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Kobe elected to 2020 Hall of Fame class.

Kobe Bryant lays in two against Dallas.

Not too much was made of the Lakers’ 0-8 preseason record, for the very reason that the games meant nothing. But after Tuesday’s season-opening embarrassing loss 99-91 to the Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center, one has to wonder if maybe there isn’t more to worry about.

Once again on Tuesday the Lakers struggled to find any consistency offensively or defensively, looking very much like a team that hasn’t played together long. After leading early in the second quarter 33-25, they did little right after that, as the injury-depleted Mavericks rallied and took a 48-46 lead into halftime after strong play from their bench. For the game, Dallas’ bench outscored the Lakers’ 37-17.

In the second half, things didn’t go much better, as the Lakers found themselves down by as many as 15 points several times, and they never made much of a run at any point. The final score and stats really aren’t indicative of how poorly they played, except for the pathetic 12-31 (38.7%) from the free throw line, which included a 3-14 night from Dwight Howard, making his Laker regular season debut.

One of the few bright spots for the Lakers was the play of Pau Gasol who led all players with 23 points to go along with 13 rebounds and six assists. Kobe Bryant, who didn’t practice all week due to a strained foot, played, and hit 11-14 from the floor en route to 22 points. Dwight Howard did score 19 to go along with 10 rebounds, but struggled all night to get into the flow of the game, and eventually fouled out with about two minutes left.

Dallas didn’t have anyone dominate the game, but got solid performances from several players, and had six players in double figures. Newcomer Darren Collison led Dallas with 17 points on 8-12 from the field. Brandan Wright, starting for the injured Chris Kaman, scored 14 on 5-5 from the floor. O.J. Mayo had 12, and Shawn Marion had 11 points and nine rebounds. Remember the Mavericks are also playing without All-Star forward Dirk Nowitsky.

The Lakers did manage to shoot 49.4% from the floor, but were a miserable 3-13 (23.1%) from beyond the arc, with Steve Nash, also making his Laker debut, hitting just 1-4 from distance. They did cut down on the turnovers that plagued the team in the preseason, as they committed only 14 miscues. They did also outrebound Dallas 46-40.

The Lakers will try to bounce back tomorrow in an arena they always struggle at, the Rose Garden in Portland, when they take on the Trail Blazers in the second game of a back-to-back.

Kobe Bryant shoots jumper against Portland.

Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher have 10 championship rings between the two of them.  On Sunday night they provided a glimpse as to why, as they both hit several big buckets late, rallying the Lakers to an 84-80 win over the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center.

The Lakers played the game without center Andrew Bynum, who was suspended two games by the NBA for his flagrant foul on Friday night.  Without Bynum patrolling the paint, the Blazers were able to dominate the Lakers on the glass, and led the game for most of the night despite very poor shooting.  In fact, neither team looked good on offense.

Bryant led the Lakers with 22 points, but scored 10 of them in the fourth quarter with the game very much in doubt.  His short jumper in the lane with just over a minute left gave the Lakers an 80-76.  Thirty seconds later, he hit a picture-perfect fallaway baseline jumper over Brandon Roy that gave the Lakers an 82-77 lead.   That seemingly was the dagger for the champs.

However Portland wouldn’t quit. After they got to within two at 82-80, Fisher stuck a 17-foot jumper with 10 seconds left and the shot clock running out to seal the victory the Lakers.  Fisher also had two sensational defensive plays in the final minutes, and scored a layup with just under two left to put the Lakers up 78-76, a lead they would never relinquish.

The win pushed the surging champs to 12-1 since the All-Star game, and clinched their fourth straight Pacific Division crown.  They also stayed one game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks for the second place in the Western Conference standings.  Los Angeles is now 3-0 against Blazers this year, marking the first time since the 2004-05 season the Lakers will win the season series.

Lamar Odom, starting for Bynum, scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.  Pau Gasol had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Ron Artest chipped in with 10 points.

For the game, the Lakers held Portland to a miserable 38.6% (32-83) from the field and just 6-25 (24.0%) from the three-point line.  Neither team shot the ball particularly well.  The Lakers did finish at 44.9% (35-78) from the floor, but just 3-17 (17.6%) from beyond the arc.  The one bright spot was they hit 11 of their 12 free throws.   Portland won the rebound battle easily 45-35, including 17-9 at the offensive end, certainly a sign the Lakers missed Bynum’s presence in the middle.

Nicolas Batum led the Blazers with 25 points, scoring 22 of them in the first three quarters.  He did make 4-9 from long range.  LaMarcus Aldridge scored 18 points to go along with six rebounds, and Rudy Fernandez was the only other Portland player in double figures.  He had 10 points, but hit just 3-10 shots. At one point the Portland went on 15-0 scoring run in the game, spanning halftime.

The Trail Blazers did lose forward/center Marcus Camby late in the game as he appeared to injure his ankle.  A big loss for a team trying to make a push towards the playoffs, and with a tough schedule coming up.

The Lakers are now 3-0 on their seven-game homestand, and will take on the Phoenix Suns Tuesday night at Staples Center.  The last time the Suns were in Los Angeles, they hit 22-40 three-pointers on their way to a shocking 121-116 win back on November 14.  The Lakers have won both games in Phoenix this season.

Link: Lakers vs. Trail Blazers Box Score

Kobe Bryant goes up for shot against Bulls.

Shannon Brown says he always wants to play well against the city he grew up in, Chicago.  On Tuesday night, he did just that, scoring 21 points off the bench, leading the Lakers to a tough 98-91 win over the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center.

In a game that was close throughout, Brown provided the spark off the bench, scoring 15 of his team-high 21 points in the second quarter, leaving the Lakers clinging to a 51-49 lead at the break. 

Lamar Odom had a strong game, scoring 21 points and grabbing eight rebounds, and Kobe Bryant added 20 and a team-high five assists as the Lakers won their fifth straight. Pau Gasol had a tough time, but did have a double-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocked shots.

The Bulls were led by All-Star guard Derrick Rose, who tormented Laker guards all night, getting to the rim seemingly at well en route to a game-high 30 points, to go along with eight assists, and five rebounds.  Joakim Noah made life difficult under the rim for Pau Gasol all game long, scoring 19 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.  Former USC star Taj Gibson added 16 points and 12 rebounds.

With the Lakers falling behind 75-74 early in the fourth quarter, it was the bench that took over the game, not the starters.  Shannon Brown, Matt Barnes, and Steve Blake all hit three pointers (Blake hit two) during a stretch where the Lakers turned a one-point deficit into a 12-point lead at 95-83.   The Bulls got as close as six with two minutes left, but Pau Gasol’s tip-in off a Bryant miss with a little over a minute to go sealed the game for the Lakers, and pushed their record to 13-2.

For the game, the Lakers’ bench outscored the Bulls’ bench 39-10, highlighted by Brown’s 21 points.  Matt Barnes added 10 points, five rebounds, three assists, and a blocked shot.

The Lakers’ defense continues to get back to form, holding the Bulls to 39.5% from the field and 4-20 (20%) from the 3-point line.  The Lakers have held their last four opponents under 100 points, and have been dominate on the defensive end since the second half of the game in Milwaukee last Tuesday.  It was also only the second time in 15 games they did not score 100 points.

The Lakers’ next game is Friday night in Utah, as they face the new-look Jazz for the first time this season.  The Jazz recently came off a very impressive road trip that included several huge come-from-behind wins, highlighted by back-to-back victories in Miami and Orlando.

Link: Lakers vs. Bulls Box Score