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Previous Lakers - Rockets Running Diary/Postgame
Lakers - Rockets Running Diary 11-09-2008
Lakers 111, Rockets 82: Postgame
Lakers - Rockets Running Diary 1-13-2009
Lakers 105, Rockets 100: Postgame
Lakers - Rockets Running Diary 3-11-2009
Lakers 102, Rockets 96: Postgame
Inactives
Lakers: Andrew Bynum, Sun Yue
Rockets: Joey Dorsey, Carl Landry, Tracy McGrady
Starters
Lakers Fisher, Bryant, Ariza, Odom and Gasol
Rockets Aaron Brooks, Ron Artest, Shane Battier, Luis Scola, Yao Ming
Bench Time?
Perhaps the best thing about L.A. having 5-of-7 remaining regular season games at home is that the bench plays better in front of STAPLES Center crowds. Surely this is important for a unit that isn’t playing with its highest level of confidence of the season. Individual players have had nice games of late (Sasha Vujacic in Milwaukee, for example), but the entire unit hasn’t exactly been on a tear. Perhaps that changes over the next two weeks heading into the playoffs, boosted by …
…Bynum Warms Up
Andrew Bynum took part in pregame warmups on the court, which is something Lakers fans haven’t seen since his Jan. 31st injury. Wearing a large knee brace, Bynum was doing everything: jumping, cutting, running, dunking, shooting … you name it. Never have more Lakers fans been worried about a loose ball rolling around unchecked while everyone took shots. Alas, we had the camera rolling for part of his warmup, and Ty Nowell will try and get it up for you during the game.
First Quarter
10:40 Welcome back, L.A.! Maybe it’s because the team’s been gone for so long, but the STAPLES crowd was particularly excited to see their purple and gold back on the floor, and the Lakers responded by scoring the games first six points on a baby hook from Odom, steal and layup from Fisher and jumper from Gasol. That was easy.
8:47 It wasn’t Artest that upset Bryant this time, but the referees: After a no call on his driving layup attempt, Bryant earned a technical by not only flailing his arms at the ref, but getting a look on his face one might see from any male member of the coming “Duel” on MTV (seriously, did anyone see that preview?). His response, after Yao missed a free throw, was to pull up and nail a triple that made it 10-2 Lakers.
5:33 Representing the Lakers in the gold corner of the ongoing battle with the refs was Fisher, who looked like “The Office” Dwight after Jim put his stapler in Jell-O. He had something going on with Brooks, and both earned techs. Meanwhile, L.A. held a 14-9 lead.
2:32 After going out for a minute after some Rockets’ player drew Odom’s blood (Gary Vitti had the blue gloves on, so we know this), Lamar made back-to-back hoops to give the Lakers a 20-19 lead. L.A. had missed out on a few easy scoring opportunities that could have boosted the lead further, but seemed in command of the game despite the narrow lead.
0:01.0 Jordan Farmar couldn’t have asked for two better looks from three in the final 1:18, including a potential buzzer beater, but he was slightly off on each, allowing Houston to take a 21-20 lead into the second quarter. Here’s our first chance to see how the second unit plays together at home…
Second Quarter
11:50 As Artest rather easily laid the ball in, it was apparent that Pau’s first priority right now doesn’t seem to be protecting the paint. Fortunately for Lakers fans, Andrew Bynum is lurking (and Pau promises to pick it up in the playoffs).
10:17 Farmar attoned for one of his missed triples by swishing from the right wing, putting L.A. up 25-24.
9:36 L.A. was whistled for its eighth personal foul when the Rockets had totaled just three. The game, however, wasn’t being played in Charlotte.
8:22 If you remember the last time L.A. had a home game, you remember that D.J. Mbenga was on a nice streak at STAPLES. His first two plays today resulted in a made 17-footer and a contest of Rockets’ sub Chuck Hayes’ baseline shot in a 29-29 game. Right before that series, Andrew Bynum talked to Patrick O’Neal Fox Sports’ Patrick O’Neal. Here’s a rough transcription:
I’m just waiting to get a couple more actual practices under my belt and some five-on-five action. Just being comfortable pushing off the right leg. … but I’ve been working on everything that I was doing before. I just have to be careful with how hard I push off my right leg … I think it’s important (to get on the floor before the playoffs start) … No pain, no swelling right now.
6:24 Then Mbenga dunked again all fierce like with the right hand, courtesy of Kobe.
4:47 OK, not trying to post exclusively about D.J., but he just hit another jumper. Lakers 35, Rockets 33.
2:57 Bryant’s second triple preceded his stripping of Battier that produced a pretty layoff from Fish to Odom for a lefty layup. The 5-0 run put the Lakers up 40-37, and produced an energy blast from the crowd. More fun to me was that ESPN showed Tori Spelling’s picture coming out of a commercial break.
0:00.9 Bryant scored seven of L.A.’s final nine points of the half to offer a three-point lead … At least until Artest buried a corner three as time expired to knot the score at 44. That the Lakers managed a tie on the scoreboard is actually surprising when you look at the box score, since they hit only 17-of-43 shots (39.5 percent). Meanwhile, Houston hit 47.5 percent of its shots, but turned the ball over eight times to three TO’s from the Lakers. Rarely is a team shooting below 40 percent not trailing, so L.A. will take it and count on more shots to fall in the second half.
Minnesota Beats Utah … in Utah
We all know Utah can’t win on the road, but in Salt Lake City, they’re among the league’s best … Except, apparently, when the Timberwolves (22-54, minus their two best players) are in town. A late Ryan Gomes three buried the Jazz, who are now just a game up on Dallas for the 8th spot and a first-round matchup with Lakers.
Third Quarter
9:31 Bryant found Gasol underneath for a baby hook as Houston continued to send numbers at Kobe. Battier and Artest can both be seen taking turns on Bryant, who was happy to pass in the first half (four assists) while taking only six shots for 10 points.
7:29 Not many players have the length to isolate the 7-6 Yao, back him down and drop a hook over him, but Pau Gasol’s one of them. L.A. led 53-50 with the make.
6:22 Ariza got the crowd going with a murderous swat of an Artest jumper … They’d already been on the edges of their seats as Bryant blew past Battier for a two-handed dunk on the previous possession. Alas, when Ariza canned a triple, then found Gasol under the rim for a dunk, STAPLES really let it loose. Think they’re happy to have their squad home?
4:30 Another horrible call came after L.A.’s 7-0 run. Let’s let ESPN’s Mark Jackson break it down for us: “That’s not a foul. That’s not a foul. Aaron brooks jumps into the body of Lamar Odom and gets a foul called.” It was Odom’s fourth foul, sending him to the bench.
3:29 Credit the Lakers with ignoring the bad luck from that sequence and coming back with consecutive scores courtesy of Kobe Bryant passes. The first resulted in two Gasol free throws, and the second a wide open Fisher triple (swish). Fisher left to a standing ovation with his team up 65-55.
0:04.2 Houston chopped L.A.’s lead in half with a Battier three and Artest transition dunk, and Farmar couldn’t find the twine on a wide open look off a pick and roll with Gasol as L.A. took a 67-62 lead into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter
10:42 Houston continued its mini run with a break-away layup from sub Brent Barry and a Von Wafer 15-footer to cut the lead from 10 to one. The group out on the floor for L.A.: Farmar, Vujacic, Walton, Powell and Gasol.
8:57 That group responded as well as it might have for the home team, completing an 8-2 run with a Powell dunk and Walton layup to reclaim a 75-68 lead.
8:17 Kobe checked back in alongside Odom and Mbenga, with Farmar and Walton staying on the floor.
7:31 Just as Ty and I were discussing how good Walton’s been of late, he dribbled the length of the floor after a tough defensive board, drew two defenders and fed Mbenga for a wide-open layup.
5:01 Fisher’s been very, very good tonight. His jumper was the sixth make in 10 attempts for 14 points, helping him to a game high 17 points at that point. Perhaps a bigger shot, however, was Bryant’s three-point answer to Battier’s triple from the corner.
3:54 Oh boy, was that the dagger? No one senses the moment for a killer momentum shot better than Kobe Bryant, who followed up his triple by pulling up for another (swish). Battier’s triple had cut the lead to five, but Bryant thought an 11-point cushion would be more fun.
2:30 You’re supposed to get the continuation when moving to the basket and getting fouled, but Gasol instead went to the line for two. He made both, putting L.A. up 93-81, though the game had already been one.
It was academic from that point, the Lakers ultimately emerging with their 60th win just as Cleveland lost its second game in a row.
