The AP reports: Pau Gasol was impressed with Andrew Bynum’s comeback. A decrease in his own minutes to accommodate his fellow 7-footer wasn’t too shabby, either. Kobe Bryant scored 33 points, Gasol added 27 points and 19 rebounds and the Los Angeles Lakers welcomed back Bynum in a 116-102 win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. The win was the fifth straight for the Lakers (63-16) and tied them with the idle Cleveland Cavaliers (63-15) for the league lead. Bynum, playing in his first game since tearing the medial collateral ligament in his right knee on Jan. 31, had 16 points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes… Carmelo Anthony had 23 points to lead the Nuggets, who lost for the first time in nine games and failed to secure the number two seed in the Western Conference. J.R. Smith had 19 points, while Chauncey Billups and Nene each added 17.
Category: Los Angeles Lakers Blog
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Right leg pain will keep Phil Jackson home
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson will remain in Los Angeles instead of accompanying the team on its road trip to Portland, due to pain and swelling in his lower right leg caused by plantar fasciitis, it was announced today.
The Lakers will fly to Portland following tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets, and will play the Trail Blazers in Portland tomorrow night. The team will be coached by assistant coach Kurt Rambis in Jackson’s absence.
Jackson missed the Lakers’ first preseason game back on October 7 in Anaheim versus the Utah Jazz. He will rejoin the team for Saturday’s practice and is not expected to miss any additional games.
Gasol scores 26, Lakers beat Kings 122-104
The AP reports: Pau Gasol scored 26 points, Kobe Bryant added 22 and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame a sluggish start to beat the Sacramento Kings 122-104 Tuesday night and move within a half-game of Cleveland for the best record in the NBA. Los Angeles fell behind by 12 points midway through the first quarter before finding its stride against the NBA’s worst team and avenging a surprising loss earlier this season to the Kings at Arco Arena… Lamar Odom added 15 points and 11 rebounds, Trevor Ariza scored 14 points and Gasol had 12 rebounds to go with his 11-for-16 shooting against overmatched Sacramento. Los Angeles has won four straight since losing back-to-back games in Charlotte and Atlanta. Spencer Hawes had 21 points and 15 rebounds, Jason Thompson added 18 points and 11 boards, and Francisco Garcia scored 19 for the Kings (16-61), who lost their fifth straight game and have already set a franchise record for most losses in a season.
Lakers edge Clippers for 61st win
The AP reports: Lamar Odom had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Kobe Bryant added 18 points and the Los Angeles Lakers edged the Clippers 88-85 Sunday night to remain a game behind Cleveland for the NBA’s best record. The Lakers’ 61st victory was listless against a team that trails them by 43 games in the Western Conference. But they did just enough to win their third in a row, improve to 33-5 at home and assert themselves as the dominant tenant at Staples Center… Eric Gordon scored 24 points, Zach Randolph added 18 points and 10 rebounds and Brian Skinner grabbed 13 rebounds for the Clippers, who’ve lost five in a row and 12 of their last 15. Trailing 81-62 in the fourth—their third 19-point deficit—the Clippers scored 16 in a row, including eight by Fred Jones, to close to 81-78 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining.
Andrew Bynum’s recovery continues
The Los Angeles Times (Broderick Turner) reports: It was another step in Andrew Bynum’s recovery as he attempts to play in a game before the regular season ends. Bynum played in five-on-five competition with his Lakers teammates at practice Saturday, the first time that has happened for the center since he tore a medial collateral ligament in his right knee Jan. 31. This came on the heels of Bynum’s three-on-three session at Thursday’s practice and working on drills before Friday night’s game. Lakers Coach Phil Jackson was asked after the workout how soon Bynum would be back playing again. “What’s soon?” Jackson countered.
Lakers get win no.60, beat Rockets 93-81
The AP reports: With six games left in the season and the Lakers already in the playoffs, Phil Jackson still won’t take his foot off the gas. Pau Gasol had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Kobe Bryant added 20 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers picked up their 60th victory by beating the Houston Rockets 93-81 on Friday night. Gasol and Bryant both played 38-plus minutes for the Lakers, who reached 60 wins for the 11th time in franchise history but the first since they went 67-15 in 1999-2000… Ron Artest had 21 points for the Rockets, who slid into fifth in the Western Conference, a half-game behind Portland… Yao Ming had 16 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks for the Rockets. Luis Scola scored 16 for Houston, which was swept by the Lakers in the season series for the first time in seven years.
Bryant, Gasol lead Lakers past Bucks 104-98
The AP reports: Kobe Bryant rebounded from a rough shooting night in Tuesday’s loss at Charlotte to go 7-for-7 in the first half and score 30 points. Bryant cooled off after halftime, but Pau Gasol took control by scoring eight of his 15 in the fourth quarter… Lamar Odom added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers. Ramon Sessions had his first career triple-double for the Bucks, who fell four games out of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot. Despite briefly leaving the game with a shoulder stinger early in the fourth quarter, Sessions finished with 16 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds.
Wallace, Bobcats beat Lakers, again, 94-84
The AP reports: Continuing perhaps the most unlikely dominance of one team over another in the NBA, the Bobcats got 21 points and 13 rebounds from Gerald Wallace and used stifling defense to beat the Lakers 94-84 on Tuesday night and move within one game of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Raymond Felton added 16 points, D.J. Augustin scored 14 and Boris Diaw had 12 assists as the Bobcats frustrated Kobe Bryant and completed a season sweep of the Western Conference leaders, who have lost six of seven to Charlotte over the past four seasons… Bryant scored 25 points, but hit just 11 of 28 shots. Lamar Odom added 20 points as the Lakers slipped to three games behind Cleveland for the NBA’s best record and home-court for a possible finals matchup.
Larry Brown says Adam Morrison couldn’t handle expectations
The Charlotte Observer (Rick Bonnell) reports (via blog): Bobcats coach Larry Brown made it clear Monday that Adam Morrison is no longer here because he didn’t want to be here, and couldn’t handle the pressure associated with being chosen third overall in the 2006 draft. “I was happy Adam got to leave because he was never comfortable here. You were hoping it would be a new lease on life for him. I still think it can be,” said Brown of the Feb. 7 trade that dealt Morrison to the Los Angeles Lakers. Brown said the other factors — the glut at shooting guard and small forward and Morrison’s recovery from a knee injury that cost him the previous season — were secondary to how expectations rattled Morrison.
Hawks hold off Kobe and the Lakers, 86-76
The AP reports: Mike Bibby scored 21 points and buried Los Angeles with his improbable 3, leading the Atlanta Hawks to an 86-76 victory in which they took advantage of an ailing Bryant and dropped the Lakers farther behind Cleveland in the race for the NBA’s best overall record… The Lakers secured the top seed in the Western Conference with a five-game winning streak, but Bryant had just 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting. He missed the morning meal and film session because of an upset stomach, then had his second straight subpar game… Pau Gasol was the only other Los Angeles player in double figures, leading with 21 points, as the Lakers made just 35 percent (28 of 80) from the field… Zaza Pachulia had 11 points and 13 rebounds, leading a strong effort by the thin Hawks bench.