By again dominating the backboards against an opponent that struggled to create good shots against its defense, L.A. emerged from Denver with a 104-97 that put the Lakers at 3-0 heading into a rematch with the 0-3 Clippers on Wednesday at STAPLES.
Pau Gasol carried the Lakers in the first half with 13 points and seven boards, while Kobe Bryant took over after halftime with 22 second half points, including 14 in the fourth quarter. He’s good at basketball.
Here are some stats that jumped off the box score I’m staring at on the team bus to the Denver Airport…
L.A. grabbed 53 rebounds, including 15 on the offensive glass, and held Denver to 38 boards (just three offensive).
That rebounding annihilation has been consistent in all three Laker games, as L.A. now holds a 153-114 edge on the backboards.
Carmelo Anthony was awful until two minutes remained in the game, when he nailed three triples that were quite useless. He finished 5-of-15 for 13 points, almost all in the fourth. Allen Iverson wasn’t much better with 3-of-8 from the field and six free throws, all in the first half, to finish with 13 points.
Lamar Odom had a nice second half to finish with 10 points, six boards, three assists and a block.
The Lakers shot only 37.9 percent from the field and still pulled out a victory. Generally, it’s tough to get a W when you’re below the 40 percent mark.
L.A. completely dominated second-chance points, 21-4, thanks to their rebounding advantage.
Phil Jackson said he could live with the 16 turnovers his squad committed. A few more would have made that shooting percentage more impactful.
Here’s what else Jackson had to say:
Phil Jackson Post-Game [4:33m]:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
