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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 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
Lakers Defense A Problem, Lose to the Grizz 105-95
11.10.03
If the Los Angeles Lakers don’t start to play some defense, there is no possible way they will regain the NBA title come June. Monday night’s game in Memphis was another shining example of what is turning into a major achilles heel for the team.
The Grizzlies dominated the game after the 1st quarter, stretching their lead to 16 after three quarters, and the Lakers got no closer than seven after that.
Memphis shot over 50% from the floor for most of the game, before a 4th quarter slide dropped them to a still respectable 49%. The Lakers again tried to rally with a furious 4th quarter comeback, but simply could net get enough defensive stops to get back in the game.
Shaquille O’Neal led the Lakers with 20 points and 12 rebounds, but only managed to take 14 shots in 41 minutes. Kobe Bryant again struggled for most of the game, hitting only 5-of-15 shots, although he did finish with 19 points, but six turnovers.
Gary Payton, nursing a sore ankle he sprained in practice on Sunday, played only 27 minutes, scoring six points on 3-of-6 from the field. The Lakers bench continues to do nothing aside from Derek Fisher who scored 9 points.
Devean George was one of the few Laker bright spots. He scored 17 points, made 6-of-7 shots, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. The Lakers only shot 44% from the field for the game.
The Grizzlies were led by Pau Gasol who scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Memphis’ defense played well all night as, they forced the Lakers into 23 turnovers, including a stunning 17 steals.
The Lakers return home for three games starting Wednesday against Toronto at Staples Center. The Lakers finished their road trip with a 2-2 record, and are now riding a two-game losing streak after winning their first five games to start the season.
Bottom line, the Lakers need to play better defense and stop turning the ball over if they expect to win games, especially on the road.
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
“The Glove” Fits in Lakerland
07.08.03
In the aftermath of Kobe Bryant‘s legal woes, the Lakers have something to celebrate, as All-Star guard Gary Payton has verbally agreed to take $4.9 million to play with the team next season.
Payton’s commitment ends days of speculation that he would get a sign-and-trade offer with Milwaukee, and play for the Portland Trail Blazers, or even sign with the Miami Heat. In the end however, Payton’s desire to win a championship as a Laker was the deciding factor, according to his agent Aaron Goodwin.
Also according to published reports, Payton may end up signing a multi-year deal with the team.
Payton’s verbal agreement may be a signal that future Hall of Fame free agent forward Karl Malone is close to agreeing to play for the Lakers next season as well. Stay tuned!
News Link: ESPN – “Payton to ‘follow dream’ with Lakers”
News Link: ESPN – “Payton signing may mean another L.A. final”
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