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Lakers Beat Nets, Win Streak Up To 7
01.15.11
Kobe Bryant makes circus shot against Nets.
The New Jersey Nets, one of the league’s doormats, certainly has not made life easy for the defending NBA champs in two games this season. The Lakers had their hands full again on Friday night, but led by Kobe Bryant, were able to get a 100-88 win over the Nets at Staples Center.
Bryant scored a team-high 27 points, to go along with four assists and four rebounds, as the Lakers beat the Nets for the seventh straight time. But it wasn’t easy.
The Nets led after one quarter 24-22, as Brook Lopez shredded the Lakers down low all game long. The Lakers recpatured the lead 45-40 by halftime, but never were able to shake New Jersey completely in the second half.
During the second 24 minutes, the Lakers had the lead up to double-digits on a few occasions, but the Nets simply would not go away, led by the play of Lopez and former Lakers Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic. And with all the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors surrounding team, their focused effort was even more impressive.
The Lakers made enough good plays in the fourth quarter and kept the visitors at arm’s length to get the win. It was Los Angeles’ seventh straight victory, their longest since opening the season with eight consecutive wins.
Pau Gasol scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds in under 33 minutes. He also blocked four shots. Lamar Odom had 14 points and a 11 rebounds off the bench, and Ron Artest played a solid game, scoring 14 points on 5-7 shooting from the field. Andrew Bynum was in foul trouble all game long, and managed just two points and five rebounds in 22 minutes.
The Lakers shot 49.3% (35-71) from the field, hit 25-35 free throws, and committed only nine turnovers. Their downfall was on the glass, as the Nets held the rebound edge 45-38, including 15-7 at the offensive end. The second chances allowed New Jersey to take 14 more shots from the field, which kept them in the game, despite shooting just 42.4% (36-85) from the floor.
Lopez had a huge game, with 35 points on 13-19 from the floor. He was just two off his career-high of 37 points. He also added six rebounds and four assists.
Farmar and Vujacic got warm ovations from Lakers’ fans in their first games back at Staples Center. Vujacic was second on the team in scoring, tallying 17 points on 7-16 from the field off the bench. Farmar also had a nice game with 12 points, also coming off the bench. They were the only two players in double-figures besides Lopez.
The Lakers next game is Sunday at Staples Center against the Clippers. The Clippers will be the designated home team for the game, and are playing much better ball as of late, including a shocking 111-105 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday. The Lakers beat the Clippers 87-86 back on December 8th, on a running layup by Derek Fisher at the buzzer.
Lakers Asleep At The Wheel Against Grizzlies
01.04.11
Kobe Bryant drives to basket against Grizzlies.
In another lackluster effort Sunday night, the Lakers lost for the third time in four games at home, and once again to another non-playoff team in a blowout. This time it was the Memphis Grizzlies who took it to the Lakers 104-85, in a game they led almost the entire way.
The Lakers came out flat from the start, and by the middle of the first quarter found themselves behind by nine points, and they never recovered. They trailed by the same nine points at halftime, and did actually get to within one point in the third quarter. But that’s as close as they got to the lead.
Lamar Odom missed two free throws that would have at least tied the game early in the third quarter, the Grizzlies then went on a 19-4 run that buried the Lakers, despite Kobe Bryant scoring 21 of his game-high 28 points in the second half. It was obvious on this night it was going to take more than Bryant’s heroics to pull out a win, but no one else offered much resistance.
The losses at home are not only alarming because of who the Lakers are losing to, it’s also how they are losing. They’ve now been blown out by two sub-.500 teams by 19 points, in addition to the 16-point waxing by the Miami Heat on Christmas Day. The only win in the last four at home was a close 102-98 victory over Philadelphia on New Year’s Eve, a game the Lakers could have easily lost.
Only two other Laker players scored in double figures Sunday. Shannon Brown had 11 points off the bench, and Pau Gasol had 10 points and eight rebounds. Andrew Bynum scored nine points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and had five blocks, but took only eight shots from the floor.
The Lakers actually outshot the Grizzlies from the field, hitting 46.5% (33-71) to 45.6% (41-90), but turned the ball over 20 times, which allowed Memphis to take a staggering, 19 more shots. That was the difference in the game. The Lakers were also outrebounded 44-37, but that stat was not nearly as damaging as the turnovers.
Rudy Gay, who missed the team’s loss on Saturday in Utah, scored 27 points on 10-19 from the field. Zach Randolph scored 21 points to go along with eight rebounds, and O.J. Mayo torched the Lakers off the bench with 15 points.
Bryant also picked up his fifth technical foul in the last six games, as it appears his frustration is growing with more than just the officiating.
The Lakers next game is Tuesday night at home against the woeful Detroit Pistons, whom the Lakers beat easily 103-90 back on November 17th in Detroit. In that game, Bryant had 33 points and nine rebounds, Gasol had 25 and 12 rebounds, and Odom had 15 points and 14 rebounds.
The Jigglin’ Jello: Lakers Week in Review – Dec. 5-12
12.13.10
In a new weekly feature here on LakerStats, we’re going to do a recap of what went on the last week of Lakers basketball, from player stats, to trends, to items of note. Basically whatever tickles our fancy to talk about. And we’re calling it “The Jigglin’ Jello” because…well…I don’t know, it sounded good, and was the first thing that came to mind…OK? It will either be written on Sunday nights or Mondays, depending on how tired this author is. So here is the first installment, for the games of December 5-12. Enjoy, and feel free to actually comment. We like comments, at least we know someone is reading something we post.
Lakers Record (Week of December 5-12): 3-1 (1-0 at home, 2-1 on road)
Wins: Washington, @ L.A. Clippers, @ New Jersey
Losses: @ Chicago
Current Season Record (As of 12.12.10): 17-7 (10-2 at home, 7-5 on road, Current Streak – Won 1)
Current Standings (As of 12.12.10): 1st Place Pacific, 3rd Place Western Conference
Best Win Of The Week
The Lakers didn’t exactly knock off any heavyweights last week, so no win really stands out as that impressive. So in terms of the three wins they had, they played their best in the Washington game on December 7. And while they gave up much of a third quarter 19-point lead, they never fell behind like they did to both the Clippers and New Jersey. Like I said, there really were no great wins to talk about. Derek Fisher’s buzzer-beater was exciting of course, but again a game that shouldn’t have been that close.
Stud Of The Week
Pretty easy here, it was Kobe. Yes Derek Fisher hit the game-winner against the Clippers, but it was Kobe who hit two big shots down the stretch when the game seemed out of reach. He also was the one of the few Lakers who came to play against New Jersey on Sunday, and really willed the team to victory with some smart plays down the stretch of that game, as well as scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter. For the week, he averaged 27.8 points, 5.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and shot 48.8% from the field (39-80). It appears he’s getting his shooting rhythm back, even though he has had some issues at the foul line the last four or five games.
Spud Of The Week
Also a pretty easy choice here, it’s Ron Artest. What is going on with Ron’s offense? Defensively there’s little to argue about, he made great plays at the end of the Clippers game and averaged almost 3.0 steals for the week, but offensively? Ouch. How about this? He hit only 7-31 shots from the floor, that’s 22.5%, and you don’t need to know much about basketball to know that’s just plain awful. He was even worse from the three-point line, hitting 1-10. He did make 3-4 foul shots, and is shooting 73.1% for the season there, so that’s OK. And I’m not picking on Ron Ron, I love the guy, but right now his ineptness on offense is a bit of a liability. He needs to be able to give the Lakers more than the 4.5 points he averaged last week. He’s far too good of a player for those kinds of numbers.
What’s Going Good
In a very up and down 10 games, the Lakers’ defense has improved. Last week they allowed just 93.5 points per game, and if you take away the Washington game, no team shot more than 41.3% from the floor. They’ve been good defending the three for most of the year, and despite a few issues last week, they did a decent job from there as well. They certainly aren’t playing championship-caliber defense, but they have clamped it down a bit more in the last week.
What’s Going Bad
The offense. What happened to the team that was averaging 112 points the first 15 or so games? They’ve only broken 100 twice in the last nine games, once was last week against the Wizards. They only averaged 96.3 points for the week, and that’s with a 115-point night against Washington. The main problem I see is that the three-point shot just isn’t going in like it was early on in the season. For the week, the Lakers shot just 32.9% (24-73) from beyond the arc. And without that reliable outside shooting, and with Pau Gasol just worn out up front from playing so many minutes, it has made life tougher offensively. Especially in the last two games, the Lakers have had good looks from distance, they’re just not making them. It really hurt them in the Chicago game.
Upcoming Week
The Lakers continue their road trip all week with games in Washington, Indiana, Philadelphia, and Toronto. They also expect Andrew Bynum back Tuesday against Washington, and any minutes he can give them up front will be welcomed, for sure by Pau Gasol. All these games are winnable, and frankly they should win them all. But with the way things have been so up and down, it’s so hard to know what Laker team will show up. But the only team playing halfway decent in that group is Indiana, and they’re not exactly the Boston Celtics even at their best.
LakerStats’ Week Prediction: 4-0 (Bynum coming back, very winnable games, I’ll be an optimist here.)
LAKER ROSTER: Matt Barnes
09.20.10
When reading about Matt Barnes, you often find the terms “defense”, “toughness”, and “outside shooting”. He describes himself as a football player playing basketball. After playing at UCLA, he was drafted by Memphis in a pick from Orlando, then his rights were traded to Cleveland. I don’t find that at all confusing. Really. The Lakers will be his 8th team in his 8th season in the pros. This 6’7″ 30 year old small forward will primarily serve as back-up to Ron Artest, although he could also get some spot minutes at shooting guard. Like the signing of Theo Ratliff, Matt Barnes will be able to provide some defense off the bench. Barnes averaged 9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 81 games last year. He was arrested September 8th on charges of felony domestic violence and for preventing his fiancee Gloria Govan from talking to 911 operators. He posted a $50,000 bail and was released. Govan made a statement a few days after his arrest saying that the charges are false. Sacramento County prosecutors will decide October 18 whether they will press charges. It is possible that the league or team may decide to suspend him for a couple of games, even if no charges are filed. Although that would make me question the presumption of innocence that is supposedly the foundation of our legal system. Fortunately, the Lakers have experience dealing with legal troubles during the season, and should be able to maintain focus. And small forward is a position where the Lakers have depth. Barnes said all the right things in his press conference, that he was happy to be with the Lakers and it was a dream come true. He is hungry for a championship and will contribute coming off the bench in whatever capacity the team says is necessary. Having veterans on the time still looking for their first ring is a good safeguard against complacency setting in. I consider this free agent acquisition a major upgrade, and one of the reasons the bench is much better than it was last season. Lakers Three-Peat!
Back-To-Back! Lakers Rally, Beat Celtics In 7 For 16th Title!
06.17.10
It wasn’t pretty, but it couldn’t have felt sweeter, as the Los Angeles Lakers won their 16th NBA Championship (2nd straight) 83-79 over the Boston Celtics Thursday night at the Staples Center, in a thrilling Game 7.
The Lakers, pushed to the brink of elimination just two days earlier, rallied from a 13-point second half deficit in Game 7, led by the hard-nosed play of Pau Gasol who scored 19 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, and Ron Artest who put in 20 points and recorded 5 steals.
Kobe Bryant struggled shooting the ball all night, going 6-24 from the field, but still managed to score 23 points and grab 15 rebounds. His 17-footer with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter put the Lakers up 68-64, as they held on down the stretch for the win. Bryant was named the series MVP, averaging 28.6 points, 8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists, his second straight Finals MVP award, and his fifth title.
The game was ragged all night, with both teams struggling to find any rhythm offensively, as it seemed everyone was feeling the pressure of a seventh game. The Celtics built a 49-36 lead late in the third quarter before the Lakers chipped away and got it to 64-61 midway through the fourth, when Derek Fisher hit a high-arcing 3-pointer to tie the game. That play seemed to breath life into the Lakers as they took the lead on two Kobe Bryant free throws and never looked back. The title was Fisher’s fifth as well, as he once again showed his big game heroics.
Phil Jackson, who may retire this offseason, won his 11th title as a coach, putting him now two ahead of Red Auerbach all-time. His teams are now an amazing 48-0 when winning the first game of any series.
The win marked the first time the Lakers have beaten the Celtics in a Game 7, they previously were 0-4 in such situations against the men in green. The Lakers franchise now sits just one title behind Boston (17-16) for the most all-time. Before the 80’s, the lead was 13-6 in favor of the Celtics.
With the core of the team returning next season, there is no reason why the Lakers can’t get their first 3-peat since 2000-2002. But for now, all is right with the world, the Lakers are champs….again!!
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