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Kobe elected to 2020 Hall of Fame class.

Dwight Howard slams two of his 23 against Brooklyn.

667
The winning percentage of the Nets after the Lakers victory over them on Tuesday. It marks the first time the Lakers have beaten a team over .500 this season.

90
The amount of points the Lakers allowed on Tuesday night. They are now 4-1 when the opposition scores 90 points or less. Their only loss was the 84-82 defeat to San Antonio last Tuesday.

85
The amount of points the Lakers starters scored on Tuesday, led by Kobe Bryant’s 25 on 15 shots. Other than Darius Morris, the other four starters scored at least 17 points.

59.5
The percentage of shots the Nets missed on Tuesday…meaning of course they shot 41.5% from the floor, hitting 34 of 82 shots. Only one player who took more than three shots hit 50% of them…Brook Lopez at 11-18.

51
The percentage of free throws the Lakers hit on Tuesday, going 19-37. Yes a lot of that was Dwight Howard who shot a miserable 7-19 (36.8%), with a bunch of them in the 4th quarter as Brooklyn began to purposely foul him. Despite that, the Lakers still hunkered down and won the game.

33
The number of points the Nets scored in the second half. This marked the first time all season the Lakers have won a game they trailed at the half. Brooklyn led 57-56 at the break.

27
The number of points the teams’ two benches scored. Neither was very effective…the Nets had 17 from the reserves, and the Lakers just 10.

23
The number of assists the Lakers had on their 35 baskets. They only turned the ball over 11 times, and with that came a very solid assist/turnover ratio of 2.09. Ball movement wasn’t as crisp as it has been, but Brooklyn is a very good defensive team also.

15
The number of rebounds Dwight Howard grabbed on Tuesday. He’s now pulled down 73 boards in his last five games (14.6 rpg), and has seven double-doubles on the season…including five in a row.

3
The number of field goals the Lakers made in the 4th quarter against the Nets…and yet they won the game! Metta World Peace hit a three, Dwight Howard had a dunk, and Kobe had a baseline runner in the final two minutes. Other than that, it was all free throws…and lots of missed ones too. But it didn’t matter, they got the win.

See you after tomorrow’s game in Sactown.

Dwight Howard grabs a rebound against Kings.

18,997
The number of free tacos Jack in the Box will have to give out after the Lakers held yet another opponent under 100 points on Sunday in the win.

143
The number of rebounds Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard have grabbed combined this season. Just looked like a nice number to mention. That is of course over 10 per game, and is sure to improve as Howard gets his legs back. He had his Laker career-high with 18 boards Sunday.

102
To keep in the rebounding mode, the number offensive rebounds the Lakers have grabbed this year through the first seven games. That’s nearly 15 a night…impressive. Jordan Hill grabs 3.5 off the bench alone.

79
The combined number of points the Lakers starting five scored minus Steve Blake scored. Even more impressive was they shot 27-54 (50%) from the floor as well. Dwight Howard led all scorers with 23 points, to go along with his 18 rebounds and three blocks.

60
The percentage of shots the Kings missed on Sunday, hitting only 36-90 from the floor, including a miserable 1-10 from Marcus Thornton. Laker opponents are shooting just 42.4% from the field for the season.

34
The number of minutes it took Jason Thompson to foul out against Dwight Howard. I know that’s a lot minutes, but so what, it’s a fun stat to mention.

22
In one of the poorer stats of the night, the amount of points the Lakers bench scored. They struggled again except for Jordan Hill and Darius Morris, who continue to lead the reserves with solid play. Antawn Jamison had another tough night…no points and only two shot attempts.

11
The number of minutes it took the Kings’ Jimmer Fredette to score 18 points…wow! He went 7-9 from the floor, 3-5 from beyond the arc, and 1-1 from the line. Pretty impressive stat line.

2
The Lakers current winning streak. Hey it’s better than a two-game losing streak.

More numbers after San Antonio on Tuesday!

Dwight Howard gets fouled going to the basket.

The By The Numbers recap for the Lakers 108-79 win over the Detroit Pistons at Staples Center on Sunday. The Lakers are now 1-3, and play next at Utah on Wednesday night.

108
The amount of points the Lakers scored on Sunday night, their best offensive output of the season thus far. They also shot 51.9% from the floor and are shooting 50.3% through the first four games.

81
The amount of points the Lakers starters scored against the Pistons, with four of the five in double-figures, led by Dwight Howard’s 28 points on 12-14 from the field.

46
The percentage of threes the Lakers made Sunday, hitting 10-22 from beyond the arc. So far this season, the Lakers shooting from the 3-point line has been impressive at 40.6%, with Steve Blake leading the way hitting 5-8 for 62.5%.

35
The percentage that Detroit hit from the floor, making just 28-79 shots. Think about this…Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, and Metta World Peace made 25 baskets by themselves.

32
The amount of minutes Kobe Bryant played Sunday, which makes all Laker fans happy. Kobe played 43 minutes Friday against the Clippers, and with a strained foot he doesn’t need to be logging so many minutes this early in the season. He got much needed time off against Detroit, only needing to take 10 shots as well.

28
The Lakers led at halftime on Sunday 62-34, which was easily their best performance in any half this season. They didn’t let up much in the second half, as they increased the lead to 36 at one point, before winning by 29.

15
The amount of turnovers committed by the Lakers Sunday. Might not seem like a big deal, but when a team commits 59 turnovers in their first three games, 15 sounds a lot better. Also keep in mind, many of those 15 came in garbage time with the game out of hand. The Lakers did protect the ball relatively well all night.

1
The Lakers’ current winning streak. Hey, have to start somewhere!

See you guys Wednesday after the Utah game.

Kobe battles through double-team against Clippers.

The By The Numbers recap for the Lakers 105-95 loss to the Clippers at Staples Center on Friday. The Lakers are now 0-3, and next play home to Detroit on Sunday.

1,725
The amount of steals Kobe Bryant has in his Lakers career, after picking one up against the Clippers.  He passed Magic Johnson for first all-time in Lakers’ history.

107
The number of points Lakers’ opponents are averaging through the first three games of the season.

59
The number of turnovers the Lakers have committed in the first three games this season, including 45 combined in the last two against Portland and the Clippers.

48
The number of points the Lakers’ bench has scored in the first three games of the season. No player has yet to score in double-figures off the bench either.

40
The number of points Kobe Bryant scored on Friday, on a brilliant 14-23 from the field and 10-10 from the foul line. Problem was he got little help, as three Laker starters had at least five fouls, including Dwight Howard. Kobe is shooting an amazing 61.4% from the field, and 94.1% from the line through the first three games.

34
The number of years since the Lakers last started a season 0-3. You want to know how that season ended? Here’s a hint, not with a championship. Magic Johnson was drafted #1 by the Lakers the next season, and the rest is history.

20
The number of points Steve Nash and Antawn Jamison have scored combined this season. Granted Nash didn’t play on Friday night, but it is highly unlikely that anyone saw those numbers coming.

11
The number of assists that leads the Lakers. While that number certainly isn’t impressive to begin with, what’s really disturbing is that Steve Nash isn’t the guy that has them. Both Pau Gasol and Steve Blake lead the team with those 11 assists. Nash has just eight so far this season in his two games.

Let’s hope next game’s numbers are a lot more fun to talk about, besides Kobe’s record steal of course.

Lamar Odom goes up for two against Mavericks.

The Lakers certainly did enough offensively to win on Wednesday, unfortunately they played one of their worst defensive games of the season, losing to the the Dallas Mavericks 109-100 at the American Airlines Center.

It’s not often a team shoots 54.3% from the floor in this day and age in the NBA and loses. But when the other team shoots 55.0%, then it makes sense. And that’s what happened against Dallas, as a good offensive game was wasted by the Lakers due to their inability to stop the Mavericks at all in the second half.

As has been the case in recent games, the Lakers led early, and led by double-figures at certain points as well. But they just can’t seem to play consistent defense for 48 minutes, allowing teams back into games, and quickly. Dallas erased an 11-point first half deficit, and a 9-point third quarter deficit, storming back for a relatively easy win.

In fact at one point in the in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks led 97-81, before the Lakers went on a 10-2 run, highlighted by a 4-point and a 3-point play by Lamar Odom. But they could get no closer, as the Mavs just had too big of a cushion and the Lakers were just unable to get stops at the defensive end. The Mavericks outscored the Lakers 27-8 to finish the third quarter, which was the difference in the game.

Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 23 points on 11-16 from the floor, though he had just five rebounds. Kobe Bryant had 21 points and 10 assists, and Lamar Odom continues to play great basketball, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 boards off the bench. He was the one real bright spot in the loss.

The biggest issue for the Lakers was allowing a Dallas team that had lost six in a row and was really struggling offensively, to hit 12-26 (46.2%) from the three-point line. And many of those shots were completely uncontested, as the Lakers were out of position on defense on so many occasions, it was hard to keep count. Both teams had 35 rebounds.

Jason Kidd, who went scoreless against Detroit in Dallas’ last game, scored a season-high 21 points on 5-8 from beyond the arc, to go along with 10 assists. Shawn Marion got to the basket at will, looking like the high-flying act he was in his younger days in Phoenix, as he scored 22 points off the bench.

Jason Terry, who was one for his last 18 from the three-point line hit 4-6 against the Lakers, for 22 points off the bench as well. Dirk Nowitski, coming back from a sprained knee, struggled with just 14 points on 5-15 shooting, but it hardly mattered on this night, as Dallas snapped their losing streak.

The Lakers will try to move on from that forgettable second half in Dallas to face Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets on Friday at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets beat the Lakers 118-112 back on November 11th, a game Los Angeles led by 10 in the fourth quarter in Denver, before collapsing down the stretch as Anthony went for 32 points.

Link: Lakers @ Mavericks Box Score

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

Lamar Odom lays up two against Hornets.

The Lakers avoided another four-game losing streak in fine fashion, as they led virtually all the way, in a surprisingly-easy 103-88 win against the Hornets in New Orleans on Wednesday.

After the loss on Tuesday against the Spurs, coach Phi Jackson decided to shake up the lineup, and put Andrew Bynum into the starting five for the first time this season, thus moving Lamar Odom back to his familiar sixth man role.  And did that move pay off on this night for both players.

Odom scored a game-high 24 points on 10-15 from the floor, the most points scored by a Laker bench since 2005 when Tierre Brown had 27 against Atlanta.  He also had a highlight play when he wrapped the ball behind his back on a drive to the rim, and after missing the layup, casually slammed home his own rebound.  It was that kind of night for the Lakers.

Andrew Bynum scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds in his first start of the season, and is looking more comfortable now as he works his way back from knee surgery.  Kobe Bryant scored 20 points, hitting 8-14 shots from the field, and needed to play less than 28 minutes in the win.  Pau Gasol had 11 points (on only five shots) and 12 rebounds.

The Lakers led 26-23 after one quarter, but outscored the Hornets 33-18 in the second, for a 59-41 halftime advantage.  The Hornets never got closer than 13 points in the second half, as the Lakers cruised to their seventh win in their last 11 meetings in New Orleans.

For the game, the Lakers shot 58.6% from the field, and at one point late in the second quarter were still shooting over 70%.  They also held the Hornets to just 41.8% from the floor, and 4-16 (25.0%) from the three-point line.  The Lakers also dominated on the boards, holding a 44-24 rebounding advantage.  In fact the Hornets only had 18 defensive rebounds, that’s how well it on both sides of the ball for the Lakers.

Chris Paul led the Hornets with 20 points and seven assists, but wasn’t really able to be much of a factor as he usually is against the Lakers.  Marco Belinelli had 15 points, most of them in the second half when the game was out of reach.  He only shot 4-16 from the floor for the game.

The Hornets did have a scary moment when leading-scorer David West went down with an ankle injury after landing on Ron Artest’s foot in the second quarter.  He left the game, but did return for the second half.  He scored just eight points in 28 minutes.

With their losing streak behind them, the Lakers play their next three games at home.  The first will be New Year’s Eve against the Philadelphia 76ers.  This will be the second meeting of the year between the two teams.  The Lakers won the first meeting 93-81 in Philadelphia back on December 17th behind Lamar Odom’s 28 points.

Link: Lakers @ Hornets Box Score

Andrew Bynum slams home two against Spurs.

In another lackadaisical second-half effort, the Lakers were blitzed by the San Antonio Spurs and dropped their third straight by 15+ points, 97-82 at the AT&T Center on Tuesday.

It was a game that started off well for the Lakers. They kept it close early on, erasing a nine-point first quarter deficit, and taking a 44-42 lead into halftime. After briefly getting up by four in the third quarter, that’s when the wheels came off, and the Spurs took over.

Led by the hustle and inside play of undersized center DeJuan Blair, and Tony Parker’s relentless attacking of the basket, the Spurs turned the game in their favor and took over in the third quarter, outscoring the Lakers 29-18 in the period. The Lakers never could recover, and never got the game close again, as the Spurs cruised to the win.

Kobe Bryant had another off shooting night, scoring a team-high 21 points, but hitting only 8-27 from the floor. He also picked up another technical foul, his fourth in the three games, after getting into a spat with George Hill in the second quarter. These technicals surely are a sign of the Lakers’ frustration on the court, as they continue having trouble beating good teams.

It was another miserable night offensively for the Lakers, as only Andrew Bynum and Ron Artest scored in double-figures, and they both had 10. Pau Gasol took only eight shots, scoring nine points, to go along with nine rebounds. For the game, the Lakers shot a season-low 35.4% from the field. They did outrebound the Spurs 51-50.

During this three-game losing streak, the Lakers are also averaging just 80.3 points per game, and have shot under 41% in two of the three games. They also are turning the ball over far too much as well, over 15 per game during the streak.

The Spurs were led by Tony Parker’s 23 points on 10-18 from the field. DeJuan Blair had a dominant second half, and scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the game. Richard Jefferson had 15 points and seven rebounds

The blowout win was even more impressive for the Spurs, when you consider that Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili scored only 11 points combined on 4-19 from the floor. In fact Duncan only grabbed four rebounds in 30 minutes of action, yet the Spurs won convincingly.

The Lakers will try to avoid their second four-game losing of the season when they play tomorrow night in New Orleans against the Hornets. The Hornets, after starting the year 11-1, have gone only 7-12 since, as they have encountered their own problems the last month.

Link: Lakers @ Spurs Box Score