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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
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 Roll Early, Dominate Heat 99-77
11.16.03
The Los Angeles Lakers got out quickly in the opening moments, and then cruised to their 20th straight home win, beating the Miami Heat 99-77 on Sunday night.
Thanks to a great 1st quarter, led by Gary Payton, who scored 11 of his 13 points in the first, the Lakers jumped out quickly to a 23-9 lead and never looked back. The Heat only as close as nine points once in the 2nd quarter, but trailed by double-figures for all but 2:12 of the game.
Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 27 points, including 15-of-16 from the free throw line. Shaquille O’Neal scored 14 points, despite playing only 23 minutes dude to foul trouble. Karl Malone added 11 points, and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Lakers played their third straight solid defensive game, holding the Heat to an awful 36% from the field (29-of-80). Miami also missed all 12 of their shots from beyond the arc. The Lakers shot 45% (33-of-74) from the floor, and made 33 of 46 from the foul line.
The game was plagued by an abundance of foul calls and far too many turnovers, 20 for Miami, and 17 for the Lakers.
Former Clipper Lamar Odom led the visitors with 18 points in his return to Los Angeles, and former Laker Eddie Jones added 12, but missed all five of his 3-point attempts.
The Lakers now head out for a quick two-game road trip. They play Tuesday in Detroit and Wednesday in New York against the Knicks, before returning home for a Friday night game against the Chicago Bulls.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
Lakers End Slide, Beat Raptors 94-79
11.12.03
After dropping their last two on the road, the Los Angeles Lakers returned home to Staples Center and re-established a defensive presence, beating the Toronto Raptors 94-79.
The Lakers led the game the entire way, and showed several flashes of the dominance that people expect with a lineup that includes Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, and Gary Payton. They stretched the lead to as many as 20 in the third quarter, and coasted to the easy victory.
The Lakers defense re-emerged, as the Raptors shot just 35% (24-of-69) from the field, and turned the ball over 19 times. The Lakers on the other hand, were able to get a strong performance down low from O’Neal, who led the team with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Shaq hit 9-of-12 from the floor, but continues to struggle from the free throw line, making only five of 15 attempts.
The Lakers offensive balance also returned as Bryant scored 19, Malone 17, and Payton with 16. Still more production is needed from the bench, as they contributed only 13 points, seven of them by Derek Fisher.
In a game marred by some poor shooting and some sloppy play, the Lakers turned a 10-point halftime lead into a 65-45 blowout midway through the 3rd quarter, on the strength of their defense and ability to get easy transition baskets. The added pressure on defense allowed the Lakers offense to flow more smoothly from time to time, but still isn’t consistent enough yet.
The Raptors, who fell to 0-4 on the road, were led by Vince Carter, who scored 23 points but hit only 7-of-22 shots, including 1-of-6 from beyond the arc. Morris Petersen scored 16, and Lamond Murray chipped in 15 off the bench.
The Lakers next game is Friday against the Detroit Pistons at Staples Center.
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
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