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Bynumite! Andrew Bynum Returns; Lakers Cruise Past Wizards
12.14.10
Andrew Bynum back in action against Wizards.
There were two welcome sights for Lakers’ fans on Tuesday night in the nation’s capital. One was seeing center Andrew Bynum on the court for the first time this season, and the other was watching the Lakers get an easy win over an inferior opponent.
With Andrew Bynum contributing seven points, four rebounds, and two blocks in 17 minutes off the bench, the Lakers rolled over the injury-depleted Washington Wizards 103-89 at the Verizon Center, in game that really wasn’t as close as the final score.
Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 24 points in less than 24 minutes, and unleashed a barrage of three-pointers on the hometown Wizards in the third quarter, that pushed a 10-point Laker lead to 20, and the champs never looked back. Bryant hit three long-range shots after inexplicably missing three straight free throws when he was fouled beyond the arc.
Lamar Odom stayed in his starting role despite the return of Bynum, and scored 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds, making six of his eight shots. Pau Gasol, maybe happier than anyone to see Bynum back on the court, scored 16 points, with nine rebounds, and seven assists, in less than 31 minutes on the night.
Shannon Brown scored 16 off the bench, and Ron Artest had a solid night with 10 points on 4-8 from the field.
Bynum generally looked good out on the floor, wearing a big brace and black wrap to protect his surgically-repaired right knee. He struggled a bit with his shot, hitting just 1-5 from the floor, and couldn’t get enough lift to finish an alley-oop dunk, but did run the floor well for a player missing the first 24 games, and all of the preseason.
The Wizards played without rookie star guard John Wall and center Andray Blatche, and had predictable struggles all night. While they did manage to keep the game within 10-12 points until the middle of the third quarter, they shot just 40.7% from the field, and only 3-19 (15.8%) from the three-point line, which made an uphill battle even tougher.
Nick Young, who always seems to play well against his hometown teams, scored 21 points off the bench, but needed 21 shots to do it. Javale McGee had 12 points and nine rebounds, and Gilbert Arenas had 11 points and 11 assists, but shot just 5-15 from the floor, and 1-7 from beyond the arc. The Wizards have now dropped nine straight to the Lakers.
It was the first easy win the Lakers have had on this seven-game road trip. And with the second game of a back-to-back tomorrow in Indiana, the starters certainly must have appreciated the extended rest that accompanied Tuesday’s victory. Tomorow night, the Pacers may be without All-Star forward Danny Granger, who is nursing a bad ankle.
More help for the Lakers up front may be on the way, as sources have said a three-team trade has been agreed to in principle, that would send veteran forward Joe Smith to the Lakers from the New Jersey Nets, in return for guard Sasha Vujacic. That deal, however, cannot be announced until tomorrow.
Lakers Fail to Show Against Pacers
11.30.10
Kobe Bryant shoots over Brandon Rush.
The Indiana Pacers had never beaten the Lakers at Staples Center since the facility opened in 1999, including three Finals losses in 2000. On Sunday night, they changed all that, beating the Lakers 95-92 in a very lackluster performance by the world champs.
The Pacers took over in the second quarter, outscoring the Lakers 28-19, and holding a 51-45 lead at halftime. They never relinquished that advantage, and held a double-digit lead through much of the second half, before the Lakers rallied late in the fourth quarter to make a game of it.
Kobe Bryant scored 41 points, but missed two potential game-tying three-pointers in the final 10 seconds, and the Pacers players and coaches celebrated their second impressive road win in less than a week. They beat the Miami Heat in Miami last Monday 93-77.
Lamar Odom scored 15 points, and grabbed 11 rebounds in the losing effort. Pau Gasol added 13 points, and 12 rebounds, but shot only 5-15 from the field. Both he and Odom appeared tired at the end of the game, having to over 40 minutes with the Lakers injuries up front. It seems the heavy minutes are starting to take their toll on the Lakers’ best two inside players.
The Laker bench, which has played so well this season, also struggled, scoring only 14 points and hitting just 1-8 from beyond the arc. The Lakers as a team shot a paltry 38.6% from the field, only 7-23 (30.4%) from the three-point line, and were outrebounded again 48-45.
The star of the game for the Pacers was center Roy Hibbert. The third-year pro from Georgetown scored 24 points, with 11 rebounds, and six assists, as he continues to make remarkable progress this season. Danny Granger had 18 points, and Darren Collison scored 14, as the Pacers upped their record to 8-7.
The Lakers’ loss dropped them to 13-4 and 1 1/2 games behind the Spurs for first place in the Western Conference, as they head out on a two-game roadtrip this week to Memphis and Houston. The Lakers also are awaiting word on when they will have center Andrew Bynum back on the court, as the team is desperate for help up front.
Lakers Sluggish in Win Against Raptors
11.05.10
Pau Gasol scores two of his 30 points against the Raptors.
When the Lakers look back on this season, Friday’s game against the Toronto Raptors won’t be remembered as one to save for a time capsule, just as a victory. The Lakers shook off a terrible defensive game, and beat a gritty Raptor team 108-103 at Staples Center, to move to 6-0 on the season.
When the Lakers jumped out to a 33-20 lead after one quarter, it looked like the game was headed for extended minutes of garbage time, and another short night for the starters. But the young Raptors, learning about life after Chris Bosh, responded to the adversity on the road and stormed back to take a 58-55 lead into halftime.
The game went back and forth in the third, before the Lakers finally got the lead for good late in the quarter. They held on down the stretch for the win despite some uncharacteristic, shaky play in the last minute.
The Raptors dominated inside and on the boards all night, getting to the basket at will against the bigger Lakers, and outrebounding the world champs 49-31. The Lakers appeared confused on defense all through the game, and had trouble boxing out, as the Raptors also had 19 offensive rebounds to keep them afloat after the Lakers’ early lead.
Pau Gasol had another impressive offensive game, scoring 30 points on 12-22 shooting. He grabbed only seven rebounds, and didn’t have a single board until midway through the third quarter. It was just that kind of night. Kobe Bryant scored 23 points with six assists, and Steve Blake had 14 points, making 4-6 from the 3-point line. Shannon Brown added 12 points off the bench.
The Raptors had six players in double figures, led by Leandro Barbosa off the bench with 17, and USC-product DeMar DeRozan with 15. Amir Johnson off the bench had 12 points, and a game and career-high 15 rebounds, including nine on the offensive end. Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon each added 14 points.
The Lakers did outshoot the Raptors from the field hitting 48.1% to 47.1%, and only turned the ball over 12 times. But those were the few statistical categories the Lakers did win, besides the most important stat, the final score. The Raptors scored 38 points in the second quarter to erase the Lakers early 13-point lead.
Luke Walton saw his first action of the year, playing a little over six minutes and taking just one shot. He had been bothered by a strained hamstring since training camp.
The Lakers look to stay undefeated when they face Brandon Roy and the Portland Trail Blazers at home on Sunday. The Blazers, who always give the Lakers a hard time, are off to a good start at 4-2, despite missing their top two centers Greg Oden, and Joel Przybilla, both still recovering from serious knee injuries last year.
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