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Lakers Survive 3 OT Thriller Against Suns
03.23.11
Kobe Bryant drives to basket against Suns.
In one of the more-exciting games of the NBA season, the Lakers continued their post-All-Star game roll as they outlasted the Phoenix Suns in a three-overtime marathon, 139-137 at Staples Center on Tuesday night.
Kobe Bryant scored a season-high 42 points, including five in the closing minutes of the third overtime to get the Lakers their 13th win in 14 games since the break. He just missed a triple-double, as he tallied 12 rebounds and nine assists in 48 minutes.
Ron Artest made two of the biggest plays of the game, as he stole the ball from Steve Nash and slammed home a dunk with 1:11 left to put the Lakers ahead 135-132. He then drilled an off-balance 15-footer with the shot clock winding down to put the Lakers up 137-132.
After Channing Frye hit one of his five three-pointers to bring the Suns back to 137-135, Bryant hit a runner in the lane with 14 seconds left to put the Lakers up 139-135. The Suns scored two points in the final seconds, but had wasted too much time to give themselves a chance to win the game.
By the middle of the third quarter the game looked liked it would an easy victory, as the Lakers had pushed the lead to 89-68 on a Bryant shot from beyond the arc. The Suns had gone cold from the three-point line, and it looked their erratic shooting would finally catch up to them. But Steve Nash then hit back-to-back three-pointers to get the Suns within 15, and the run was on.
After a wild rally in the final quarter where the Suns were down nine with three minutes left, Grant Hill tied the game with 31 seconds left on a three from the corner. After a Bryant miss, Phoenix then missed a chance to win the game in regulation on an errant shot by Vince Carter. They also had a chance to win the game in the second overtime, but Grant Hill was unable to get off a desperation heave at the buzzer.
Lots of players put up huge numbers for both teams in this offensive marathon. Five players scored at least 20 points, six players had at least 10 rebounds, and 12 players scored in double figures.
Lamar Odom, starting for the suspended Andrew Bynum, put in a season-high 29 points and 16 rebounds on 13-22 from the field. Pau Gasol had 24 points and 13 rebounds, and Ron Artest scored 18 points.
For the Suns, Frye scored a career-high 32 points and 14 rebounds, hitting 5-13 shots from deep. Marcin Gortat had 24 points and 16 rebounds off the bench, and Nash had 19 points and 20 assists, playing over 49 minutes. He was clearly gassed at the end of the game, as he turned the ball over several times in the third overtime, and most of his shots fell short. Vince Carter scored 17 points but hit just 7-23 from the field.
The Lakers took 120 shots from the floor, making 53 for 44.2%. They hit 11-27 (40.7%) from the three-point line and 22-25 (88.0%) from the foul line. They only turned the ball over nine times. A very low number for a game that was so up-and-down the court. They also had 30 assists on their 53 baskets. Los Angeles outrebounded Phoenix 56-52, and had 18 offensive rebounds against the smaller visitors, even without Bynum.
The Suns shot 51-106 (48.1%) from the floor and took an unbelievable 41 shots from beyond the arc, making 17 for 41.5% That means the last two times they have played against the Lakers at Staples Center, they have made an incredible 37-81 (45.7.%) from distance. They also had 34 assists on their 51 baskets.
In the end though, it’s another win for the champs, as they proved they are one of the most versatile teams in the league, being able to play a slowdown game like the 84-80 win against Portland on Sunday, or a shootout against a very up tempo Phoenix Suns.
This was the Lakers first three-overtime game at home since February 2, 1969 when they played the San Francisco Warriors. The Lakers actually lost that game 122-117.
The champs next face the Clippers on Friday night at Staples of course. The Lakers are the designated home team for the game, as they look to improve on their current 4-0 homestand. They are 2-1 against their hallway neighbors this season, and beat them last on February 25th easily 108-95.
Lakers Bench Leads Victory Against Bulls
11.24.10
Kobe Bryant goes up for shot against Bulls.
Shannon Brown says he always wants to play well against the city he grew up in, Chicago. On Tuesday night, he did just that, scoring 21 points off the bench, leading the Lakers to a tough 98-91 win over the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center.
In a game that was close throughout, Brown provided the spark off the bench, scoring 15 of his team-high 21 points in the second quarter, leaving the Lakers clinging to a 51-49 lead at the break.
Lamar Odom had a strong game, scoring 21 points and grabbing eight rebounds, and Kobe Bryant added 20 and a team-high five assists as the Lakers won their fifth straight. Pau Gasol had a tough time, but did have a double-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocked shots.
The Bulls were led by All-Star guard Derrick Rose, who tormented Laker guards all night, getting to the rim seemingly at well en route to a game-high 30 points, to go along with eight assists, and five rebounds. Joakim Noah made life difficult under the rim for Pau Gasol all game long, scoring 19 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. Former USC star Taj Gibson added 16 points and 12 rebounds.
With the Lakers falling behind 75-74 early in the fourth quarter, it was the bench that took over the game, not the starters. Shannon Brown, Matt Barnes, and Steve Blake all hit three pointers (Blake hit two) during a stretch where the Lakers turned a one-point deficit into a 12-point lead at 95-83. The Bulls got as close as six with two minutes left, but Pau Gasol’s tip-in off a Bryant miss with a little over a minute to go sealed the game for the Lakers, and pushed their record to 13-2.
For the game, the Lakers’ bench outscored the Bulls’ bench 39-10, highlighted by Brown’s 21 points. Matt Barnes added 10 points, five rebounds, three assists, and a blocked shot.
The Lakers’ defense continues to get back to form, holding the Bulls to 39.5% from the field and 4-20 (20%) from the 3-point line. The Lakers have held their last four opponents under 100 points, and have been dominate on the defensive end since the second half of the game in Milwaukee last Tuesday. It was also only the second time in 15 games they did not score 100 points.
The Lakers’ next game is Friday night in Utah, as they face the new-look Jazz for the first time this season. The Jazz recently came off a very impressive road trip that included several huge come-from-behind wins, highlighted by back-to-back victories in Miami and Orlando.
Lakers Pound Warriors to Stay Perfect
11.01.10
Kobe Bryant scores two of his 20 points against Warriors.
It’s not even November yet, so it’s hard to make much of a 3-0 record, but the Lakers have started the season playing solid basketball, as they pounded the Golden St. Warriors 107-83 at Staples Center on Sunday night.
The game, played on Halloween night, must have felt like a nightmare for the Warriors who continue to struggle against the Lakers, losing 10 straight regular season contests. The world champs dominated inside all night as they outrebounded the Warriors 55-42, and held the boys from the Bay Area to under 41% shooting from the field. The Lakers led 34-14 after one quarter, and the Warriors never recovered, trailing by as much as 32 in the fourth.
Pau Gasol continued his strong start to the season with another double-double, leading everyone with 26 and 12 rebounds in under 35 minutes. Kobe Bryant, who told reporters after the game that his knee was 100%, scored 20 points and grabbed seven boards, and got most of the night off in the blowout. He played just 27 minutes. Lamar Odom had another big game with 16 points and 14 rebounds, and Derek Fisher had a season-high 14 points.
Golden St.’s big offseason acquisition David Lee, was held scoreless in 19 minutes and grabbed just three rebounds, as the Lakers made it a point to keep him off the glass. Monta Ellis led the visitors with 20 points, but struggled to find his rhythm as he was swarmed on defense all night. Dorell Wright had a solid game with 18 points and five rebounds. The Warriors played without guard Stephen Curry who is nursing a sore ankle.
The only real negative to the evening were the 20 turnovers the Lakers committed, which Phil Jackson saw as an area of concern that will need to be addressed.
The Lakers even found minutes for their two rookies, with both Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter scoring the first four points of their NBA careers during “garbage time” in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers’ next game will be Tuesday night at home against the Memphis Grizzlies, who have been without forward Zach Randolph since he took a hard fall and injured his back on opening night.
Purple Reign!! Lakers Win 2009 NBA Championship!
06.15.09
The Los Angeles Lakers took home the 2009 NBA Championship defeating the Orlando Magic 99-86 Sunday night in Orlando.
The title marked a whirlwind year for Lakers, who rebounded from last year’s crushing defeat in Boston in Game 6 of the Finals, to a convincing 4-1 series win over Orlando this year. Kobe Bryant was named the Finals MVP, averaging 32.4 points and 7.4 assists for the five games. It also marked the first time Kobe has won the award, and he now has four NBA titles, his first since 2002.
Phil Jackson also set a milestone with the win, giving him 10 titles as a coach, finally passing the Celtics’ legendary Red Auerbach. It was Jackson’s first championship in seven years, ending the longest title-less stretch of his career. He was won 10 titles in his 19 years as a head coach, six with the Bulls and now four with the Lakers.
The win also gives the Laker franchise it’s 15th world title, second all-time in league history, and once again only two behind the Boston Celtics. They’ve now won 10 titles in Los Angeles, and Jerry Buss has nine as owner.
Besides Kobe’s heroics, the Lakers can also thank Derek Fisher for hitting two clutch 3-pointers in Game 4 that helped propel the team to a 3-1 series lead, and ultimately the title in Game 5. For the popular Fisher, he now joins Kobe with four titles, bringing his career full circle after returning to the Lakers in 2007.
Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom both rebounded from a sub-par Finals against the Celtics last year to help the Lakers dominate inside and control the Magic’s All-Star center Dwight Howard, who had trouble get untracked offensively for most of the series. It was the ultimate victory for the two players, who took their share of off-season criticism they were “too soft” to lead the Lakers up front to a title. How untrue that statement turned out to be.
Congrats to Laker fans everywhere! A parade celebrating the Lakers win will be on Wednesday, June 17 starting at 11 AM near Staples Center.
Lakers Trying to Land Artest?
07.11.08
According to the Sacramento Bee, the Lakers have contacted the Kings about a trade for mercurial forward Ron Artest.
Details of the deal are sketchy, but it appears the Lakers are offering Lamar Odom for Artest, and forward Kenny Thomas. The Kings would love to get rid of Thomas’ $18 million salary over the next two years, but it’s questionable whether the Lakers would take that on considering they are already over the salary cap.
It is also very questionable whether the Kings would agree to make a trade with the Lakers considering the teams’ intense dislike for each other, and the fact they reside in the same division. Odom’s $14-million salary does come of the books after next season, which does make him an attractive trade piece.
It’s no secret that Artest likes the Lakers and is good friends with Kobe Bryant. The Lakers could definitely use his perimeter defense and tenacity on that end of the court. He’s also a dependable scorer and can hit from beyond the 3-point line.
Stay tuned for further developments if something should break.
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