Archive for the 'Post-Game' Category

Gasol Stars Against Bulls In Return

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 19, 2009
in In-Game and Post-Game
. Closed

58965453Kobe Bryant had a quick response for reporters when asked what L.A. missed most about Pau Gasol early in the 2009-10 season: “He’s one of the top players in the world.”

Top 15, yup. Top 10, maybe? Either way, he’s really good at basketball.

In an impressive 2008-09 campaign, Gasol earned third-team All-NBA honors, was the second-best player on the NBA champs and finally the MVP of the European Championships (definitely Top something).

But it’s not like the Lakers were bad with the Spaniard sidelined since October 13, missing the team’s first 11 regular season games while healing fully from a hamstring strain. L.A. occasionally looked terrific (e.g. vs. Phoenix) and sometimes the opposite of good (e.g. at Denver), but generally just found different ways to win eight times in 11 chances despite the proverbial target on the purple and gold jersey.

It ended up taking just over five weeks - 36 days to be exact - before Gasol made his season debut, on Thursday at STAPLES Center against the Chicago Bulls.

It took about 36 seconds for Gasol to remind us what we were missing.

58965571In his opening six-minute run with the starters, Gasol sank 4-of-5 shots from the field and two free throws for 10 points, grabbed four rebounds and ran the floor with no discernible hesitation.

That was just the start.

Prior to the game, Phil Jackson said he would be very happy if Gasol lasted 25 minute, but the seven-footer looked so good, Jackson left him on the floor for 35 minutes*. Gasol rewarded his coach with 24 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and a block on a typically efficient 9-of-15 (60 percent) from the field and 6-of-6 from the line.
*Another reason - Andrew Bynum jammed his right ankle in the third quarter, but does not expect to miss any time. He will practice on Saturday and play against OKC on Sunday.

Bryant, who just missed a triple-double with 21 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, couldn’t have been happier to have his friend back in the fold.

“Having Pau back is huge,” said Kobe. “The game is so easy for him. It’s not like he’s in Memphis where he’s getting double- and triple-teamed. We spread the floor out for him extremely well and give him the ball in positions where he can be effective quickly, and with his talent, with this squad, it’s lights out for him.”

“He’s incredible,” added Lamar Odom, who went back to being arguably the league’s best bench player with Gasol’s return. “Incredible scorer, incredible touch, his size. The pressure he puts on the defense is incredible.”

Emphatic praise that at least the home crowd could agree with after gleefully cheering the return (standing ovation style) of so much basketball skill to the defending champs. Gasol, meanwhile, was simply glad to be out of his dress clothes.

“I’m just glad I could be out there,” he said. “I had a lot of fun playing again, playing with my teammates. We have such a great team that it’s a pleasure.”

Gasol explained that he wasn’t expecting to be as effective as he was, simply playing his game (it’s not that easy for everybody…). His conditioning, of course, wasn’t where he’d like it to be.

Pau Gasol“I was looking forward to the first time out and was glad it was a nationally televised game because the (time outs) were a little longer,” he conceded.

Yet Gasol scored on put-backs, lefty hooks, jumpers and fastbreak layups. He cleared defensive boards, filled the paint defensively and helped off his man as the Bulls struggled to get anything going inside, getting just 40 points in the paint for the game to 60 for L.A. In fairness, Gasol had a major matchup edge with 6-9 rookie Taj Gibson trying to guard him, but then again, Gasol almost always has an edge on opposing NBA power forwards.

“He’s really good,” said Jordan Farmar, glad to have yet another seven-foot option to feed. “Everybody knows it. He was kind of hesitant to do too much, but he did a great job. His touch is right there. He just has to get his wind back.”

Looking to help him out with that wind, Jackson said he’d hold practice on Saturday, one he’ll often cancel prior to another game on Sunday.

Nonetheless, how many players in the world could put up 24 and 13 just in the flow of their first game in a month and a half?

Ten, yup. Fifteen, maybe?

POSTGAME NUMBERS
0 Shots missed by Derek Fisher, who made all five of his attempts, including two three-pointers.

6 Lakers players in double figures on the night: Pau Gasol (24); Kobe Bryant (21); Ron Artest (15); Fisher (12); Andrew Bynum (11) and Lamar Odom (11).

7 Offensive rebounds for Gasol, half of L.A.’s 14. Joakim Noah, the league’s leading rebounder, grabbed five of Chicago’s 10 offensive window cleans.

8 Assists for Bryant to lead both teams. He added nine rebounds, second only to Gasol’s 13 on the Lakers and Noah’s 15 for Chicago.

24 L.A.’s biggest lead of the game, coming early in the fourth quarter on Jordan Farmar’s pull-up jumper.

60 Lakers points in the paint, a 20-point edge on the Bulls (40).

Third Time’s A Charm

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 17, 2009
in In-Game and Post-Game
. Closed

58946119Since the acquisition of Pau Gasol on February 1, 2008, the Lakers had yet to lose three consecutive games.

They’d lost two-straight on eight different occasions, but never thrice.

That’s a fact talked about throughout the week by reporters around L.A.’s practice facility …but L.A. had actually already won the next game after dropping two without Gasol twice, first against Dallas and then Washington in March of 2008 when the Spaniard was out with a sprained ankle.

Thanks to the 100th 40-point performance of Kobe Bryant’s outstanding career on Tuesday at STAPLES Center against Detroit, you can make that three times.

Gasol still in dress clothes due to a hamstring strain (yet looking to return in L.A.’s next game, on Thursday), the Lakers utilized pre-groin-tweak-looking Kobe and some swarming team defense to burst to a 25-point lead after three quarters. Detroit managed to cut to just seven late in the fourth before ultimately falling by 13 when Bryant swished a 28-foot three to get to his 40 (he’s good) on the final shot of the game. Guess the groin was OK?

“I wanted to come out and have a good game and have people stop asking about it,” he said.

Forty points surely did the trick, and led by No. 24, the purple and gold can still make the claim that you may get ‘em once, and maybe even twice, but definitely not three straight times.

58945900“(Losing) two in a row means something,” Phil Jackson had said after Monday’s practice. “One game is really a bump in the road for this team and they feel it. Two is an embarrassment. Three we don’t even want to think about.”

They won’t have to think about it, at least until the next two-game losing streak, which happened four times in 2008-09.

“Some of that is just talent and some of it is resiliency of the team that comes back,” said Jackson. “They were embarrassed with the losses and they want to feel good about themselves so they worked hard to change that.”

The tide of this one turned with L.A.’s first substitution late in the first quarter, when Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown checked in to match Detroit’s small lineup and produced a collective 11 points, two assists and two steals during a stretch that saw a 17-10 Pistons lead morph into a 48-36 Lakers edge with three minutes left in the second quarter (57-42 at the half).

“You’ve got to credit them,” said Pistons head coach John Kuester. “They played awfully hard, they were the aggressors.”

This was a welcome sight for the Lakers, whose bench struggled just as Bryant did in the team’s previous two games. Yet like the bench, Bryant turned things around in immediately after missing his first four shots by sinking eight of his next 10 for a game-high 21 points at the break, then converted 6-of-8 in the third to push L.A.’s lead to 88-63.

58944803“We played a couple of good periods in this game tonight and we sustained the effort at the end,” said Jackson. “I was pleased with the ball movement and the way we played in the first course of the game.”

The Pistons refused to quit, however, chipping away at L.A.’s lead first with a 9-0 run to start the quarter before getting it to seven with 1:55 remaining by outworking the Lakers second unit, drawing Jackson’s disdain. But it was too little, too late on this night.

L.A. has a chance to start a winning streak when the Chicago Bulls come to town, and perhaps more importantly, they expect to get their 7-foot power forward back in the process.

Until then, your numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
1,049 Career coaching wins for Phil Jackson, pushing him past Charlotte Bobcats head coach Larry Brown for 5th on the NBA’s all-time coaching list.

65 Points scored by the Lakers in the second and third quarters, to 41 from Detroit. Kobe Bryant had 27 in that mid-game stretch.

44 Career double-doubles for Andrew Bynum heading into this season. Thus far in 2009-10, he already has eight double-doubles in nine games after posting 17 and 12 against Detroit.

24 Points off the bench for Pistons backup guard Will Bynum, who helped Detroit close the gap to seven points late in the fourth as Jackson put Bryant back into the game.

12 Edge on the glass for the Lakers, including a 25-15 margin in the first half.

8 Of lots of things for Lamar Odom, including eight rebounds, assists and points in 29 minutes.

Lakers Fall To Rockets at STAPLES

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 15, 2009
in In-Game and Post-Game
. Closed

58925998While the Lakers were struggling in Denver last Thursday night, Rockets forward Shane Battier was with his team in Sacramento watching on television, apparently lamenting the score.

He figured the Lakers, annoyed with the big loss, would bring a little bit extra when the 2008-09 Western Conference Semi’s opponents locked horns. As if to specifically prove Battier’s point, the Lakers stormed out to a 16-2 lead on Sunday’s contest at STAPLES Center.

Yet L.A. also knew something about Houston.

The Rockets are an especially gritty team, as they showed last season in the Western Conference Semis and 11 days ago in a one-point, OT Lakers victory in Houston. As if to prove that point, the Rockets stormed right back into the game, climbing to within three points (24-21) before L.A. ended the quarter up 29-23.

Whatever burst the Lakers had out of the tunnel simply never came back, the Rockets outscoring the home team 49-37 in the second half to hand the Lakers their second home loss of the young season.

“It was a great game for us,” said Houston head coach Rick Adelman. “They jumped all over us (to) start the game and then we got our composure and got back in it. The whole second half was terrific.”

58926119In the third quarter, the Rockets had ridden the (red) hot hand of Aaron Brooks to a 28-19 spread that featured a 12-0 run, including three triples from the diminutive third-year guard. That gave Houston an 80-73 edge heading into the fourth, and new Rockets acquisition David Andersen promptly gave the visitors their biggest lead of the game to that point with back-to-back buckets to open the final period.

The Lakers never really got back into it from then on, watching their shooting percentage dip to just 38.1 percent for the game on 32-of-84 from the field. Kobe Bryant managed to hit just 5-of-20 and Derek Fisher 3-of-13, and while Andrew Bynum was again solid with 21 points and 11 rebounds, he only took 12 shots (making eight). Perhaps the stat of the game, however, was Houston’s 60-38 dominance of the backboard.

“(The Rockets) pursued the ball really well,” said Phil Jackson. “They just chased it. I was upset at halftime, I thought (we) forced shots. In the second half, (we) had wide open shots, much better shot selection, but (we) didn’t make shots.”

Some light was shed upon Bryant’s uncharacteristic effort when it was learned that he was dealing with a strained groin originally suffered on Sunday, Nov. 8 against New Orleans, which he tweaked in the first quarter*. Yet Bryant said he didn’t plan on missing any games, and looked forward to practice (and treatment) on Monday.
*CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL BRYANT INJURY UPDATE.

Ron Artest added 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting with three triples, plus six boards and three steals, while former Laker Trevor Ariza (who received his ring from Bryant and Fisher in a pregame ceremony) struggled to a 2-of-12 from the field offensive night, but was terrific on defense behind four steals, two blocks, eight rebounds and the stalking of Bryant.

L.A. has a chance to get back in the win column on Tuesday against Detroit, aiming to avoid losing for three consecutive times for the first time since the team acquired still-missing Pau Gasol (hamstring) in February of 2007.

In other news, Luke Walton missed the game with a sore back, and will be re-evaluated on Monday morning.

Until then, your numbers:

58926311POSTGAME NUMBERS
60 Rebounds for Houston to L.A.’s 38, giving the Rockets a commanding 22-board edge including a 13-6 win on the offensive glass.

45 Bench points for Houston, including 19 for Australian center David Andersen, 15 for Carl Landry and 11 for rookie Chase Budinger.

33.3 L.A.’s shooting percentage in the second half on 11-of-33. They made only 32-of-84 (38.1 percent) shots for the game.

25 “Is that Chris Rock” jokes that came into my Twitter account (@LakersReporter) referring to Rockets point guard Aaron Brooks, who torched the Lakers with a regular season career-high 33 points.

9 Combined blocks for both teams in the first 7:11 of the game.

5 Lakers turnovers in the first half, helping them overcome 41.2 percent shooting and the concession of six offensive boards.

Lakers - Nuggets Running Diary

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 13, 2009
in In-Game and Post-Game
. Closed

Carmelo AnthonyCLICK HERE FOR THE LAKERS GAMEDAY PAGE

We took a look at the Lakers - Nuggets showdown while it was happening, entering a thought or three each quarter. Here’s your running diary:

Inactives
Lakers: Pau Gasol
Nuggets: Johan Petro

Starters
Lakers: Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Odom and Bynum
Nuggets: Billups, Arron Afflalo, Carmelo Anthony, Martin and Nene

Phil Jackson Pregame
L.A.’s head coach covered topics ranging from Michael Jordan’s jersey being retired, guarding Carmelo Anthony, Andrew Bynum’s outstanding game against Phoenix and more.

Chauncey BillupsFirst Quarter
9:00 All Lakers to start. Bryant nailed two free throws before Artest and Odom sunk back-to-back threes to put the Lakers up 8-0. Denver responded with five quick points, before consecutive Bynum and Artest hoops put L.A. up 12-5. The Lakers didn’t seem distracted by a pregame South Park themed video that saw Cartman throw a basketball in the face of cartoon Jack Nicholson. This is Denver, after all, home of South Park co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, but it’s never smart to mess with Jack, is it?

5:00 The next offensive salvo went to Denver, who got consecutive buckets from Nene and jumpers from Martin and Billups to cap a 12-4 run that put them up a point. Some of the vitriol that L.A. earned by beating Denver in this building last season to advance to the NBA Finals (and the year before in a first-round sweep) came out in the form of a few aggressive “boooo!’s” when I walked around downtown wearing a Lakers warm up earlier. Fortunately I’m non-descript in a suit at press row right now.

1:00 After a 1-for-4 start, Bryant nailed consecutive jumpers to get to 10 points and give L.A. a two-point cushion heading into the second quarter. In related news, he’s good, and leads the NBA in scoring (33 per night). He’s taken his usual 2009-10 spot on the block, spending more time there than Bynum does looking at potential new cars online.

Second Quarter
10:09 Did you know that Bynum is averaging the fourth-most minutes per game in the NBA at 40 per night? It’s true. Looks like we’ll see that again tonight, as his first breather came just now when D.J. Mbenga checked in. ‘Drew had eight points and seven boards in another good effort, though he seemed a bit winded (remember the altitude doesn’t help). Think about sprinting with your mouth closed, only using your nostrils to breath. Does that work? Never tried it. The Lakers held a four-point lead when he went out.

5:40 Perhaps the best way to tell that L.A. was tired (other than remembering that the team arrived at their Denver hotel at 4 a.m. the previous night) was watching them take long jumpers. The Nuggets weren’t able to take too much of an advantage, leading by only three (44-41) into a TV timeout, but the style of play was bound to catch up with the Lakers in the second half.

0:37.2 Did I mention the Lakers looked tired? The final minutes of the half revolved around more perimeter jumpers from Bryant and Artest, though both managed to nail late-shot-clock threes to keep L.A. in the game. Another Artest three just rimmed out heading into the half, the purple and gold somehow trailing by just two after a weary half.

JR Smith - Lamar OdomThird Quarter
9:04 Halftime didn’t seem to help L.A. much in terms of energy, as they missed four shots and turned the ball over twice while allowing five Denver field goals (including three straight layups from Anthony) as the lead grew to 12, the home team’s biggest to that point. Last altitude comment, I swear … At the break I climbed to the top of the upper deck to visit some old high school friends, and was legitimately a bit winded from the lack of oxygen. But perhaps more than the altitude, L.A. was having trouble matching Denver’s energy in general, as they seemingly couldn’t help but try to avenge the playoff loss (not that it can be done in the regular season, but think of L.A.’s effort vs. Boston last Christmas).

5:33 With a few inches on Nene, Bynum didn’t have much of a problem getting shots off over him, and connected on his fifth in seven attempts. The Lakers, however, were having trouble getting him the ball, continuing to take jumpers as if they were Phoenix from the previous evening. On a brighter note, the Denver media room had Mountain Dew among its fountain choices.

0:55.2 Odom’s two missed free throws with just under a minute remaining underscored a horrid third quarter for L.A., during which they managed to score only eight points as their basket may as well have had small pieces of the Rocky Mountain covering its entry point. Denver had no such problem scoring, going for 29 points to take a commanding 87-64 lead into the fourth.

Fourth Quarter
6:20 Bynum stayed on for the first half of the fourth, building his double-double to 19 and 15 on 8-of-13 shooting … But things didn’t get any better from the Lakers, who trailed 100-71 at that point. Denver finally took out its starters as well, Anthony sitting with 25 points to lead al scorers.

4:45 Jordan Farmar hit back-to-back threes to make the score look a bit better … yet it was still a 23-point game.

1:34 Adding a bit of mental pain to L.A.’s loss, rookie point guard Ty Lawson came out of nowhere to dunk in traffic, plus the harm, as the Lakers were wondering how quickly the bus could get to the airport.

Bottom line: L.A. didn’t have energy, and Denver had a lot of it.

They’ll get a chance to get things going the right way again on Sunday at STAPLES Center against the Rockets.

Until then, some numbers:

Ron ArtestPOSTGAME NUMBERS
66.8 Combined scoring average of Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony, the league’s two top guns, heading into the game.

44 Combined points for Bryant (19 in three quarters) and Anthony (25, 18 in the second half) in this one.

28 Lakers points in the paint, emblematic of the team’s reliance on perimeter jumpers, and 50 less points down low than they managed against Phoenix the night before.

25 Denver’s rank on the defensive glass heading into the contest, which the Lakers did take advantage of in the form of 15 offensive boards as they actually won the rebounding battle 48-47.

22.7 L.A.’s second half shooting percentage (10-of-44).

8 Points scored by the Lakers in a tough third quarter, enabling Denver to stretch a two-point halftime lead to a 23-point edge heading into the fourth.

3 Fouls in five minutes whistled on Ron Artest to open the third quarter, giving him five for the game and earning him a seat on the bench.

Bryant Leads L.A. Past N.O.

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 8, 2009
in In-Game and Post-Game
. Closed

blog_091108kobebryant_headerWatch Highlights, Get Stats & Read Quotes over at the LAKERS GAMEDAY PAGE.

We used the title “No Gasol, No Bynum, No Problem!” when L.A. dusted Memphis on Friday evening, crediting L.A.’s impressive by-committee approach in a solid team effort.

Of course, Kobe Bryant’s 41 points didn’t hurt the cause. He’s pretty good.

Bryant’s scoring came so easily, we nearly forgot that he also dropped 41 points in two of the three Lakers wins prior to Friday, against Atlanta at home and then in Houston three nights later.

So while adorned in his Sunday white uniform against New Orleans, it wasn’t exactly a surprise to see Bryant filling up the twine yet again for 26 points in the first half on 10-of-16 shooting, helping his squad to a 55-42 lead at halftime. He was scoring so readily that one wondered why New Orleans wasn’t sending a double-team his way … And sure enough, that’s what Byron Scott would do in the third quarter, turning Bryant into a ball mover as his teammates took over in the second half.

“We had a little easier time tonight than I had anticipated,” said Phil Jackson. “A lot of it due … Kobe’s 26 point first half, they really came out to double to take the ball out of his hands and we were able to get some three-point shots and make them.”

58866893The Lakers canned eight of their 12 threes in that second half, while Ron Artest and Lamar Odom combined for 17 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 points in 30 minutes of burn each. Shannon Brown and Luke Walton pitched in 26 total points, all but five of which came in the latter half as the Hornets struggled to find an answer.

“This was a game that we believed was going to be a really tough game,” said Bryant. “I think because of that, everybody’s antennae were up, everyone was extremely focused and ready to go.”

No one more than himself.

Sure, Bryant didn’t hit the 40-point mark for the fourth time in five nights (a surprise despite only 12 second half minutes), but his initial burst was more than enough. D.J. Mbenga was so enamored with Bryant’s play that the center said he almost wished he were on the bench, as he might be with a healthy team, so he could just sit there and watch Bryant. Instead, Mbenga put up his first career double-double, a 10-point, 12-rebound effort capped off with four blocks … Even if he had to focus more on protecting the paint than marveling at Kobe.

“Well nothing surprises me anymore,” said Phil Jackson. “So I’m honestly not surprised at all … (Bryant is) the kind of guy [where] it doesn’t matter if things are going well like that. He’s going to want the ball and make them have to come double team him, make them play him in a way … He’s been doing a good job.”

Though Bryant is as much a stranger to scoring binges as peanut butter is to jelly, last season he didn’t score 40 points until Dec. 20 at Orlando (41), and only did it four times for the entire regular campaign*. After seven games this season, he’s just a game away from matching that pace.
*Other three times: 40 at Utah on Jan. 2; 61 at New York on Feb.; 49 at Phoenix on March 1.

One simple explanation for Bryant’s burst of points (other than the fact that he’s the world’s best player) is the convergence of two things: he spent much of his offseason working on his post game, and the block is wide open for his use with Bynum and Gasol in street clothes.

58867046After the game, Bryant was asked how much of his offseason workouts focused on his low post game.

“More than usual,” he said. “I always concentrate on it, but more than usual.”

Not a shocker. By the way, ceding the block to either seven-footer when they return isn’t exactly the plan.

“They know I eat first,” said the Finals MVP. In other words, this isn’t just a temporary experiment.

Case in point: in the second quarter, Bryant so easily laid in and banked home respective shots on post ups of New Orleans shooting guard Devin Brown that Brown just sort of stopped and looked around, his face resembling the female lead of “Paranormal Activity” after the door of her bedroom door closed randomly in the middle of the night.

Brown wasn’t sure how to make it stop, but then again, who is?

POSTGAME NUMBERS
1 Year of college basketball played together at UCLA for Jordan Farmar and Hornets back up Darren Collison. Farmar’s five assists helped lead to 46 bench points for L.A.

4 Blocks for D.J. Mbenga, not to mention 12 rebounds to lead L.A. in both categories in relief of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

5 Free throws attempted by the Hornets in a first half dominated by the Lakers, showing how New Orleans largely settled for jump shots.

12 Three-pointers hit by the Lakers, eight of which came in the second half. Luke Walton and Shannon Brown nailed three apiece.

33.6 Kobe Bryant’s scoring average so far this year, tops in the NBA.

40 Points scored in STAPLES last January by Hornets forward David West in a Hornets’ win; L.A. held him to just 11 on Sunday.

Watch Highlights, Get Stats & Read Quotes over at the LAKERS GAMEDAY PAGE.

No Gasol? No Bynum? No Problem

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 6, 2009
in Post-Game
. Closed

58851788Watch Highlights, Get Stats & Read Quotes over at the LAKERS GAMEDAY PAGE.

No Pau Gasol?

OK, it’s never good to miss one of the world’s best players, but L.A. had managed to go 4-1 without him heading into their sixth game of the season Friday night against Memphis.

No Andrew Bynum?

Less good, especially since Bynum was averaging 20.0 points and 10.6 rebounds in L.A.’s first five games, making him one of only three players in the league (Chris Bosh, Chris Kaman) on that pace.

But L.A. still had Kobe Bryant (he’s pretty good). Still had Lamar Odom … Ron Artest … Derek Fisher … Josh Powell and D.J. Mbenga. Etc.

In other words, no problem.

58851622Bryant’s blood should have been checked for warmth after another 40-plus point effort, his third in six games this season after sinking 19-of-30 shots for 41. In the process, Bryant became the youngest player to 24,000 points and vaulted him past Allen Iverson for 16th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He was particularly effective from the low block, where the Finals MVP repeatedly caught entry passes and went to work on whomever Memphis sent at him. In fact, Bryant didn’t even attempt a single three-pointer, content to take what the Grizzlies were offering.

“What can I say,” wondered Phil Jackson. “This is a guy who sees a weakness in a team and exploits it. It was killer instinct.”

Meanwhile, Mbenga, L.A.’s third-string center who is best known around the team for being funny, owning a black belt, swatting shots and loving to pop jumpers in practice, showed a new element to the Lakers depth by grabbing nine rebounds* (a career high) and swatting two shots … in the first eight minutes. That helped the Lakers run out to a 17-10 lead, which they’d momentarily give up late in the second quarter before dominating the Grizzlies 38-24 in the third quarter to establish firm control of their fifth victory.
*Mbenga finished with a team-high 13 boards and four blocks.

“The way he started the game that strong gave us a dominant feel inside,” said Jackson. “So (Memphis) thought (they) could exploit it inside and it was the reverse.”

L.A. got a little (or a lot of) something from everyone who played, highlighted by another solid effort from Artest, who was very efficient offensively in going for 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting plus six boards and a team-high seven assists while providing his usual stanch defense. The Mbenga - Josh Powell combo combined to offer 18 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks, while Luke Walton was very effective in producing seven boards and seven assists in just 20 minutes.

58852357Powell continued what’s been a very effective effort off the bench this season, drawing praise from his head coach.

“He has been our most reliable substitute this year off the bench,” said Jackson. “He is shooting the ball well and he is much more comfortable playing this offense, he knows the niches he can find and our players know how to use him well too.”

Should we mention again that L.A. was missing one of the league’s best players and a 20-10 center?

That, of course, doesn’t mean that every Laker won’t be more than happy if Gasol, Bynum or both are able to play on Sunday against New Orleans. We’ll have to wait until then to find out.

In the meantime, some numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
24,000 Point total Kobe Bryant reached for his career in the second quarter, the youngest in NBA history to do so. He also passed Allen Iverson, who scored eight points for Memphis, for 16th on the NBA’s All-Time scoring chart.

99 Time Bryant has scored at least 40 points in his career after his third 40-plus point effort in six Lakers games.

35 Assists for the Lakers, compared to just 13 from the Grizzlies for a whopping 22-dime difference. Three Lakers had at least seven helpers: Luke Walton, Ron Artest and Derek Fisher.

14 Scoring margin in the third quarter in L.A.’s favor, spurred by 15 points from Bryant and 11 from Artest, plus five each from Josh Powell and Derek Fisher.

12 Lakers edge on the glass (49-37), which included an 18-13 advantage on the offensive boards. Mbenga led the way with five offensive boards and eight defensive.

Watch Highlights, Get Stats & Read Quotes over at the LAKERS GAMEDAY PAGE.

Lakers - Thunder Quotes

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 4, 2009
in Post-Game
. Closed

After L.A. used overtime to beat a plucky Oklahoma City squad on Tuesday night, Thunder head coach Scott Brooks was impressed with the physical play that L.A. began showing last season.

“They turned up the heat, he said. “They are a physical team. They don’t get enough credit for being a physical ball club but they are physical at a lot of positions. Derek is as strong and as tough as a point guard gets and Artest, Byum, Kobe and even Lamar.”

You can read about the game by linking to our running diary, and check out the rest of the quotes below:

LAKERS HEAD COACH PHIL JACKSON:
On tonight’s win:
“They hit some tough shots. Many things happened that kept the complexity of that game tight. They brought in (Etan) Thomas and he did a better job of high-siding and making it difficult to get the passes in. We didn’t go back in again until overtime. We just didn’t get back in the post very often and we needed to.”

On Kobe Bryant’s performance:
“I liked him sometimes and sometimes I didn’t like him. I think he was a little dehydrated when he ran off at the end and let (Thabo) Sefalosha have a wide open three. He made plays that he makes in ballgames. He got to the free-throw line and made some free-throws. He was able to control the game at the end.”

LAKERS CENTER ANDREW BYNUM:
On winning in overtime:
“We were able to get a couple of stops at the end of the game. After the first quarter we slowed down and didn’t stop them. They did a much better job defensively (after the first quarter). Etan (Thomas) did a great job tonight. We had a lot of turnovers tonight, especially down the stretch.”

On Kobe Bryant’s performance while playing sick:
“It doesn’t surprise me. That’s what he does. He does it all the time.”

LAKERS FORWARD LAMAR ODOM:
On air balling a free throw:
“I shot the first one a little too long and I told myself do everything I can not to shoot the second one long. It was a lack of concentration. There was no excuse for that. It has to at least touch the rim.”

On his clutch three-pointer in overtime:
“They were playing off of me in the corner to not allow Kobe to catch the ball in the post. That’s what got me open.”

On how they were able to come with a win:
“Persistence and just staying after it. We weren’t worrying about calls and things that didn’t go our way. We just make the game our way as the game went along.”

OKLAHOMA CITY’S HEAD COACH SCOTT BROOKS:
Opening statement:
“Well that was a heck of a ball game. Our guys really showed a lot of enthusiasm during the game and we fought back early when we were down and competed. You have to give the Lakers a lot of credit, they made a lot of great plays when they needed to and obviously we all know what Kobe is about, he makes great plays, winning basketball plays constantly.

On message to the team:
“I said we had a good effort. That’s four games in a row of good effort. I’m proud of the way our guys played. I’m not into close games, I understand we played against the defending champs but we are a good enough team because we battle, we fight and we are a team I am proud of. It’s fun to coach when we play with this type of heart and desire.”

On offense becoming stagnant in the last five minutes:
“They turned up the heat. They are a physical team. They don’t get enough credit for being a physical ball club but they are physical at a lot of positions. Derek is as strong and as tough as a point guard gets and Artest, Byum, Kobe and even Lamar. They turned it up and really put a lot of pressure on us. In the last six or seven minutes we really have to buckle down. We still have to figure that part of our game out.”

FORWARD KEVIN DURANT:
“They just made more shots than we did. It was poor offense. We just missed our shots. (Etan Thomas) came in and gave us a boost. He played some defense, blocked shots, rebounded and he just played a great game.”

FORWARD JEFF GREEN:
“We made plays when it counted. We continued to get great shots; they just didn’t fall at times. We’ll continue to get better. We fought. We were scrappy. We didn’t put our heads down and let the Lakers run us over. We just kept battling. We talked and communicated which led to us having the final possession.”

GUARD JAMES HARDEN:
“The last two games didn’t go our way but we still looked good out there. We’re still competing and getting after it on the defensive end which is a good thing. (Sefolosha) is a great defender. That’s why he’s starting and why he’s one of the best ‘2’ guards in the league.”

Lakers - Thunder Running Diary

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 3, 2009
in In-Game and Post-Game
. Closed

CLICK HERE FOR THE LAKERS GAMEDAY PAGE

Read about the Lakers vs. Thunder as it unfolds. As always, feel free to refresh your browser for live updates throughout the game … On second thought, I guess they wouldn’t technically be “live” updates since you have to press refresh. But whatever.

Inactives
Lakers: Pau Gasol
Thunder: Ryan Bowen, Byron Mullens, Kyle Weaver

Starters
Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum
Thunder: Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic

Phil Jackson Pregame
The gist of Jackson’s pregame was to update Kobe Bryant’s health (fever subsided, will start) and address Gasol’s hamstring (MRI still pending, won’t play).

Follow Us On Twitter
In case there aren’t enough observations for you in the diary, feel free to follow us on twitter on @Lakers or @LakersReporter.

First Quarter
11:46 Does Kobe Bryant play better when he’s not feeling great? He started the game be going straight to the hoop, drawing a foul for two free throws, though he did air ball his second shot. No matter as Bynum followed with a baby hook, Odom offensive boarded that Bryant miss for an Artest three and Bynum ooped off Kobe’s alley for a quick 9-0 lead two minutes into the game.

5:00 Keeping the Thunder in the game early was Jeff Green, the former No. 5 overall pick, who hit three rather uncontested threes to pull OKC within seven at 22-15. Bynum was very effective underneath, converting 4-of-5 shots including two dunks. In related news, Bynum is tall.

0:05.4 Oklahoma City went on an 8-0 run to get within seven as the first quarter drew to a close, as L.A. began to mix a few subs into the action. Kevin Durant led the way with 12 points (3-of-6 FG, 6-of-6 FT), while Bryant matched him with 12 of his own. Lamar Odom was again terrific for the Lakers, making 3-of-4 shots for six points with five rebounds and two assists. Still, L.A. had taken its collective foot off the pedal a bit heading into the second quarter.

Second Quarter
8:49 Generally, Lamar Odom is able to provide a big matchup edge against second units of opposing teams, but in the absence of Pau Gasol, Odom’s is often on the bench at the beginning of the second. Still, it was hard work more than anything that had the Thunder chop four quick points off L.A.’s lead, with three put-back layups by Durant (two) and Etan Thomas.
Continue reading ‘Lakers - Thunder Running Diary’

Bryant’s 41 Keys Lakers Win

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 1, 2009
in Kobe Bryant and Post-Game
. Closed

blog_091101kobebryantThe Lakers did not play well in Friday night’s 94-80 loss to Dallas (OK, they did the opposite).

Yet coming off an emotional Ring Night win to open the season and again playing without Pau Gasol, a loss in October wasn’t exactly the end of the world for the Lakers.

That, of course, didn’t mean that Kobe Bryant was at all interested in losing again.

So on Sunday against Atlanta, he scored 31 points in three quarters to open a 22-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, then checked back in to thwart a Hawks’ comeback attempt that had cut L.A.’s lead to 10 points with just over four minutes remaining. When the final buzzer sounded, Bryant had amassed 41 points, eight rebounds, three assists and five steals to lead the Lakers to their second victory of the young season.

As good as he was, and as easily as he found the bottom of the bucket, Bryant credited the outstanding defensive energy of Ron Artest (who locked up Joe Johnson after he had scored 18 first quarter points mostly on Bryant) and the all-around play of Lamar Odom (who nearly reached a triple-double with 11 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists) without mentioning his own name.

58800786But it was Bryant who came out in attack mode particularly to start the game and the second half, almost as if to let his teammates and the Hawks know how things would turn out before they got any other ideas. The Finals MVP went for 13 points in an otherwise tepid first quarter as the Lakers held a two-point lead, then exploded in the third for 14 more points to turn a six-point halftime edge into a 22-point lead heading into the final quarter.

Not that it was a surprise to anyone in the building. After all, of L.A.’s 17 regular season losses last season, only four came in back-to-back style, and Atlanta’s Maurice Evans - who used to guard Bryant in practice when he was a Laker - was wary of No. 24’s expectations prior to the game.

“You have to focus on bringing the effort and energy for 48 minutes or as long as you’re out there because he doesn’t have weaknesses,” said Evans. ” He constantly attacks and he’s constantly effective out there, so if you don’t match his energy he’ll just roll over you.”

“Roll over” the Hawks did not, but they also had no answer whatsoever for Bryant.

Since Evans comes off the bench for Atlanta, the first time he saw Kobe face-to-face came with 3:16 left in the first quarter, and Bryant faced him up about 17 feet away from the basket. Evans stayed off Kobe a few feet, attempting to take away driving lanes, so Bryant simply rose up and nailed a jumper for his 10th point of the quarter. Evans was more successful on Bryant’s next shot, a turnaround fadeaway from nearly the same spot, but when Evans lost Bryant in transition three possessions later, Kobe sprinted to the corner and knocked down a three-pointer. What Evans had yet to see was Bryant on the block.

“I think that as he gets older his body takes more of a beating, so if he’s able to get it in a good position down low, he doesn’t have to expend as much energy to score the ball,” Evans said. “I’d almost prefer to see him on the block, because that way you can get quick help from a double-team. But out there on the perimeter, he has everything at his disposal.”

Continue reading ‘Bryant’s 41 Keys Lakers Win’

Lakers 80, Mavericks 94: Postgame

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 30, 2009
in Post-Game
. Closed

58783766Only twice last season had the Lakers failed to score more than 80 points; only five times had they lost at home; and only seven times had they lost by double-digits.

Then there was Friday night.

Because when the Dallas Mavericks came into Los Angeles sporting their brand new powder blue alternate uniforms on the day before Halloween, it was almost as if they’d brought along a few bright blue smurfs to sit on the rim.

LA just couldn’t find the bottom of the net - nor keep it out of its own - in a somewhat lethargic effort, and the purple and gold fell by 14 to a swarming Blue Man Group.

“That’s one of the longest nights we’ve had here in this building,” said Phil Jackson. “Every time we got momentum, somehow or other we shot ourselves in our own foot.”

The first quarter served as a harbinger for the rest of the game, as the Lakers opened by hitting only 7-of-24 shots (29.2 percent) before Jordan Farmar broke through (the smurfs) for five straight points in under a minute to salvage the quarter trailing by only three.

That was nothing compared to the third quarter, when the Lakers committed more turnovers (seven) than they made field goals (six). That resulted in 15 points, while the Mavericks went the other way in scoring 26 to open up a 22-point lead that was mercifully cut to four with a Kobe Bryant layup and Josh Powell put-back in the final minute.

58783831Now, if the Lakers were looking for excuses, a few obvious ones were readily available: Pau Gasol, so key to their offensive rhythm, missed his second straight game (hamstring), and the team hadn’t played a game in three days since the season opening victory over the Clippers, including a Wednesday off from practice.

That certainly didn’t impress Phil Jackson, who found a more tangible explanation for the loss.

“Our rhythm wasn’t good on offense,” said he of 10 titles. ” Defensively we didn’t read this team well at all. Their defense was solid, and we just tried to do things with one pass and hope to beat somebody one-on-one rather than playing team basketball on the offensive end.”

L.A. did finally come to life in the fourth, scoring the first eight points to cap a 12-0 run - which included a monster put-back slam by Shannon Brown - that almost became 15 when Ron Artest’s corner three rimmed out. Instead, Nowitzki converted a layup to get the lead back to 14 at 80-66, and Dallas never looked back.

Bryant’s struggles from the field were emblematic of the team’s, as he managed just 6-of-19 for the game. Derek Fisher fared no better, converting only 2-of-9 shots, while Ron Artest missed five of the six shots he took, committed five fouls and was whistled for a technical.

Perhaps the only good news for L.A. is they have to wait only a day before getting back in the mix for a Sunday game against Atlanta.

Until then, some numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
2 Double-doubles in as many games for Andrew Bynum, his 14 and 10 coming in the first three quarters before he found a permanent seat on the bench.

5 Home losses for the Lakers in 2008-09, the best in the league.

7 Times the Lakers lost by double-digits last season.

12 Points off L.A.’s bench from Shannon Brown, who was very effective at both ends. He hit two threes, grabbed three boards, dished two assists and gathered two steals, all punctuated by a monster put-back slam when he climbed high into the air and finished with two hands.

18 More free throws taken by Dallas (32) than L.A. (14), as L.A. was whistled for 29 personal fouls to 21 from the Mavs.

39.5 L.A.’s shooting percentage for the game.

41 Bench points scored by Dallas, paced by 16 from Jason Terry and 12 from J.J. Barea. L.A., by comparison, scored 28 bench points.