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Game Recaps
Laker Win Eighth Straight, Rout Mavs 114-103
12.04.03
In a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score, the Lakers continued their domination over the Mavericks, as they cruised to their eighth straight win, 114-103 in Dallas on Thursday night.
For the second straight night, Shaquille O’Neal was a monster on the defensive end. He controlled the defensive glass, blocked shots, and forced the Mavs into several ill-advised shots. He finished the game with 25 points, 19 rebounds, five assists, and three blocked shots.
The Lakers took the lead from opening tip, and getting up by as much 27-11 in the first quarter. They led the game 51-42 at halftime, and Dallas never really seriously challenged the rest of the way.
The Mavs struggled from the floor all game, as the Lakers’ defense held the high-scoring team to 37.4% shooting (37-of-99) from the field. The Lakers shot 44.2% (38-of-86) from the floor and made 31-of-40 (77.5%) from the charity stripe.
Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 32 points. Gary Payton scored 17 and dished out eight assists, and Karl Malone added 11 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
Steve Nash led Dallas with 30 points and eight assists, and was the recipient of two stitches after being hit in the mouth with a Malone elbow in the third quarter. The Mavs played without leading scorer Dirk Nowitski, who has an inured ankle.
The Lakers have now beaten the Mavericks 46 of the last 51 times the two teams have met. The Lakers current eight-game winning streak is their longest in two seasons.
The Lakers next game is Sunday night at Staples Center against the Utah Jazz.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
Lakers Beat Spurs Again, 90-86
12.04.03
For the third time this season, the Los Angeles Lakers have rediscovered their winning ways against the San Antonio Spurs. This time, they beat the champs 90-86 at the SBC Center in San Antonio on Wednesday night.
The Lakers used a stifling fourth quarter defense to turn a nine-point third quarter deficit into a four-point victory. The Spurs shot only 16.7% (3-of-18) from the field in the final quarter, and Shaquille O’Neal contributed five of his game-high nine blocks in the quarter to seal the win.
Devean George, who kept the Lakers in the game with some early hot shooting, finished with 18 points on 7-of-13 from the field, and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Karl Malone scored 16 and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Gary Payton added 16 points and six assists.
The Spurs led the game in the first half by as many as 15 points, but simply could not hold the lead as the Lakers applied defensive pressure throughout the second half. After shooting over 50% from the field for most of the game, the Spurs finished at only 41.7%, the Lakers at 42.3%. The Lakers also forced 20 San Antonio miscues, turning them into 22 points.
The win was the Lakers seventh in a row, and they now own the season series against the Spurs, who dropped to 9-10 with the fourth consecutive loss. The Lakers are an NBA-best 15-3, 5-3 on the road.
Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 30 points and 15 rebounds, but he missed all five of his shots in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers finish up their two-game Texas trip tonight at Dallas, where the Mavs will most likely be without All-Star forward Dirk Nowitski, who is nursing a sore ankle.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
Lakers Dominate in Battle of League’s Best
11.30.03
In a game most figured would be close, the Los Angeles Lakers pounded the Indiana Pacers 99-77 Sunday night at Staples Center, in a battle of two teams with the NBA’s best records.
The win for the Lakers was their 25th straight at home, setting a Los Angeles franchise-record. The previous record of 24 was set 15 years ago.
Shaquille O’Neal scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half, and Karl Malone played another solid game with 11 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
In a quiet night, Kobe Bryant added 12 points and 7 assists and Gary Payton took just 7 shots, scoring 8 points. But on this night, their offensive output wasn’t needed, as the Lakers got solid efforts from the entire roster.
The Laker defense was smothering, forcing the Pacers into 23 turnovers and shooting just 39.1% from the field.
On the other hand, the Lakers shot 48.0% from the floor and 42.9% from beyond the arc, as they scored 99 points against the league’s best defense. Before the game the Pacers were allowing just 80.4 points per game.
The Lakers led the game 46-37 at the half, with O’Neal plagued with foul trouble. In the second half with him back on the court, the Lakers surged to a 68-51 lead after three quarters, and never looked back. The Lakers have beaten their last six opponents by an average of just under 20 points.
The Pacers were led by Al Harrington, who scored 18 points off the bench. Their leading scorer, Jermaine O’Neal, had foul problems of his own and scored just 14 points.
The Lakers now head to on the road for a “Texas-Two-Step.” They’ll play Wednesday night against in San Antonio against the World Champion Spurs, a team they just beat by 16 two days ago, then Thursday at Dallas, before heading home.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
Shaq Sits, Lakers Blow Past Grizzlies 121-89
11.23.03
Even without Shaquille O’Neal, the Lakers put on one of their most impressive displays of the season, routing the Memphis Grizzlies 121-89 on Sunday night at home.
With O’Neal nursing a strained calf, the Lakers never missed a beat. Kobe Bryant helped pick up the slack, leading all players with 28 points. Karl Malone also had a very strong game, tallying 20 points and 10 rebounds in just 26 minutes, and Gary Payton chipped in with 17 points and 10 assists.
The Lakers blew what was a tight game open late in the second quarter, taking a 59-48 lead into the locker room, and leading 90-67 after three quarters.
For the game, the Lakers shot 59% from the field (45-of-76) and 90% (27-of-30), as they scored a season high 121 points. They also held the Grizzlies to 42% from the field, and forced Memphis into a season-high 24 turnovers.
The Lakers bench provided some big contributions. Slava Medvedenko, playing in his first game of the year because of a bruised heel, scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 30 minutes. He also made seven of his eight shots from the floor. Bryon Russell had his second straight strong game, scoring 12 points on 5-of-6 from the field.
The Grizzlies were led by Shane Battier, who led the team with 18 points, coming off of the bench.
The Lakers next game is Wednesday at Staples Center against the Washington Wizards. Shaquille O’Neal’s availability will again be a game-time decision.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
Lakers Breeze Past Knicks 104-83
11.19.03
The Los Angeles Lakers ended their three-game road losing streak with a decisive victory 104-83 over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
The Lakers took a two-point halftime lead and ran away from the Knicks in the second half, outscoring them 53-34, to take the easy win. The Knicks were held to only 43% shooting from the floor, which was a vast defensive improvement for the Lakers, who allowed the Detroit Pistons to shoot 57% on Tuesday.
The big stat of the game was free throwing. The Lakers shot 47 free throws, making 37, while the Knicks took only six, making them all. The Knicks had five players with four fouls, and three others with three.
Shaquille O’Neal led the Lakers with 23 points, he also hit 11 of 16 from the foul line. Kobe Bryant scored 21 points, and Karl Malone added 17 points and a team-high 14 rebounds.
Frank Williams led the Knicks with 14 points, and he came off of the bench. Allan Houston, the team’s leading scorer, was held to 10 points on 5-of-14 from the field.
The Lakers return home for a Friday night game against the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
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