Game #22 – February 1, 2021
(16-6)	107	-	99	(10-10)
State Farm Arena – Atlanta, GA

Team Leaders Lakers

Points – Davis 25, James 21, Harrell 19

Rebounds – James 7, Gasol 6, Horton-Tucker 5

Assists – James 9, Gasol 3, Schroder 3

Team Leaders Hawks

Points – Young 25, Collins 22, Capela 16

Rebounds – Capela 13, Collins 7, 3 Players Tied With 4

Assists – Young 16, Huerter 3, Reddish 3

Lakers @ Hawks – Box Score 02.01.21

Game #8 – January 5, 2021
(6-2)	94	-	92	(2-5)
FedEx Forum – Memphis, TN

Team Leaders Lakers

Points – Davis 26, James 26, Schroder 12

Rebounds – James 11, Davis 10, 2 Players Tied With 7

Assists – James 7, Schroder 6, Davis 4

Team Leaders Grizzlies

Points – Brooks 13, Dieng 13, Valanciunas 13

Rebounds – Valanciunas 11, Anderson 5, Brooks 5

Assists – Jones 8, Melton 5, 4 Players Tied With 2

Lakers @ Grizzlies – Box Score 01.05.21

Game #23 – December 6, 2019
	136	-	113
Moda Center – Portland, OR

Team Leaders Lakers

Points – Davis 39, James 31, Kuzma 15

Rebounds – Howard 10, Davis 9, James 7

Assists – James 8, Caldwell-Pope 5, 2 Players Tied With 3

Team Leaders Trail Blazers

Points – Lillard 29, Whiteside 17, 3 Players Tied With 15

Rebounds – Whiteside 10, Lillard 7, 2 Players Tied With 3

Assists – Lillard 8, McCollum 5, Whiteside 2

Lakers @ Trail Blazers – Box Score 12.06.19

Kobe Bryant scores two of his 33 against Pistons.

The Lakers made short work of the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, leading by as many as 26 points in the second half, as they cruised to a 103-90 victory at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Kobe Bryant took advantage of smaller defenders all night, scoring a game-high 33 points, with nine rebounds, and four assists in just under 32 minutes of action.  Pau Gasol dominated the worst-rebounding team in the league in the paint, with 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Lamar Odom added 15 points and 14 boards.   The Lakers outrebounded the Pistons 55-41.

In a microcosm of the Pistons’ season so far, guard Richard Hamilton was ejected with two technicals just five minutes into the game, after he picked up two early fouls guarding Kobe Bryant.   Discipline and internal battles have been a recurring theme for Detroit, as they continue to unravel on the court.

The Lakers took advantage of the Pistons’ woes, jumping out to a 59-45 lead halftime.  The lead ballooned to 78-52 late in the third quarter, as the NBA champs showed no mercy in piling up the points.  The final score was not indicative of how one-sided the game really was, as the Pistons made it respectable against the end of the Lakers’ bench in the fourth quarter.

The Pistons were led by Rodney Stuckey’s 18 points.  Tayshaun Prince had 13 points, and Austin Daye added 12.  Nobody else on the squad tallied more than eight points.

The Lakers held the Pistons to a miserable 39.3% from the field, including 4-16 (25.0%) from the 3-point line.  The only bright spots for the home team on the stat sheet were that they only committed just five turnovers, and held the league’s highest-scoring team to 103 points.  The Lakers have now beaten the Pistons three straight times in Detroit, after dropping the previous six there.

The Lakers conclude their three-game road trip on Friday in Minnesota.  The Lakers have already beaten the Timberwolves once this season in Los Angeles, but it was a struggle in a 99-94 win back on November 9.

Link: Lakers @ Pistons Box Score

The Grizzlies dominated the game after the 1st quarter, stretching their lead to 16 after three quarters, and the Lakers got no closer than seven after that.

Memphis shot over 50% from the floor for most of the game, before a 4th quarter slide dropped them to a still respectable 49%. The Lakers again tried to rally with a furious 4th quarter comeback, but simply could net get enough defensive stops to get back in the game.

Shaquille O’Neal led the Lakers with 20 points and 12 rebounds, but only managed to take 14 shots in 41 minutes. Kobe Bryant again struggled for most of the game, hitting only 5-of-15 shots, although he did finish with 19 points, but six turnovers.

Gary Payton, nursing a sore ankle he sprained in practice on Sunday, played only 27 minutes, scoring six points on 3-of-6 from the field. The Lakers bench continues to do nothing aside from Derek Fisher who scored 9 points.

Devean George was one of the few Laker bright spots. He scored 17 points, made 6-of-7 shots, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. The Lakers only shot 44% from the field for the game.

The Grizzlies were led by Pau Gasol who scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Memphis’ defense played well all night as, they forced the Lakers into 23 turnovers, including a stunning 17 steals.

The Lakers return home for three games starting Wednesday against Toronto at Staples Center. The Lakers finished their road trip with a 2-2 record, and are now riding a two-game losing streak after winning their first five games to start the season.

Bottom line, the Lakers need to play better defense and stop turning the ball over if they expect to win games, especially on the road.

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