Los Angeles Lakers Blog – Page 75 – NBA Blog

Lakers assign Darius Morris and Robert Sacre to D-League

The Los Angeles Lakers today assigned Darius Morris and Robert Sacre to the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the Lakers’ NBA Development League affiliate. The assignments are the record 143rd and 144th of the 2012-13 NBA and NBA D-League seasons. Morris becomes the record 55th NBA player to have been assigned to the NBA D-League this season, while Sacre is on his third assignment of the season.

Morris (6-4, 190, Michigan) has played in 42 games this season for Los Angeles, averaging 4.4 points, 1.7 assists and 1.2 rebounds. On Dec. 16, he tallied 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field in a 111-98 win over the 76ers. He appeared in one game on assignment last season for the D-Fenders and scored 21 points in a 99-98 win over the Dakota Wizards.

Sacre (7-0, 260, Gonzaga) has appeared in 27 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 1.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 7.2 minutes. He has played in four games on assignment with the D-Fenders, averaging 11.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 31.0 minutes. He returned to the Lakers following a 22-point performance vs. Sioux Falls at the 2013 NBA D-League Showcase in Reno, Nev.

Both players are expected to join the D-Fenders and be available when the team hosts the Austin Toros on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Pau Gasol hopes to get clearance for running drills soon

Assuming he doesn’t experience any setbacks, Pau Gasol plans to seek medical clearance to participate in running drills once the Lakers returns Thursday from a two-day trip that includes stops in Oklahoma City (tonight) and New Orleans (Wednesday).

When the Lakers (30-30) play the Oklahoma City Thunder (43-16) tonight at Chesapeake Energy Arena, Gasol will have missed 12 games in the past month since tearing the plantar fascia of his right foot. Gasol traveled with the Lakers and spent time at the end of the team’s morning shootaround today with strength and conditioning coach Tim DiFrancesco performing various exercises that test his gluteal and neuro muscles.

— Reported by Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (Blog)

Kobe Bryant discusses eating a proper diet

“Diet is always the hardest thing,” Bryant said. “We’re accustomed to eating what we want to eat whenever we want to eat it. You become comfortable with that. A change in that is a change in your lifestyle. That’s been the most difficult.”

Bryant maintained he never lost focus with his diet, workout regiment or sacrificing time with family for the sake of maximizing his play.

“After so many years, it becomes easy to lose focus,” Bryant said. “Some guys lose focus from game to game. I take it as a challenge to try to be challenged for many many years.”

— Reported by Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (Blog)

Kobe scores 33, Lakers beat Wolves 116-94

Starting with Kobe Bryant’s soaring dunk over Nikola Pekovic on their second possession, the Los Angeles Lakers jumped to a big lead against a woeful opponent and never fumbled it away while moving to the brink of a .500 record.

After the Lakers’ tumultuous season, such simple achievements qualify as serious progress toward a playoff spot.

Bryant scored 33 points and Antawn Jamison added 17 in the Lakers’ 21st consecutive victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, 116-94 on Thursday night.

The Lakers (29-30) have won 12 of 17 and five of seven while moving within two games of Houston for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with their longest stretch of solid play this year. They’re getting steady leadership from Bryant, who has reasserted himself as a scorer after working as a setup man for several weeks.

”I’ve been in attack mode since the break. It’s go time,” Bryant said. ”We’re getting a little closer, and we’re starting to get in more of a striking distance where you start watching (the playoff race).”

Bryant and Jodie Meeks each hit four of Los Angeles’ 16 3-pointers, and Meeks finished with 16 points. Bryant had 22 points in a strong first half for the Lakers, focused on scoring while the Timberwolves overcompensated defensively for the low-post absence of Andrei Kirilenko, who has a strained right calf, and Pekovic, who left early with an abdominal strain…

J.J. Barea scored 20 points and Luke Ridnour added 19 for the short-handed Timberwolves, who have lost four straight and 20 of 24. Ricky Rubio had 13 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds, but thanks to its latest injury woes, Minnesota never threated to get its first road win over the Lakers since Dec. 2, 2005.

— Reported by Greg Beacham of the Associated Press

The Lakers moved within two games of Houston for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. … Bryant had two steals to become the 15th NBA player with at least 18,000 for his career. … Bryant is 8-for-14 from 3-point range in the last three games after shooting 9-for-49 in his previous 18. … Dante Cunningham started in place of Kirilenko and finished with five points and three rebounds in 33 minutes.

— Reported by NBA.com

Metta World Peace retroactively given flagrant foul

The NBA has retroactively given Metta World Peace a flagrant foul for a play in Denver against the Nuggets on Monday.

In the final seconds of the third quarter, World Peace connected with an elbow to what looks like the face of Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried. No foul was called live by the officials (which would have meant an ejection), but the league upgraded the call on review.

World Peace now leads the league in flagrant foul points with five, tied with teammate Dwight Howard.

— Reported by Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (Blog)

Pau Gasol no longer using crutches

In a sign that the torn plantar fascia in his right foot has somewhat healed, Lakers forward Pau Gasol revealed in a tweet Tuesday that he’s no longer nursing crutches.

Gasol injured his foot in the Lakers’ win Feb. 8 over the Brooklyn Nets and was declared out for a minimum of six to eight weeks. Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni suggested that it’s possible Gasol won’t return until the Lakers will know their playoff aspirations.

— Reported by Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (Blog)

Pau Gasol may be out until playoff picture has already been decided

As if the Lakers can absorb more bad news.

Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni suggested Pau Gasol won’t return in the regular season after nursing torn plantar fascia in his right foot for the past three weeks.

“By the time he gets back, we’ll be in or out,” D’Antoni said. “His impact will be in the playoffs if we get there.”

The Lakers (28-29) have 25 games remaining before the regular season ends April 17 against the Houston Rockets. After their 103-99 victory Sunday over the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers remain 2 games behind the Houston Rockets (31-27) for the eighth playoff spot.

“I don’t think anyone on this team is counting the days for Pau to come back because we don’t have time,” Lakers guard Steve Nash said. “Although we’d welcome him back this instance, we have to move on and try to win games without him.”

Gasol originally was expected to miss at least four to six weeks after suffering the injury in the final minutes of the Lakers’ win Feb. 5 against the Brooklyn Nets. He expressed optimism last week he soon would walk without crutches.

— Reported by Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News

Bryant outscores Nowitzki as Lakers top Mavs

Kobe Bryant had 38 points to win a scoring duel with Dirk Nowitzki, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks 103-99 Sunday in a matchup of teams fighting to get in the playoff race.

With chants of MVP from a strong contingent of Lakers fans, Bryant scored 14 in the fourth, including seven in the final 3 minutes to hold off a spirited Dallas effort.

Nowitzki finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds for the Mavericks, who had a chance to pull virtually even with the Lakers for ninth place in the Western Conference. Houston is in eighth, with a cushion of several games.

Bryant, who also had 12 rebounds and seven assists, was playing in Mark Cuban’s building two days after the outspoken Dallas owner suggested in a radio interview that the Lakers might have to consider dumping the five-time NBA champion through the amnesty clause.

Steve Nash had 13 of his 20 in the second half against his former team in a game that neither team led by more than six.

— Reported by Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press

Dwight Howard says his conditioning still needs improvement

The Los Angeles Lakers already have lost more games this season (29) than they have in any full season since 2007, and big man Dwight Howard says he knows his inconsistent energy and struggles with conditioning have cost his team some of them.

“You’ve got to have energy and I want to bring that energy every night,” Howard said in a revealing interview Saturday afternoon. “That’s my job. They count on me to be that guy. I just know how much more effective I will be when I’m in better shape. And, unfortunately, it’s cost us a lot of games.”

Howard said his conditioning has improved throughout the season, but he’s still “not even close” to where he wants to be, and where he once was before undergoing back surgery in the offseason.

“I knew that would be a process. The better shape I’m in, the more active I can be and the more I’m able to do on the floor,” he said. “But it was a struggle at first because I just didn’t have it in the tank, especially on defense.”

— Reported by Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles

Kobe scores 40, Lakers hold off Blazers

Kobe Bryant scored 40 points, Dwight Howard had 19 points and 16 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers capped a trying week with a gritty 111-107 victory over the slumping Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.

Hours after longtime Lakers owner Jerry Buss was buried, and a day after a moving memorial service punctuated by eulogies from Bryant and other franchise greats, the team got back to basketball with a much-needed victory at Staples Center.

Bryant scored 11 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes and the Lakers won for the seventh time in 10 games. They remained ninth in the Western Conference playoff race, 3 1/2 games behind Houston for the final spot with 26 remaining. Portland trails Los Angeles by 1 1/2 games.

Howard, looking for his sixth rebounding title in seven seasons, came in averaging an NBA-best and 11.8 boards per game. The Lakers are 19-12 when he gets double digits in rebounds, and 11 of those losses have come on nights when he grabbed 14 or more. They wasted 26 boards in a home loss to Denver on Jan. 6, and 20 in a Dec. 11 loss at Cleveland.

Antawn Jamison scored 16 points off the bench, helping to hand Portland its season-worst seventh straight loss. The Trail Blazers have lost five straight road games and 10 of their last 11 away from the Rose Garden.

J.J. Hickson had 22 points and 11 rebounds for Portland, and Nicolas Batum also scored 22. Two-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 15 points in 34 foul-plagued minutes after picking up his fifth personal with 8 minutes remaining.

Damian Lillard added 19 points. All of Portland’s starters scored in double figures, while the bench produced just 14 points.

— Reported by Joe Resnick of the Associated Press