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Laker Win Eighth Straight, Rout Mavs 114-103
12.04.03
In a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score, the Lakers continued their domination over the Mavericks, as they cruised to their eighth straight win, 114-103 in Dallas on Thursday night.
For the second straight night, Shaquille O’Neal was a monster on the defensive end. He controlled the defensive glass, blocked shots, and forced the Mavs into several ill-advised shots. He finished the game with 25 points, 19 rebounds, five assists, and three blocked shots.
The Lakers took the lead from opening tip, and getting up by as much 27-11 in the first quarter. They led the game 51-42 at halftime, and Dallas never really seriously challenged the rest of the way.
The Mavs struggled from the floor all game, as the Lakers’ defense held the high-scoring team to 37.4% shooting (37-of-99) from the field. The Lakers shot 44.2% (38-of-86) from the floor and made 31-of-40 (77.5%) from the charity stripe.
Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 32 points. Gary Payton scored 17 and dished out eight assists, and Karl Malone added 11 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
Steve Nash led Dallas with 30 points and eight assists, and was the recipient of two stitches after being hit in the mouth with a Malone elbow in the third quarter. The Mavs played without leading scorer Dirk Nowitski, who has an inured ankle.
The Lakers have now beaten the Mavericks 46 of the last 51 times the two teams have met. The Lakers current eight-game winning streak is their longest in two seasons.
The Lakers next game is Sunday night at Staples Center against the Utah Jazz.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
Lakers Breeze Past Knicks 104-83
11.19.03
The Los Angeles Lakers ended their three-game road losing streak with a decisive victory 104-83 over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
The Lakers took a two-point halftime lead and ran away from the Knicks in the second half, outscoring them 53-34, to take the easy win. The Knicks were held to only 43% shooting from the floor, which was a vast defensive improvement for the Lakers, who allowed the Detroit Pistons to shoot 57% on Tuesday.
The big stat of the game was free throwing. The Lakers shot 47 free throws, making 37, while the Knicks took only six, making them all. The Knicks had five players with four fouls, and three others with three.
Shaquille O’Neal led the Lakers with 23 points, he also hit 11 of 16 from the foul line. Kobe Bryant scored 21 points, and Karl Malone added 17 points and a team-high 14 rebounds.
Frank Williams led the Knicks with 14 points, and he came off of the bench. Allan Houston, the team’s leading scorer, was held to 10 points on 5-of-14 from the field.
The Lakers return home for a Friday night game against the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
Lakers Win Barn-Burner in San Antonio, 120-117
11.06.03
It took two overtimes, a Tim Duncan injury, and some clutch performances from Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant for the Lakers to finally win a game at the SBC Center.
The Lakers had dropped all five of their games at the Spurs’ new arena, and needed to dig out of a 9-point 4th quarter hole to force overtime and eventually get the win, 120-117.
Despite missing league MVP Tim Duncan, and staring point guard Tony Parker, the world champs gave the Lakers all they could handle before finally succumbing in the second overtime. They hit only three of their last 19 shots.
Bryant led all scorers with 37 points, and O’Neal dominated the paint, scoring 35 points, grabbing 20 rebounds, and blocking four shots. He also hit the game-winning free throws. O’Neal entered the game shooting only 32% of the line on the young season before hitting 11-of-16 against the Spurs.
Karl Malone, who struggled with his shot all night and eventually fouled out, did manage to score 15 points and grab 19 rebounds. Gary Payton added 16 points and Derek Fisher scored 11 off the bench.
The Spurs were led by Manu Ginobili, who scored a career-high 33 points to go along with 12 rebounds.
The Lakers win moves them to 5-0 on the season, and their next game is tommorrow night in New Orleans, against a Hornets team playing very well at 4-1.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
Brian Shaw Retires, Joins Front Office
09.23.03
Brian Shaw, an integral member of the Lakers three straight championships, will retire after 14 seasons in the NBA. He will take a front office position with the team.
Shaw, a 6’6″ guard who graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara, was well-respected by teammates for his steady play. He will be fondly remembered by Laker fans for his barrage of three-pointers in one of the team’s most memorable playoff games, the Game 7 4th quarter comeback against the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2000 Western Conference Finals.
Shaw was taken in first round of the 1988 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. He also spent time with Miami, Orlando, Golden State, Philadelphia, and Portland, and averaged 6.9 points in 943 games.
Besides the three titles he won with the Lakers, Shaw also teamed with Laker center Shaquille O’Neal in Orlando, when the two helped lead the Magic to the NBA Finals in 1995.
Media Link: Yahoo! – “Lakers guard Brian Shaw retiring, taking front office position”
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