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Brett
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Kobe Saves The Day, Lakers Sink Bucks 113-107
11.04.03
If tonight was any indication of Kobe Bryant‘s health, Laker fans have nothing to worry about. Bryant hit a variety of 4th quarter shots as he helped rally the Lakers from behind to beat the Bucks 113-107 in Milwaukee.
The Lakers, who trailed most of the second half, overcame as much as a 10-point deficit to take control of the game in the final minute. Bryant hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:30 left giving the Lakers a 103-101 lead, which they never relinquished. The All-Star guard then hit a jump shot with 30 seconds left to seal the victory.
Bryant scored a season-high 31 points, to go along with eight assists and seven rebounds, leading another very balanced Laker attack, with six players in double-figures. Shaquille O’Neal scored 23 and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds. Gary Payton scored 19 in his return to Milwaukee, and Karl Malone, despite shooting only 4-of-15 from the field, scored 11 points to go along with his 11 rebounds.
The Lakers led the game by as many as 12 in the first half. But poor free throw shooting and a barrage of Bucks 3-pointers put the Lakers in a second half hole that they barely were able to dig out of. A late 11-0 run in the 4th quarter was capped by an O’Neal dunk and free throw helping the Lakers remain undefeated at 4-0.
The Bucks were led by Michael Redd who tallied a game-high 36 points, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
Lakers Roll Over Warriors 87-72
11.02.03
It may not have been pretty, but the Los Angeles Lakers moved to 3-0 on the young season, as they beat the Golden State Warriors 87-72 behind Kobe Bryant‘s 21 points.
The game was marred by sloppy play, as both teams combined for 37 turnovers. The Lakers managed to overcome shooting just 43% from the floor as they led the game wire to wire. The Warriors shot an even more miserable 37% from the field, and managed to hit only 20% (3 of 15) from beyond the arc.
Bryant led all scorers with 21 points, he also had five steals, and looked much more fluid in his second game back. He also played 35 minutes after logging 37 last night in Phoenix.
Shaquille O’Neal put up 17 points and 14 rebounds, Karl Malone added 16, and Gary Payton chipped in with 10 points and 11 assists. Devean George continues to benefit from starting with the “Fab Four,” as he had another strong game, scoring 12 points on 6-9 shooting and grabbing seven rebounds.
The Lakers will spend the next week on the road, for a tough four-game road trip which will take them to Milwaukee, San Antonio, New Orleans, and Memphis. The team will need to play with more intensity on the road than they did this night, especially with a showdown against the World Champion Spurs on Thursday.
The Warriors, who were missing several players, including starting guard Jason Richardson (serving the final game of a three-game suspension), were led by Clifford Robinson’s 19 points. Erick Dampier also grabbed a game and career-high 23 rebounds.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
So Far, So Good! Lakers Beat Mavs 109-93
10.29.03
Even with Kobe Bryant out of the lineup, the Lakers didn’t miss a beat, pummeling the Dallas Mavericks 109-93 on the NBA’s opening night.
The stars of the night were most definitely newcomers Karl Malone and Gary Payton, who shone in their Laker regular season debuts.
Malone nearly had a triple-double as he tallied 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists in an all-around stellar game. Payton led the Lakers with 21 points, he also dished out 9 assists and grabbed 7 rebounds.
Payton and Malone led a very balanced attack, as six Lakers scored in double figures. Shaquille O’Neal, fresh off his recent feud with Bryant, Derek Fisher, and Devean George all scored 16 points, while another newcomer, Bryon Russell, added 10 off the bench.
The Mavs never were able to get into the flow of the game, and found themselves down 14 after one quarter and 10 at the half. They got no closer than seven points in the second half, and never really mounted a serious challenge. They managed to shoot only 38% from the field for the game.
Bryant, who was sidelined because of knee surgery, joined his teammates on the bench in the 4th quarter, just in time for the festivities as the Lakers’ lead ballooned to 19. He even sat next to O’Neal, as the two try to put their war of words to rest, and get on with the season. Bryant says he hopes to be ready to play Saturday at Phoenix.
Dallas was led Dirk Nowitski and Antoine Walker who each scored 19 points.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
Warriors Return Favor, Pound Lakers
10.09.03
One night after an 18-point win in their preseason opener, the Lakers never got on track Wednesday, as the Warriors returned the favor from the previous night with a 99-83 victory.
The Lakers led 24-22 after one quarter, but never were really able to sustain any momentum, as the Warriors dominated the rest of the game, outscoring the Lakers 77-59 over the next three periods.
After the starters gave the Lakers the lead in first quarter, Coach Phil Jackson went with primarily younger players in the second, which is when the game got out of hand. “We won the first quarter with the first unit out there,” Jackson said. “The second quarter was a nightmare.”
“We had a breakdown out there. We had a little bit of offensive confusion. As soon as that happened, the players went to their natural instincts which is try and to score on their own, outside the context of what our offense is.”
The Lakers never did make a serious run in the second half, rallying to within 12 points at 59-47 early in the half, but never getting any closer. For the game, the Lakers shot only 37.2% from the field, including a horrendous 26.3% in the first half. By contrast, Golden State shot 51.9% for the game.
Gary Payton led the Lakers with 11 points. Shaquille 0’Neal, Kareem Rush, and Jannero Pargo each chipped in 10. Karl Malone
scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds.
The Warriors were led by Speedy Claxton, who tallied 20 points in the win.
The Lakers next preseason game will be Tuesday, October 21 against the Phoenix Suns in San Diego at 7:30 PM Pacific Time. Kobe Bryant, who is in Colorado today for his court proceedings, is expected to make his preseason debut in that game.
Link: Yahoo! Box Score
Lakers New Look Wins Preseason Opener
10.08.03
The Los Angeles Lakers, and their new cast of players, including Karl Malone and Gary Payton, scored an easy 107-89 win over the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night in Hawaii, in both teams’ exhibition opener.
A noticeably slimmer and quicker Shaquille O’Neal scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds in just 18 minutes, and Payton added 12 points and seven assists as the Lakers coasted to victory. O’Neal was particularly active on the defensive end, blocking two shots, including a devasting swat of a Mike Dunleavy jump shot in the third quarter.
Kobe Bryant took part in the team’s pre-game shootaround, but is not expected to play in either of the two games in Hawaii. Bryant is scheduled to fly out today (Wednesday) to Colorado for his court proceedings on Thursday. Coach Phil Jackson believes the All-Star guard will be able to play next Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns in San Diego.
Slava Medvedenko and Jannero energized the Lakers bench, which looks to be vastly improved from last season. Both players scored 14 points while combining to hit 13 of 20 shots from the field.
In his first game for the purple and gold, Malone scored seven points and had three rebounds in only 22 minutes. Derek Fisher chipped in with 10 points, including a perfect 2-2 from 3-point land.
Jason Richardson led the Warriors with 20 points, and former Detroit Piston Clifford Robinson added 15.
The two teams meet again tonight in Honolulu. Game time is 11:00 PM Pacific Time.
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