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Kobe finds shooting touch as Lakers down Rockets |
(Reuters) – Kobe Bryant rediscovered his scoring touch to tally 37 points and lead the Los Angeles Lakers to top spot in the Pacific division with a 108-99 win over the visiting Houston Rockets on Tuesday. Bryant, who had connected on just 26 percent of his shots over his previous two games, finally caught fire against the Rockets while team mate Andrew Bynum had 21 points and 22 rebounds as the Lakers got their fourth win in five games. “I just had to make some adjustments,” Bryant told reporters as he continues to play with an injured right wrist. “Some shots (it) hurts, some it doesn’t, so it’s inconsistent. But you have to find a rhythm.” Los Angeles held an 82-81 lead with about 10 minutes remaining of a previously tight contest but outscored the Rockets 18-8 over the next eight minutes, led by nine points from Bryant during the stretch. Bryant made 14-of-29 shots and also had eight rebounds and six assists. The win moved the Lakers (4-3) a half-game in front of the cross-town Clippers in the division. The Rockets (2-3), meanwhile, have lost all three of their road games this season. Houston’s Kyle Lowry just missed a triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists while Luis Scola added 20 points. The visitors stayed in touch with the Lakers throughout the game, trailing by four at halftime and just one after three quarters, but they were pounded on the inside. Los Angeles grabbed a 53-38 advantage in rebounds led by 7-footer Bynum. After being suspended the first four games of the season because of a flagrant foul during the last post-season contest, Bynum has exploded back onto the scene with three straight double-figure games in points and rebounds. “Rebounding the basketball is big. It’s important to us and it’s something I’ve been working on,” Bynum said. “I’ve been doing a lot of work before practice. I’m super confident right now.” (Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by John O’Brien) There is the quick update of the day. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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NBA: Los Angeles Lakers 108, Houston 99 |
Published: Jan. 4, 2012 at 1:36 AM
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 4 (UPI) — Kobe Bryant scored 37 points and Andrew Bynum dominated in the paint Tuesday in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 108-99 win over Houston. Bryant had six assists and eight rebounds, while Bynum scored 21 points and grabbed 22 rebounds. Pau Gasol added 14 points and Steve Blake scored 11 for the Lakers, who improved to 4-3. The Lakers outscored the Rockers 32-24 in the fourth quarter. Kyle Lowry scored 22 points and Luis Scola added 20 for the Rockets. Houston kept it close until the final 4 minutes when Bryant hit three field goals and a free throw to put Los Angeles ahead 100-89 with 1:59 to play.
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Lakers, Clippers, Kings In Midst Of 17 Straight… |
Read More: Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Kings, Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers, Jan 3, 2012 7:30 PM PST The Los Angeles Lakers will host the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night, in the midst of a busy time at Staples Center. The Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers along with the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL all have extended road trips at the beginning of February, dubbed the “Grammy road trip” as the venue prepares to host the annual music awards. That, coupled with an extra dense NBA schedule thanks to the lockout makes for many home games in January. Tuesday is the sixth of 17 consecutive days with a sporting event at Staples Center:
That’s quite a run of games at Staples Center for more than two weeks. And don’t worry, even though there isn’t a game on Sunday, January 15, the Lakers and Clippers each make up for it with home games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Janaury 16. January is a busy sports month at Staples Center Tuesday’s 7:30 p.m. PST game will be televised by Fox Sports West. For more Lakers basketball news and information, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll. Leave your comments on the news below. |
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NBA: Andrew Bynum lifts Los Angeles Lakers in… |
Andrew Bynum provided the Los Angeles Lakers with a powerful performance in his season debut, after a four-game suspension that carried over from the playoffs. It all would have been for naught, however, had it not been for some clutch shooting in the fourth quarter by Kobe Bryant and a couple of equally crucial hustle plays by Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol in the final minutes. Bynum scored 29 points on 13-for-18 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds, leading the host Lakers to a 92-89 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. The 7-foot center played 311/2 grueling minutes, helping the Lakers win their third straight after their first 0-2 start since 2002-03. “They were looking for me a lot. I was a focal point early in the offense, so I knew the quicker I got down the court, the better it was,” said Bynum, who made four of his first five shots and finished the first quarter with 10 points. “I was winded like crazy. I couldn’t breathe in the first six minutes. Defensively, getting back and all those things require me to be in better condition. So it’s going to take a little while.” Bynum was suspended without pay for the first four games because of a flagrant foul against Dallas’ J.J. Barea in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals. The original ban was five games, but it was reduced on Dec. 23 as a result of a shortened schedule caused by the lockout. “I really didn’t have the highest expectations,” said the seven-year veteran, who totaled 41 points and 23 rebounds in two preseason games against the Clippers. “I just wanted to come out and be aggressive. I wanted to get it down low, and when I got it, I made shots.” Thunder 107, Suns 97: Russell Westbrook scored 18 points and Daequan Cook hit four 3-pointers in quick succession to help Oklahoma City pull away in the first half as the Thunder led wire to wire in a victory over Phoenix. The Thunder improved to 5-0 and remained perfect in four New Year’s Eve home games that have become a tradition since the franchise moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City. Two nights after his buzzer-beater against Dallas, Kevin Durant had only 12 points in his bid to become the first player since Michael Jordan a quarter-century earlier to score at least 30 in the first five games of a season. Knicks 114, Kings 92: Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points, Tyson Chandler had 18 of his 22 in the second half, and New York assumed control early in beating host Sacramento. The Knicks didn’t miss starting forward Amare Stoudemire, their leading rebounder and second-leading scorer who sat out with a sprained left ankle. They got an unexpected lift from replacement Josh Harrellson, a rookie from Kentucky who made his first NBA start and had career highs of 14 points and 12 rebounds, and hit four 3-pointers. Rockets 95, Hawks 84: Kevin Martin scored 27 points, Kyle Lowry matched a career high with 18 assists, and host Houston led from start to finish in a victory over Atlanta. Luis Scola added 21 points, Jordan Hill grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds, and Chase Budinger scored 17 points for the Rockets, who looked fresh despite playing their third game in three nights. Joe Johnson and Al Horford scored 15 points apiece for Atlanta, which lost for the first time this season. Not much else going on in the NBA world today. |
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Bynum Returns With 29 Points, Lakers Slip Past… |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andrew Bynum had 29 points and 13 rebounds in his season debut following a four-game suspension that carried over from the playoffs, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets 92-89 Saturday. Gallery: Lakers-Nuggets Bynum shot 13 for 18, helping the Lakers win their third straight following the team’s first 0-2 start since 2002-03. The 7-foot center was suspended without pay for the first four games of the season because of a flagrant foul against Dallas’ J.J. Barea in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals. The original ban was five games, but was reduced on Dec. 23 as a result of a shortened schedule caused by the NBA lockout. Bynum totaled 41 points and 23 rebounds in two preseason games against the Clippers. Kobe Bryant, bogged down by foul trouble, had 17 points along with nine assists and 10 rebounds. The Lakers overcame 2-for-24 shooting from 3-point range. Reserve forward Al Harrington had 21 points for the Nuggets, who have lost 25 of their last 29 road games against the Lakers. The Lakers missed their first 12 shots from 3-point range — all of them in the first half — before Matt Barnes connected with 11:11 left in the third to put Los Angeles ahead 49-47. The Nuggets weren’t much better from behind the arc, missing nine of their first 10 before finishing up 7 for 26. Trailing 71-69 after three quarters, the Lakers tied it four times before Harrington’s 3-pointer gave Denver an 85-80 lead with 5:29 to play. Bynum guided in a pass above the rim from Bryant and converted the ensuing free throw to narrow the gap to 89-87 with 3:23 left. Derek Fisher, who fouled out with six points in his 500th consecutive game, missed a 3-point shot trying to beat the 24-second clock — but hustled all the way to the other side of the court to fall on the loose ball and get a timeout with 2:29 remaining and the Lakers still down by two. Bryant tied it 89-all with a pair of free throws and Bynum blocked a layup by Nene with 2 minutes left before converting a layup at the other end for a 91-89 lead with 1:50 to go. The Nuggets had a few opportunities to pull it out. But Gasol blocked a layup by Ty Lawson, who then missed two free throws the next time the Nuggets had possession. Danilo Gallinari had a chance to tie it, but blew an easy fast-break layup after a missed jumper by Bryant at the other end. Bynum made four of his first five shots and finished the first quarter with 10 points. Bryant, who averaged 27.8 points through the first four games despite playing with a torn ligament in his right wrist, missed his first three shots and played more than 14 scoreless minutes before ending the drought on a floater that put the Lakers ahead 38-36 with 3:40 left in the second quarter. Notes: The Lakers have played six times on New Year’s Eve since coming to Los Angeles — all at home (5-1). Their rematch with the Nuggets on Sunday night will mark the first time the Lakers have played on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in the same season since 1959-60, when the franchise was based in Minneapolis. … Bryant needs four points to become the sixth player in history to surpass 28,000. … Fisher’s consecutive-game streak is the NBA’s longest active streak. Former Lakers forward A.C. Green, a teammate of Fisher’s during the 1999-00 season, holds the league record with 1,192 in a row. “That’s what’s so amazing about what he was able to accomplish — especially as a big guy out there banging with the best of them,” the 37-year-old Fisher said. “For him to be able to have done what it took mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically to be prepared to go to work every single day for all those seasons was a big-time example for me. It’s not like I’m chasing any type of number, but I just try to bring the same mentality to work, whether it’s 500 or 1,000.” Subscribe to our feed!. |
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