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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 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
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