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Game Recaps
Lakers Run By Shaq and Suns!
11.21.08
It was close for the first half, but the Lakers’ bench flexed their muscle and dominated the second, beating the Phoenix Suns easily 105-92 in Phoenix on Thursday.
Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 24 points, but shot only 8-23 from the field. That was no matter, as the Lakers’ bench piled up 43 points and were led by Lamar Odom‘s 13 points, Jordan Farmar‘s 11, and Trevor Ariza‘s 10.
The Lakers led 50-44 at the half, but turned up the defensive intensity in the second half. They led by as many as 18 points and cruised to the victory. The Suns shot only 44.2% from the floor, and committed 15 turnovers, to the Lakers 7.
Former Laker, Shaquille O’Neal, had a solid game, scoring 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds, but he didn’t get much help. Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 21 points, but missed several lay-ups and was mostly relegated to being a spot-up jump shooter.
There were few remnants of the Suns’ former quick-strike offense, as new coach Terry Porter has insisted the team pound the ball into Shaq first. As a result, Steve Nash, who looks very pedestrian in this new offense, scored just 8 points, none until the middle of third quarter.
The Lakers play host to Denver on Friday, as part of a back-to-back. It will be the first chance to see the Nuggets with Chauncey Billups running the point.
Lakers Stay Undefeated, Down Rockets!
11.09.08
The Los Angeles continued their perfect start to the 2008-09 season, raylling from 16 down to defeat the Houston Rockets handily 111-82, running their record to 5-0.
It didn’t start out as a thing of beauty though, as the Lakers struggled through most of the first half. They trailed by as many as 16 early in the second quarter before the second unit made a run, keyed by Trevor Ariza and Jordan Farmar, who scored 16 off the bench.
The Lakers finally took the lead near the end of the half and led 50-48 at the break. Kobe Bryant took over early in the second half, and wound up finishing with 23 points, and two spectacular blocks on Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. Pau Gasol had his best game of the season, scoring 20 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, and blocking three shots.
The Rockets’ “Big 3″ of Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, and Ron Artest managed only 23 points combined, and shot a putrid 9-33 (27.2%) from the field. McGrady made only 1-11 shots from the floor, a 3-pointer early in the first half. The highlight of the night for the Rockets were the 20 points off the bench from second year guard Aaron Brooks, who hit 8-15 shots, including 3-6 from the arc.
The Lakers now go out on a tough two-game trip this week, playing at Dallas on Tuesday, and then in New Orleans Wednesday as part of a back-to-back. They return home on Friday to host to the Detroit Pistons and their newly-acquired superstar Allen Iverson.
This is the Lakers first 5-0 start since 2003-04.
Bryant/Vujacic Making Lakers Playoff History!
06.10.08
With his 36 points in Tuesday’s Game 3 NBA Finals win 87-81 over the Boston Celtics, Kobe Bryant has moved into fifth place on the Lakers’ all-time playoff scoring list with 3,622 points. He is just one point behind Elgin Baylor, and 79 behind Magic Johnson, who sits in third place. He’s also just one behind Byron Scott for fifth place on the team’s career playoff games played at 149.
With his 3-4 shooting from behind the 3-point line tonight, Sasha Vujacic is now the Lakers’ all-time playoff leader in 3-point field goal percentage at .454, passing Derek Fisher, who now sits at number two at .439. This is with a minimum of 30 career attempts.
To see other current Lakers’ playoff records, check out our Team Records page. It’s updated nightly after the games.
Lakers Extend Streak to 27, Beat Knicks 98-90
12.10.03
The New York Knicks are the last road team to win a regular season game at Staples Center, dating back to last February. Lightning didn’t strike twice on Tuesday, as the Lakers dispatched the New Yorkers 98-90 to run their home winning streak to 27 games.
Kobe Bryant led a very-balanced Laker attack, which featured five players in double-figures, led by Bryant’s 21, and nine assists. Karl Malone added 20 points on 9-of-15 from the floor.
A rejuvenated Shaquille O’Neal scored 18 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and had four blocked shots, as he continues to provide an inspired defensive presence. Gary Payton scored 17.
The Knicks got off to a quick start, and scored the game’s first nine points and led 25-18 after one quarter. But turnovers hurt the Knicks all night, and by halftime, New York found themselves down by 12.
The Lakers never completely put the Knicks away, but they never allowed them to get closer than six points in the second half. The Lakers forced 21 New York turnovers, and scored 19 fast-break points which helped to offset being out-rebounded 52-38.
For the game, the Lakers shot 43.0% from the field, to the Knicks’ 42.4%. The Lakers made 28-of-39 free throws, while New York made 13 of 17.
The Knicks were led by Shandon Anderson and Howard Eisley who each scored 26 points. New York was playing without their leading scorer Allan Houston, who is nursing a knee injury.
The Lakers’ next game is Friday against the Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center, as they try to extend their home regular season winning streak to 28.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
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