Andrew Bynum blocks Kevin Love's shot.

The Lakers have won 11 of 12 games since the All-Star break, but Friday night’s win against the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves may have been the toughest victory of the bunch. 

The Lakers overcame Kobe Bryant’s struggles with his sore ankle, and Andrew Bynum’s fourth quarter ejection to beat the Wolves 106-98 at Staples Center.

Pau Gasol scored 25 points and four blocks on 12-17 from the field, as the Lakers battled back from an early 10-point deficit.  Bryant struggled with his shot most of the night but did finish with 18 points, five assists, and four rebounds.  Bynum had 10 points and 14 rebounds before he was tossed in the fourth quarter after a Flagrant 2 foul call on Michael Beasley.

Bynum, who again was dominant on the defensive end again, struggled a bit offensively and was clearly frustrated late in the game after missing a dunk and committing an offensive foul.

As Beasley drove to the rim, Bynum jumped up and threw out his hip and elbow into Beasley who went crashing to the floor, but did get up angrily very quickly.  Bynum was ejected after officials checked the replay.  Beasley made both foul shots, but left the game moments later with a sore hip. At the time the Wolves still held the lead.

Bryant who scored just six points in the first half, scored 12 in the second half, and hit some crucial jump shots late to get the Lakers back out in front.  He didn’t start the second half, as it appeared he was getting extra work done on his sprained ankle during halftime.  Shannon Brown started the third quarter and finished with 14 points off the bench.

With the Wolves clinging to an 89-88 lead, the Lakers went on a 12-6 run, highlighted by a Lamar Odom three-pointer with just over 1:30 left in the game that put the Lakers up by their biggest margin of the night 100-94.   Minnesota could get no closer than five in the final minute as the Lakers extended their winning streak over the Timberwolves to 15 games.  The Wolves haven’t beaten the Lakers since March of 2007.

For the game, the Lakers shot 47.6% (40-84) from the field, including 8-19 (42.1%) from beyond the arc.  They held Minnesota to 44.3% (39-88) from the floor and just 7-21 (33.3%) from long range.  The Wolves did win the rebound battle 45-44, but actually held a double-digit rebound lead early in the game.

Wesley Johnson led all scorers with 29 points on 11-21 from the floor for Minnesota.  Michael Beasley had 18 points and seven rebounds before he left the game, and Kevin Love tallied another double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

The win put the Lakers in sole position of second place in the Western Conference at 49-20, one full game ahead of Dallas, who lost to San Antonio 97-91 on Friday.

The world champs continue their seven-game homestand on Sunday night against the surging Portland Trail Blazers.  Los Angeles has beaten Portland twice already this season.  They could however be without the services of Bynum, who may face a league suspension for his flagrant foul on Beasley.  That could pose a problem against the suddenly very big and healthy Trail Blazer team.

Link: Lakers vs. Timberwolves Box Score

Kobe Bryant goes up for two against Clippers.

The Lakers frustrated Blake Griffin, frustrated the Clippers, then watched it all come apart in the fourth quarter, and saw their 7-game winning streak go with it in a 99-92 loss to the Clippers at Staples Center on Sunday.

Kobe Bryant had 27 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, and took the game over in the third quarter as the Lakers built a 12-point lead at 67-55.  But after that run, it was all downhill for the champs, as the Clippers started making shots, and Griffin got physical inside.

In a tight game, the Lakers led 45-44 at halftime, with Griffin scoring just two points, as Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom made life hard on the Clippers’ star rookie.  After the Lakers led by double-digits late in the third quarter, the Clippers came alive led by the scoring of Eric Gordon and Griffin.

After a three-pointer by Ron Artest put the Lakers up 82-78 in the middle of the fourth quarter, the Clippers used a decisive 16-3 run to put the game away.  Then tempers got a little testy.  Griffin pushed Lamar Odom in the back going for a rebound with five seconds left, to which Odom was not too happy in a game that was clearly over.

The two got tangled up and went into a war of words with some pushing.  Artest and Baron Davis ran in and tried to be peacemakers in the altercation.  No punches were thrown, but all four players were ejected, with Artest’s ejection seeming quite ridiculous.

Andrew Bynum had 18 points and 13 rebonds for the Lakers, and Pau Gasol added 13 points and eight boards, but had a very tough time with the physical Griffin in the second half, and eventually fouled out of a forgettable ending for the Lakers.

Griffin, after a terrible first half, finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds, but shot just 7-20 from the floor.  His string of 14-straight games with over 20 points was also snapped.  Gordon had a game-high 30 points, hitting 13-20 from the field and 4-7 from beyond the arc.  Davis was the only other Clipper in double-figures with 14 points.

The Lakers shot miserably from the field, at 41.3% (31-75), and an even worse 3-20 (15.0%) from the three-point line.  They did get to the foul line 33 times, hitting 27, which helped offset the poor shooting from the floor.   The also lost the rebound battle 50-45.

The Clippers didn’t shoot much better at 43.7% (38-87) from the field, but they hit 9-21 (42.9%) from long range and had 15 offensive rebounds.

The loss dropped the Lakers to 30-12 on the season, and 14-7 on the road.

The Lakers’ next game is Monday against Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder at Staples Center.  The Thunder come in with the third-best record in the Western Conference and have won four straight.  It will be the team’s first meeting since the Lakers beat the Oklahoma City 4-2 in a memorable first round match-up in last year’s playoffs.

Link: Lakers @ Clippers Box Score

With O’Neal nursing a strained calf, the Lakers never missed a beat. Kobe Bryant helped pick up the slack, leading all players with 28 points. Karl Malone also had a very strong game, tallying 20 points and 10 rebounds in just 26 minutes, and Gary Payton chipped in with 17 points and 10 assists.

The Lakers blew what was a tight game open late in the second quarter, taking a 59-48 lead into the locker room, and leading 90-67 after three quarters.

For the game, the Lakers shot 59% from the field (45-of-76) and 90% (27-of-30), as they scored a season high 121 points. They also held the Grizzlies to 42% from the field, and forced Memphis into a season-high 24 turnovers.

The Lakers bench provided some big contributions. Slava Medvedenko, playing in his first game of the year because of a bruised heel, scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 30 minutes. He also made seven of his eight shots from the floor. Bryon Russell had his second straight strong game, scoring 12 points on 5-of-6 from the field.

The Grizzlies were led by Shane Battier, who led the team with 18 points, coming off of the bench.

The Lakers next game is Wednesday at Staples Center against the Washington Wizards. Shaquille O’Neal’s availability will again be a game-time decision.

Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap