held a double-digit lead through much of the second half, before the Lakers rallied late in the fourth quarter to make a game of it.
Kobe Bryant scored 41 points, but missed two potential game-tying three-pointers in the final 10 seconds, and the Pacers players and coaches celebrated their second impressive road win in less than a week. They beat the Miami Heat in Miami last Monday 93-77.
Lamar Odom scored 15 points, and grabbed 11 rebounds in the losing effort. Pau Gasol added 13 points, and 12 rebounds, but shot only 5-15 from the field. Both he and Odom appeared tired at the end of the game, having to over 40 minutes with the Lakers injuries up front. It seems the heavy minutes are starting to take their toll on the Lakers’ best two inside players.
The Laker bench, which has played so well this season, also struggled, scoring only 14 points and hitting just 1-8 from beyond the arc. The Lakers as a team shot a paltry 38.6% from the field, only 7-23 (30.4%) from the three-point line, and were outrebounded again 48-45.
The star of the game for the Pacers was center Roy Hibbert. The third-year pro from Georgetown scored 24 points, with 11 rebounds, and six assists, as he continues to make remarkable progress this season. Danny Granger had 18 points, and Darren Collison scored 14, as the Pacers upped their record to 8-7.
The Lakers’ loss dropped them to 13-4 and 1 1/2 games behind the Spurs for first place in the Western Conference, as they head out on a two-game roadtrip this week to Memphis and Houston. The Lakers also are awaiting word on when they will have center Andrew Bynum back on the court, as the team is desperate for help up front.
Lakers Blow Late Lead in Utah
11.27.10
Kobe drives to basket past Deron Williams.
Things were looking in good Utah. Kobe Bryant had scored 14 points over a two-minute stretch in the fourth quarter, and the Lakers had a five-point lead with just over two-minutes left. That’s where the fun ended in Salt Lake City on Friday night.
The Utah Jazz scored the last 11 points of the game, withstanding Bryant’s late scoring barrage, and defeated the Lakers 102-96. They also trailed the world champs by 19 points early in the game, but erased that deficit to take a 75-72 lead after three quarters.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 31 points, playing just under 34 minutes. Pau Gasol scored 21 and grabbed 11 rebounds, bouncing back from a sub-par game against Chicago on Tuesday. Lamar Odom had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
It looked like the game would be a laugher early, as the Lakers led 33-17 after one quarter, and still held a double-digit lead midway through the second. That’s when the Jazz’ bench, led by Ronnie Price, came in and sparked a rally that got them back in the game before halftime.
After the break, the game was a dogfight, as the lead changed hand several times, with no team leading by more than five points until the final score. The play of the game turned out to be Bryant losing the ball out front, and Raja Bell scoring an uncontested layup to put the Jazz up 98-96. Ron Artest then missed a wide-open three-pointer, and the Jazz made all their free throws down the stretch for the win.
Deron Williams led the Jazz with 29 points (10-14 from the field), and 12 assists. Al Jefferson, who hadn’t played on a team that had beaten the Lakers since 2005, scored 20 points, and grabbed eight rebounds. Paul Milsap had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Jazz, who moved to 12-5 on the season.
It was the second straight poor-shooting game for the Lakers, as they managed to hit just 41.8% from the field, and just 4-15 (26.7%) from the three-point line. In fact, Steve Blake and Derek Fisher alone combined to shoot 0-6 from beyond the arc. It was also the Lakers’ second straight game under 100 points, the first time that’s happened all year.
The loss dropped the Lakers to 13-3, and left them still 1/2 game behind San Antonio for first place in the Western Conference. Their next game is home on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers, who earlier this week knocked off the Miami Heat 93-77 in Miami. The Lakers head out for a quick two-game road trip after Sunday’s game.
Link: Lakers @ Jazz Box Score
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