The Lakers were thirsty for some shutdown defense when they came to STAPLES Center to face a Kings’ squad that had beaten them handily just three days earlier in Sacramento.
And, thanks to improved, quicker rotations on that side of the court, L.A.’s thirst was at least partially quenched in a 112-103 victory. During a particularly solid stretch of defense in the third quarter, the Kings managed just a single point - on a technical free throw - for a good five minutes, which ultimately pushed L.A. to a victory after Sacramento managed to stay in the game by making some tough shots and due to the Lakers’ struggles at the free throw line.
Yet if you had to pick one play to emphasize L.A.’s win, it was an explosive two-handed slam from an on-his-game Kobe Bryant late in the fourth quarter. After sneaking around a Gasol pick, Bryant stormed into the lane and dunked on a King head, drawing a foul and converting the free throw to give the Lakers a 10-point lead with 1:36 to go. That gave Bryant a game-high 32 points on an efficient 11-of-21 from the field, which atoned for his 9-of-25 during Tuesday’s loss in Sacramento.
Without question, it wasn’t all good on Friday. There were the missed charity tosses, and some silly fouls that helped keep the Kings within arm’s length for much of the game, but ultimately a victory was never in serious jeopardy for the Lakers, who trailed not once for the entire contest.
Your numbers:
0
Number next to “Kings” in the “Biggest Lead” category. L.A. led by as many as 15.
4
Fewer Chicken McNuggets I should have eaten after the third quarter.
6
Fouls committed by Andrew Bynum in 24 minutes, the final of which was of the flagrant variety when he got his Ray Lewis on and tackled Spencer Hawes. Bynum did manage 10 boards, though he missed several shots close to the hoop in a 3-for-9 performance.
7
Rebound advantage by the Lakers (46-39), including 21 combined from Pau Gasol (11) and Bynum (10).
8
Assists from Luke Walton after he posted six dimes on Wednesday against the Suns. Without question, the ball movement for the team has improved with Walton in the lineup. The Lakers are 2-0 with Walton starting at the three.
11
Turnovers committed by the Lakers, which resulted in only 10 Kings points. Sacramento had 30 points off turnovers in L.A.’s 118-108 win on Nov. 23 and 25 points off 16 turnovers in Tuesday’s Lakers loss at Arco.
39
Bench points for the Lakers, led by 13 from Trevor Ariza and nine from Lamar Odom. Odom added two blocks and four boards, while Ariza grabbed five boards with two assists.
66.6
Shooting percentage for Derek Fisher on 4-of-6. Even though the volume was low, Fisher stayed hot from the field, canning another three early in the action.
