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 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.

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

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.

Link: Lakers @ Grizzlies Box Score