Through three games, Andrew Bynum is playing like an NBA All-Star.

On Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets, he achieved a career milestone with his first 20-point, 20-rebound performance at Staples Center. Kobe Bryant said following the game, “There’s plenty more to come… the biggest challenge for him is staying healthy.”

Everyone in Los Angeles understands exactly what Kobe means.

For fans, this scenario is all too familiar. In years past, Bynum has suffered a catastrophic injury just as he hits his stride. If he plays in all 66 games this year, it will be his first full season since his sophomore campaign, the only one in which he played in all 82 games.

The NBA lockout as well as a four game suspension could both be blessings in disguise. The extra time off and shortened season could mitigate the risk of yet another injury. The Lakers will need him this season more than ever after losing a key component to their frontcourt in Lamar Odom.

The loss of Odom via trade this offseason will cause the Lakers to lean heavily on Bynum to get them into the playoffs, let alone make a deep run. Thus far in the 2011-2012 season, Bynum has played at an extremely high level and shown for three games that he can be the player has to be for the team to improve upon a disappointing finish in 2011.

When Bynum plays as well as he is capable of, it takes tremendous pressure off Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, opening up the floor for their respective games. Defensively, he alters opponents’ shots with regularity and contributes to easy baskets on the other end of the floor.

The task of maintaining his health and fitness will be a game-by-game process. Only time will tell whether or not Bynum will go the direction of Grant Hill and overcome significant injuries or Brandon Roy and be another young player who simply can’t stay on the court.

If he plays like he has so far all season, the Lakers will be a much stronger team and will remain among the league’s elite, despite the loss of a great player like Odom.This kind of start from Bynum is exactly what the team needs to get over the disappointment of a tumultuous offseason.

Michael C. Jones is a Yahoo! Featured Contributor in Sports and follows all news and developments of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Follow Michael on Twitter

Sources:

Basketball-Reference.com

Fox Sports West Television Network

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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:

• Thursday, December 29: Lakers beat the New York Knicks 99-82
• Friday, December 30: Clippers lost their home opener to the Chicago Bulls 114-101
• Saturday, December 31: Lakers beat the Nuggets in the afternoon 92-89, and the Kings beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-1 at night
• Sunday, January 1: Clippers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 93-88
• Monday, January 2: Kings lost in a shootout 2-1 to the Colorado Avalanche
• Tuesday, January 3: Lakers host the Rockets
• Wednesday, January 4: Clippers host the Rockets
• Thursday, January 5: Kings host the Phoenix Coyotes
• Friday, January 6: Lakers host the Golden State Warriors
• Saturday, January 7: Kings host the Columbus Blue Jackets
• Sunday, January 8: Lakers host the Memphis Grizzlies
• Monday, January 9: Kings host the Washington Capitals
• Tuesday, January 10: Lakers host the Phoenix Suns
• Wednesday, January 11: Clippers host the Miami Heat
• Thursday, January 12: Kings host the Dallas Stars
• Friday, January 13: Lakers host the Cleveland Cavaliers
• Saturday, January 14: Clippers host the Lakers

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.

We just found out that the Lakers entered talks to ship center Pau Gasol to the Timberwolves for league leading rebounder Kevin Love. The trade offers was said to have been made right after the Chris Paul trade was rejected by the league office.

Does that mean Kevin Love might eventually be headed to L.A. this season?

I don’t see why we would count that possibility out. Kevin Love becomes a free agent after this season, and like the Magic with Dwight Howard, the Wolves may seek to get something for a player unlikely to return. But again, like the Magic, the Wolves may want to try to convince Love to stay by providing him with all the reasons to stay—commitment from ownership and a shown respect towards a player whose decisions impact the franchise on a monumental level.

I guess the thing is, considering whether or not Love should be on that same pedestal as the premier stars like Howard. You see, though Love led the league in rebounding, though he is a great young player who at age 23 promises to be a highly relevant star for a long time, Love is not the exciting charismatic star that Howard is. He’s a good player; he is not the kind of player that puts butts in seats.

In fact, to many fans, only the basketball purists type will find Kevin Love’s game really that appealing. He rebounds by boxing out, and scores by hitting jumpers and putting back misses, not by flying through the air for athletic dunks.

Love ultimately would be great for the Lakers, but you can pretty much say that about any team. Adding a player like Love whose shooting can space the floor for other players, while simultaneously gobbling up a lot of offensive rebounds does wonders for an offense’s first chance and second chance looks. Love would make the Lakers an even more scary team than Gasol does, especially since they no longer use the triangle offense, which literally seemed taylor made for a player with Gasol’s skill set.

And it may be the Mike Brown influence that is driving the push for Love. Mike Brown himself was a meat and potatoes kind of forward and Love’s game is more like Brown’s than the somewhat flashy walks-on- his-tippy toes Gasol.

I don’t really think Love’s numbers would change all that much, and Gasol may fall off in such a move, as he would find himself pretty discontent to be playing for a team like the Timberwolves as this point in his advanced career. But I’m more concerned about watching Love rip down 15 boards a game with Kobe hitting game winning shots than worry about Gasol’s prospects.

Besides, there is a lot to be said for a Ricky Rubio – Pau Gasol pick ‘n’ roll…

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NUGGETS-LAKERS

Bynum returns, leads Lakers over Nuggets

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Andrew Bynum had 29 points and 13 rebounds in his season debut following a 4-game suspension that carried over from the playoffs, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets 92-89 Saturday.

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.

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.

KNICKS-KINGS

Anthony, Chandler lead Knicks over Kings 114-92

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points, Tyson Chandler had 18 of his 22 in the second half, and the New York Knicks assumed control early in beating the Sacramento Kings 114-92 on Saturday night.

The Knicks didn’t miss starting forward Amare Stoudemire, their leading rebounder and second-leading scorer who sat out with a sprained left ankle.

New York (2-2) used a 15-0 run in the opening quarter to take a 35-20 lead. Toney Douglas scored nine points and had 3 of the Knicks’ six 3-pointers.

Landry Fields had 21 points and Chandler added seven rebounds for the Knicks, who had struggled offensively in losing their previous two games, but had a season-high point total against the Kings. Douglas had 17 points and eight assists.

76ERS-WARRIORS

76ers overcome slow start, roll past Warriors

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Andre Iguodala had 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, Lou Williams added 23 points off the bench and the Philadelphia 76ers overcame a sluggish start to beat the Golden State Warriors 107-79 on Saturday night.

One night after blowing a 13-point lead in a loss to Utah, Philadelphia fell behind by that same margin before outscoring the Warriors 69-41 over the second and third quarters.

Spencer Hawes had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the 76ers, who have one more stop left on their season-opening, 5-game road trip – the longest trip to start a season in franchise history.

Stephen Curry, back in the lineup after a 1-game absence due to a sprained ankle, scored 21 points for Golden State, which played without guard Monta Ellis.

AVALANCHE-DUCKS

Avs beat Ducks 4-2 in Giguere’s Anaheim return

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 18 saves in his first game in Anaheim since the Ducks traded him nearly two years ago, and Milan Hejduk scored two goals in the Colorado Avalanche’s 4-2 victory on Saturday night.

Kyle Quincey and Chuck Kobasew also scored for the Avalanche, who are surging into the new year with eight wins in their last 10 games.

Lubomir Visnovsky and Bobby Ryan scored for Anaheim, which is stuck in 29th place in the 30-team overall NHL standings. Saku Koivu had two assists in his return to the Ducks’ lineup after an 8-game absence with a strained groin.

The Anaheim crowd gave several standing ovations to Giguere, the popular goalie who backstopped the Ducks to two Stanley Cup finals and their only NHL title.

FIGHT HUNGER BOWL

Illinois beats UCLA 20-14 in Fight Hunger Bowl

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Terry Hawthorne returned an interception 39 yards for Illinois’ first touchdown late in the third quarter and the Illini snapped a 6-game losing streak by beating UCLA 20-14 in the Fight Hunger Bowl.

Nathan Scheelhaase added a 60-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Jenkins midway through the fourth quarter to seal the first victory for Illinois (7-6) since beating Indiana 12 weeks ago.

The game between two six-win teams who have already fired their head coaches matched the underwhelming expectations as there was little excitement before Hawthorne’s third-quarter touchdown that gave Illinois its first lead.

UCLA (6-8) was held to 18 yards rushing in its third straight loss. Kevin Prince threw two TD passes, including one in the closing minute to Nelson Rosario after the game had been decided.

UCLA-CALIFORNIA

Cal routs UCLA 85-69, moves to 11-0 at home

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) – Allen Crabbe scored 20 points, including four 3-pointers, and California beat UCLA 85-69 on Saturday to pull off its first home sweep of the Los Angeles schools in eight years and stay undefeated at home.

Jorge Gutierrez had 16 points and eight assists, freshman David Kravish scored a career-best 13 points and Justin Cobbs added 13 points and a career-high eight assists as Cal shot a season-high 65% from the field. Crabbe, who added six assists and five rebounds, had five points during a decisive run to start the second half as the Golden Bears (12-3, 2-0 Pac-12) pulled away.

Tyler Lamb scored a career-high 26 points and David Wear added 17 points and seven rebounds for the Bruins (7-7, 0-2), who couldn’t keep up once Cal got on a roll. It was the Bruins’ most lopsided defeat in the series since a 92-63 loss on Feb. 1, 2001.

SOUTHERN CAL-STANFORD

USC falls to Stanford 51-43

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) – Aaron Bright scored 7 of his game-high 16 points in the final 4:43 of play to help Stanford beat Southern California 51-43 Saturday.

Josh Owens added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Cardinal (12-2, 2-0), who ended a 3-game losing streak to the Trojans.

Alexis Moore scored 12 points to lead the Trojans (5-10, 0-2), who lost their third straight and 5 of 6 overall.

The Cardinal led by 11 with 14:25 remaining before the Trojans whittled it to a 3-point deficit nine minutes later. Bright hit a long 2-point jump shot and a 3-pointer within a 38-second period to give Stanford a 49-41 advantage with under four minutes to play.

After trailing by eight early, Stanford bounced back to take a 31-25 lead at halftime.

T25-STANFORD-UCLA

No. 4 Stanford women rout UCLA 77-50

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Nnemkadi Ogwumike and Chiney Ogwumike posted double-doubles for the second straight game to lead No. 4 Stanford past UCLA 77-50 Saturday, handing the Bruins their 12th consecutive loss against the perennial Pac-12 women’s powerhouse.

Nnemkadi Ogwumike had 18 points and 10 rebounds, her sister Chiney had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Toni Kokenis added 11 points for the Cardinal (11-1, 2-0), which won their eighth in a row and extended their league winning streak to a record 59 games.

UCLA’s Rebekah Gardner scored 17 points and Markel Walker added 11 for the injury-riddled Bruins (6-7, 1-1). They were without leading scorer and rebounder Atonye Nyingifa, who tore her right ACL in a loss to Tennessee on Dec. 17 and is out for the season. They had already lost Jasmine Dixon, who ruptured her Achilles tendon in September.

CALIFORNIA-USC

USC women storm past California 74-54 in Pac-12

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Christina Marinacci and Cassie Harberts scored 23 points apiece to lead USC to a 74-54 victory over California on Saturday.

Ashley Corral added 13 points for the Trojans (6-6, 1-1 Pac-12), who outshot California 44.4% to 26.8%.

Marinacci made 9 of 14 shots, and Harberts went 13 of 16 from the free throw line.

Brittany Boyd’s 14 points paced the Bears (9-5, 0-2), who lost their second in a row. Layshia Clarendon scored 11 points and Reshanda Gray 10, while Gennifer Brandon grabbed 12 rebounds.

USC stormed to early leads of 7-0 and 15-2 before the Bears clawed back to trail only 32-29 at halftime.

Brandon’s basket tied it 35-35 with 17:21 left, but then the Trojans embarked on a 15-1 run keyed by nine points from Marinacci to forge a 50-36 edge with 11:24 left.

WHITE SOX-PADRES TRADE

Padres get Quentin from White Sox for 2 prospects

SAN DIEGO (AP) – The San Diego Padres have acquired 2-time All-Star outfielder Carlos Quentin from the Chicago White Sox in an attempt to bolster their anemic offense.

Quentin grew up in the San Diego area and was a 2-time All-Star with the White Sox. He has four consecutive 20-homer seasons, including 36 in 2008.

The White Sox will receive minor league pitchers Simon Castro, a right-hander, and Pedro Hernandez, a left-hander.

A shoulder injury limited Quentin to just one game in the final month of 2011, but Padres general manager Josh Byrnes says the outfielder is healthy.

The deal was announced on Saturday.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andrew Bynum provided the Los Angeles Lakers with a powerful performance in his season debut, following 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 critical 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 Lakers to a 92-89 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. The 7-foot center played 31 1/2 grueling minutes, helping the Lakers win their third straight following 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 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.”

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 game of basketball treats you badly sometimes,” Denver coach George Karl said. “No one feels very good right now. They hurt us rebounding the ball and they hurt us with Bynum’s power underneath the basket. They’ve very good at playing an aggressive style of disrupting you, with guys coming at you on pick-and-rolls.”

The Lakers missed their first 12 shots from 3-point range — all 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.

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 managed to get a timeout with 2:29 remaining and the Lakers still down by two.

“I haven’t seen it on tape yet, and I’m sure it doesn’t look very graceful. But I’m glad it helped us get a win,” the 37-year-old Fisher said with a chuckle. “You see a ball free and you go for it, especially at that time of the game. To make hustle plays and do the little things, that’s the team that we’re becoming — a team that can figure out a way to grind out wins.

“Once I saw the ball bounce long (Ty) Lawson and I were kind of bumping into each other shoulder-to-shoulder and I started to lose my balance,” Fisher explained. “So it was somewhat surprising that I was still able to figure out a way to find the basketball as I was stumbling and regain control before going out of bounds.”

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 Lawson, who 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 with Steve Blake on his heels after Bryant missed a jumper at the other end.

“We get three layups and a couple of free throws in the last three minutes, and we miss all of them,” Karl lamented. “Our offensive confidence is a little short right now.”

Fisher’s consecutive-game streak is the longest among active NBA players. 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,” 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. I’m nowhere close to his streak, but I still take great pride in coming to work every day. Those experiences with him were great. We talked a lot and I learned a lot from him.”

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 reach 28,000.