Author: Mike Trudell

Lakers – Hornets Gameday Page
We took a look at the Lakers – Hornets contest in New Orleans while it was happening, entering a thought or three each quarter as the Lakers looked for their second straight road win.

Inactives
Lakers: Andrew Bynum (Achilles) Luke Walton (back)
Hornets: Peja Stojakovic

Starters
Lakers: Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Odom and Gasol
Hornets: Chris Paul, Marcus Thornton, Morris Peterson, David West, Emeka Okafor

Andrew Bynum, Luke Walton Injury Update
Prior to the game, we learned that Luke Walton could return to practice on Thursday when the team gets back to Los Angeles, while Andrew Bynum looks forward to meeting with his doctors to reevaluate his strained Achilles. For more, click HERE FOR BYNUM and HERE FOR WALTON.

First Quarter
5:30 If you were a Laker from any country other than Spain, you didn’t score in the first six minutes for L.A. … fortunately for the road team, its Spaniard was in a scoring mood, making 5-of-8 shots for all 12 of his team’s points to match the Hornets’ output by himself.

4:00 Ron Artest decided not to let Gasol have all the fun, earning himself an open layup in transition after picking David West’s pocket, then hitting a baseline jumper off Pau’s post feed that put L.A. up 16-15. More importantly, we had a chance to try a local Po’ Boy sandwich, several beignets and some gumbo while in New Orleans over the past two days.

1:20 Though Houston does it a bit with Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry, New Orleans came in with an even quicker double point guard offense, with Paul being joined by Darren Collison, a former college teammate of Jordan Farmar (one year at UCLA). L.A. didn’t pick up Collison off a ball reversal, and he nailed an open three in the middle of a 9-0 Hornets run that produced a 25-21 lead for the Cajuns. Bryant got his first point with a late free throw, but West’s buzzer-beating leaner created a 27-22 N.O. lead.

Second Quarter
10:05 Collison’s second 3-pointer followed Paul’s to open the period, putting the Hornets’ run at 16-1. They’d made 6-of-10 threes to start, while L.A. had missed all three of their attempts from distance. N.O. came into the game just 3-11 in March, but of course saved one of their better efforts for the defending champs.

3:16 A frustrated Kobe Bryant turned into a more aggressive Kobe Bryant offensively for L.A., starting with a deep pull-up three out of a time out and the ol’ up-fake of Thornton to draw the rookie’s foul. However, 1-of-2 free throws cut the lead to 10.

0:00 Lamar Odom, who’d been extremely quiet in the half (as in zero points, one rebound and one assist in 19 minutes) nailed a tough and-1 layup as the buzzer sounded for halftime, but missed the free throw as N.O. took a 50-42 lead into the break. On the bright side, you didn’t have to watch the Hornets roll out 40 middle-aged men in red jackets and short blue shorts for a dance during a second quarter time out.

Third Quarter
9:38 Back-to-back jumpers from Kobe and a Gasol tip-in capped a quick 6-0 run that cut N.O.’s lead to just five, the closest L.A. had been since the start of the second quarter. That Okafor missed 3-of-4 free throws in the first two minutes didn’t help the Hornets’ cause.

6:01 Antithetical to a comeback attempt: your opponent being in the bonus after just five minutes. Five personals on the Lakers did just that, however, while N.O. had just one foul. Thus negated four more Kobe points that momentarily brought L.A. within two, as the Hornets got four free throws on fouls far away from the basket, combining with a Thornton three (the team’s eighth) to put the lead right back at seven.

Fourth Quarter
9:15 “Lakers just cannot stop the bleeding at the defensive end of the floor.” That was Spero Dedes summing things up over on 710 ESPN radio (I’m always with headphones) as Okafor’s tip in put the Hornets up 17 points.

5:44 Finally, a solid stretch for the Lakers, producing a 12-2 run that cut the lead to just six points (87-81) when Farmar scored on a super tough and-1 layup through traffic, and Bryant put back Farmar’s missed bonus free throw. That happened quickly. In related news, the Lakers had scored eight straight points since sideline reporter John Ireland interviewed Bruce Willis on KCAL.

2:19 Then the run stopped. James Posey’s 3-pointer was the 10th made by New Orleans, and the biggest as it cut off L.A.’s comeback attempt by putting the lead back at 10. Artest had moments earlier missed two open threes from the corner, his sixth and seventh misses in eight attempts, the first of which would have cut the lead to just three. From that point on, the Hornets would nail eight straight free throws to put the game on ice.

The loss was L.A.’s second in four games on the 5-game trip which concludes in Atlanta on Wednesday. Until then, your numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
7 Three-pointers missed by Ron Artest, who just couldn’t find his range despite several open looks mostly from the corners. He made only one of eight attempts, L.A. 5-of-24 (20.8 percent) on the night.

8 Straight points run off by L.A. in a fourth quarter comeback attempt after KCAL sideline reporter John Ireland interviewed Bruce Willis. Just saying.

12 Straight points for L.A. scored by Pau Gasol to begin the game. The Spaniard finished with 24 points and 19 rebounds in a solid game.

41.8 L.A.’s shooting percentage for the evening, roughly six points below the 48 percent average allowed by the Hornets on the season.

43.5 Hornets’ 3-point shooting percentage (10-of-23), the final make a costly-for-L.A. James Posey dagger with 2:19 to play.

We caught up with Andrew Bynum, who will miss his fifth consecutive game when the Lakers play New Orleans on Monday night, in the locker room to discuss his progress from a strained left Achilles:

MT: Phil Jackson said that there’s still no firm timetable as to when you might return, but that you’re at least not experiencing pain while walking at this point? How are you feeling today?
Bynum: I can walk pretty much without pain. I still can’t turn the ankle either way and I’m taped up and stuff. That’s just kind of where it’s at; it is getting better.

MT: This is a much different type of thing you experienced the last two years with differing knee injuries, at least…
Bynum: It’s nowhere near as serious. It’s just something that needs to get all the way better so that you don’t have a chronic issue. That’s what we’re trying to avoid right now, and want to get it back to where it’s normal going into the playoffs.

MT: So in short, once it’s healed, you don’t have to worry about it like you might a knee?
Bynum: For sure.

MT: Are you worried at all about your conditioning when you get back?
Bynum: I should be able to be right back. I’m going to have to just go at it in practices. It hasn’t even been two weeks, and I should be feeling better when we get back home. Do the reevaluation with the doctors, they can tell me what’s going on, possibly take an MRI and take it from there.

Phil Jackson added some comments about Bynum before the game as well:

I haven’t put any timetable on Andrew at all. We were hoping it would be a couple of weeks, but right now we’ll just let that one go. When he’s ready to go, we’ll notify you. He just started walking without comfort about two days ago. He feels free enough to walk without the boot on.

The Lakers could get a bench boost from within later this week, according to Coach Phil Jackson.

Luke Walton, who has played in only 24 of L.A.’s 72 games due to a pinched nerve in his lower back, may be ready to go sooner than later.

“Walton I think will start practicing next week,” said Phil Jackson. “(He) may even get on the court Thursday when we get back, get in a practice before the Utah game (Friday).”

The excellent-passing forward’s target return date has long been early April, so that he can get some game action in before L.A. begins its title defense in the playoffs.

On Saturday evening, the New Orleans Hornets (34-41) were officially eliminated from playoff contention after suffering a 112-101 home loss to Portland.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the Lakers expect anything but N.O.’s best effort at New Orleans Arena on Monday night. After all, the defending champions tend to bring out the best in their opponents regardless of the situation, and this happens to be L.A.’s only appearance in the Crescent City on the season.

Furthermore, point guard Chris Paul will be starting in his fourth game since missing 25 games with a left knee injury, joining rookies Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton in perhaps the league’s quickest, problem-causing backcourts.

Thornton, taken with the 43rd pick of the 2009 NBA Draft by Miami before being shipped to New Orleans for two future second round picks, just one pick after L.A. selected Patrick Beverly and traded him to Miami, has averaged 19.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in nine starts. Collison, meanwhile, had 31 10+ point games and 12 10+ assist games in 33 starts sans Paul, and averaged the most assists (9.0) of any rookie before returning to the bench.

Paul, however, is easing his way back into the mix, averaging just 7.7 points 6.7 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 27.7 minutes in three contests, the last two of which were losses. His return hasn’t marked a clean bill of health for the Hornets, since starting small forward Peja Stojakovic has missed 10 straight games with a lower abdominal strain. As such, Morris Peterson and Thornton line up on the wings alongside Paul, with Emeka Okafor in the middle and David West at the power forward slot. Off the bench come Collison, James Posey, Darius Songaila and, to a lesser extent, Aaron Gray and Julian Wright.

Due to their personnel, the Hornets look to attack teams in transition as much as they can, then settle into a pick-and-roll heavy halfcourt game if need be, often featuring Paul and West. Defensively, New Orleans occasionally turns to a zone defense for the same personnel reasons, meaning L.A. will have to stick to Phil Jackson’s recent emphasis on taking care of the basketball and getting to the proper spots on offense, something that worked in Houston but not Oklahoma City (in related news, L.A. won in Houston but not in Oklahoma City).

The Lakers easily won both previous games against the Hornets this season at STAPLES Center, first with a 104-88 victory on Nov. 8 and then a 110-99 result on Dec. 1. L.A. also beat the Hornets three times in 2008-09 to just one loss (and six of seven times overall), putting the Purple and Gold on a four-game winning streak heading into Monday’s contest.

Lakers – Hornets Connections
– Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul were teammates on the USA Men’s Olympic team that earned a gold medal in the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing, China, and remain close.
– Kobe was the 13th overall pick by the Hornets in the 1996 Draft before being shipped to L.A. for Vlade Divac (thanks, Hornets!!).
– Jordan Farmar and Darren Collison were both point guards at UCLA, their lone season together coming in 2005-06 when Farmar was a sophomore and Collison a freshman, when they reached the National Championship game.
– Pau Gasol and James Posey were teammates in Memphis from 2003-05.
– Peja Stojakovic was traded from Sacramento to Indiana in exchange for Ron Artest on Jan. 25, 2006.

As the 2009-10 regular season draws to a close, the playoff picture in the West remains nearly as difficult to predict as the NCAA Tournament has been this March (you didn’t have Butler and Michigan State in your Final Four, did you?).

Perhaps the only thing that appears a sure thing for the Lakers is that they’ve more than likely locked up the No. 1 seed thanks to a 6.0 game lead on second place Dallas and 6.5 game edge on both Denver and Utah with just nine games to play. In fact, L.A. would need to lose at least six of their nine games to join Dallas with 25 losses and give the Mavs a chance at going undefeated.

It’s just as likely that Memphis (38-25) doesn’t catch San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Portland, all of whom are 9.5 games back of L.A., for the final playoff spot, so these appear to be the eight teams in the mix.

Western Conference Playoff Standings (Team, Record, Percentage, Games Back)
1) L.A. Lakers (54-19, .740, 0.0)
2) Dallas (48-25, .658, 6.0)
3) Denver (48-26, .649, 6.5)
4) Utah (48-26, .649, 6.5)
5) Phoenix (48-26, .649, 7.0)
6) San Antonio (48-28, .611, 9.5)
7) Oklahoma City (44-28, .608, 9.5)
8) Portland (45-29, .649, 9.5)

As you can tell, L.A. could realistically play … well … anybody in the first round. The final three teams do (Spurs, Thunder, Blazers) appear the most likely, while OKC and S.A. have far more difficult schedules than does Portland.

Spurs: @ Nets, Houston, Orlando, @ Lakers, @ Sacramento, @ Phoenix, Memphis, @ Denver, Minnesota, @ Dallas
Note: Four really tough road games isn’t ideal for Gregg Popovich and Co., but the Spurs did just smack the Celtics around in Boston.

Thunder: @ Philly, @ Boston, @ Dallas, Minnesota, @ Utah, Denver, Phoenix, @ Golden State, @ Portland, Memphis
Note: Aside from Minny, even their home games are tough, with Denver, Phoenix and Memphis heading into OKC to face a team making its first playoff push.

Trail Blazers: NY Knicks, @ Denver, @ Sacramento, @ L.A. Clippers, Dallas, @ L.A. Lakers, Oklahoma City, Golden State
Note: With how tough OKC’s schedule is, that second-to-last game in Portland could be the Trail Blazer’s chance to stick the Thunder in the eight spot for good.

Stay tuned over the next two weeks as things fall into place; of course, the Lakers may not know whom they’ll see until the final day of the regular season on April 14.

A shot of Lamar Odom’s Kobe Zoom V’s, featuring No. 7.

Lakers – Rockets Gameday Page
We took a look at the Lakers – Rockets contest in Houston while it was happening, entering a thought or three each quarter as the Lakers looked to get back in the win column after the previous night’s loss in Oklahoma City.

Inactives
Lakers: Andrew Bynum (Achilles) Luke Walton (back)
Rockets: Kevin Martin (shoulder) Shane Battier (knee)

Starters
Lakers: Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Odom and Gasol
Rockets: Aaron Brooks, Jermaine Taylor, Trevor Ariza, Luis Scola, Chuck Hayes

Rockets Missing Key Players
Houston enters the game without starting shooting guard Kevin Martin due to a left shoulder strain and is also without Shane Battier due to a torn MCL. Furthermore, reserve bigs Jared Jeffries and David Anderson are out as well. The Lakers continue to play without Andrew Bynum (Achilles) and Luke Walton (back) for at least a few more games.

First Quarter
9:30 The good news for Rockets’ rookie Jermaine Taylor: he got his first ever NBA start in the absence of Kevin Martin. The bad news: he had to guard Kobe Bryant. Kobe first drew his foul on the baseline, then in the same possession pulled up easily for a swished jumper that made it 9-5 Lakers. The other early story was how easily L.A. was scoring in the paint, with Gasol and Odom going 3-for-3 against the smallish Rockets’ front line.

5:15 Craig Hodges … Steve Kerr … Aaron Brooks? Just about the only way Houston was going to stick around with the Lakers, who were effectively scoring in the paint, was to nail a bevy of 3-pointers like Hodges or Kerr back in their Chicago days. Among the league’s best bombers this season has been Brooks, who has no conscious when it comes to launching triples, and the diminutive guard nailed two of Houston’s three early on to put Houston up 19-16.

0:49.7 Conceding 34 points in their first quarter after a big loss (in Oklahoma City) certainly wasn’t the response L.A.’s coaches or players were looking for, but that they did as back-to-back hoops from Luis Scola put the Rockets up nine. Jordan Farmar managed a baseline J to cut the lead to 34-27 after one. On the bright side, there’s a Potbelly sandwich shop next to the team hotel in Houston. Mmmm.

Second Quarter
6:42 After stealing the ball from rookie Jordan Hill on defense, DJ Mbenga got the ball on the block at the other end and turned Hill around for a pretty turnaround shot off glass. CC was playing well enough to allow Gasol to continue to rest on L.A.’s bench, and his bucket put the Lakers back in front, 42-41. Congo Cash, folks.

0:28.6 Remember L.A.’s defense from the second half in San Antonio on Wednesday? It came out again in the second quarter here as L.A. reeled off a 20-0 run, failing to score from the 6:10 mark on (repeat: 20-0 run). Fisher’s third triple of the half in as many attempts got him to 13 points, second only to Gasol’s 15. Bryant, meanwhile, was on triple-double watch with 10 points, eight boards and six assists.

0:13.5 Mercifully, Luis Scola hit a jumper to end a 6-minute scoreless streak that mirrored Screech Power’s record with girls until Violet (the future Donna Martin, of course) came along. The Rockets managed just 11 points in the quarter on 26 percent shooting, while L.A. nailed 60 percent of its attempts in the quarter. Central to the defensive burst for the Lakers was Ron Artest, much like during that Spurs game.

Third Quarter
10:21 The two giant pieces of sandpaper otherwise known as Gasol’s hands snagged a tough pass out of the air from Fisher, turned with the ball and lofted it of glass to get the Spaniard to 19 points, his fourth straight field goal make (hadn’t missed since the first quarter).

6:29 As Houston tried to claw its way back into the game, Artest went down with an apparent left ankle tweak while racing for a loose ball with former Laker Ariza. Fortunately, after about 20 seconds on the ground, Artest got up and walked it off, remaining on the floor for L.A. Good thing, too, since his improved foot speed has been crucial for both him and the Lakers on defense.

0:37.0 After a pretty pull-up jumper from 18 feet after multiple cross overs from Gasol (he’s playing center, by the way), Shannon Brown nailed a 3-pointer to push L.A.’s lead to 20 at 87-67, its biggest margin of the game. Pau would then add two free throws to get to a team-high 25 points.

Fourth Quarter
6:29 With L.A. holding Houston at bay relatively easily, the more interesting story line was whether or not Kobe would get his triple-double. He got to 17 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists early in the fourth, looking for dime No. 10 with L.A. leading 96-81.

5:29 Houston had nine male cheerleaders/dancers perform during a time out (FYI). In other news, Kobe went to the bench just one dime shy of the TD for the second time this season (see postgame numbers for more on that).

1:13 The Rockets were plucky enough to force Gasol off the bench and back into the contest (though not Kobe), allowing the All-Star to reach 30 points for the first time this season on an and-1 dunk. He nailed 11-of-17 from the field (including 8-of-10 after the first) and 8-of-9 free throws in an impressive effort.

The game would end moments later with L.A. winning 109-101, its second win on the 5-game road trip that continues in New Orleans on Monday and concludes in Atlanta on Wednesday. Until then, your numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
1 Assist by which Kobe Bryant missed a triple-double with his 17-point, 10-rebound, 9-assist performance, just like when he went for 27, 16 and 9 in Toronto on Jan. 24. Bryant’s last triple-double came against the Clippers on Jan. 21, 2009, when he posted 18 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists, just two games after another triple-double featuring 28, 13 and 11 against Orlando.

3 Triples without a miss in 21 minutes for Derek Fisher, who scored 15 points on 6-of-8 eight shooting overall in one of his better offensive games of late.

11 Margin of L.A.’s edge on the glass. The Lakers were led by Lamar Odom’s 13 boards and 10 from Bryant.

30 Season high in points for Pau Gasol on 11-of-17 shooting, including 8-of-10 after the first quarter. The Spaniard added eight rebounds, four blocks and two assists in his first game against Houston this season.

57.5 L.A.’s outstanding shooting percentage on the evening.

The Houston Rockets team against whom L.A. plays on Saturday night in Texas don’t look much like the group that started against the Lakers in the 2009 Western Conference Semis, or even like the team they faced twice back in November.

In Game 1 of the WCS, Houston started Aaron Brooks, Shane Battier, Ron Artest, Luis Scola and Yao Ming, Yao going for 28 and 10 in a 100-92 Rockets win.

Then in L.A.’s last game in Houston, on Nov. 4 earlier this season, Houston started Brooks, Battier, Trevor Ariza, Scola and Chuck Hayes in a 103-102 OT win for the Lakers thanks to 41 points from Kobe Bryant.

But on Saturday, the Rockets’ lineup will look like this: Brooks, Ariza, Scola, Hayes and … we’ll see? Kevin Martin, acquired in a trade for Carl Landry, starts at shooting guard for Houston, but he’ll miss the game with a sore left shoulder, meaning that backup guard Kyle Lowry or second round pick Chase Budinger could get the nod.

Either way, Brooks and Scola are the only remaining starters from last season’s Rockets team. Yao has been out all season after undergoing left foot surgery, Battier sprained the MCL in his left knee and Artest now starts for the Lakers. Houston’s also missing David Andersen (sore lower back), Jordan Hill (sprained left ankle) and Jared Jeffries (strained left Achilles), the latter two having come over from the Knicks in a trade featuring Tracy McGrady.

The Lakers are again without starting center Andrew Bynum (strained left Achilles) and Luke Walton (pinched nerve in back), but retain four regular starters.

Tune into KCAL or 710 ESPN for a 5:30 p.m. tip to catch the action, and as always, you can follow me on Twitter for live updates (@LakersReporter).

Lakers – Thunder Gameday Page
We took a look at the Lakers – Spurs contest in San Antonio while it was happening, entering a thought or three each quarter as the Lakers looked to win for the eighth straight time and fifth straight on the road.

Inactives
Lakers: Luke Walton (back)
Thunder: Byron Mullins, D.J. White

Starters
Lakers: Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Odom and Gasol
Thunder: Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic

Game Preview
Heading into Friday night’s contest, this season’s fourth and final regular season matchup, the Lakers were looking for their 13th consecutive victory against the franchise, a streak dating back to Seattle. This season, OKC went just 7-8 in November, but are an impressive 34-19 since then, including a 19-6 mark since Jan. 29th (.760) thanks in large part to elite athleticism and length on defense and the scoring ability of Kevin Durant. For the full preview, CLICK HERE.

First Quarter
10:31 It’s rare that Phil Jackson feels the need to call an early time out, but with the OKC crowd cheering as they might during an Oklahoma Sooners (National Championship) game, he called the Purple and Gold over for a quick tongue lashing. A basket out of the TO ensued, but the Thunder then went on a 7-0 run to claim a 13-4 lead, producing a standing ovation.

4:25 Among the reasons Oklahoma City ranks fourth in the NBA in field goal percentage against is their ability to defend the paint with solid team length, and early on the Lakers had trouble with just that, almost exclusively taking jumpers until Gasol’s left-handed hook made it 19-9 OKC. In unrelated news, the wind outside could have knocked down Gasol during his rookie year (he’s since added strength, of course).

0:58.7 Things didn’t get much better for L.A. to close the quarter, as it managed only 15 points – a season-low for the first quarter – to OKC’s 27. The Thunder got 13 from point guard Russell Westbrook alone two nights after George Hill dropped 20 in the first half for the Spurs. L.A. made only 6-of-20 shots (30 percent), and were quickly learning how difficult it is to sweep a team in the regular season (pride counts, right?).

Second Quarter
8:49 The second unit was no better than the starters, conceding nine points while managing just four in the opening minutes of the second to watch the deficit grow to 17. The pregame media meal, featuring BBQ chicken, was pretty good though.

2:36 Durant buried his first three of the evening from 25 feet, getting to 13 points on 11 shots, as the generally expected run from the Lakers still hadn’t come.

0:38.9 The Lakers would score just 34 points in the half, easily their season low (39 against Milwaukee) on 37.5 shooting, not to mention 11 turnover, eight of which came from Kobe Bryant himself. Hard to put a finger on why, but Bryant frequently lost control of the ball in his hands on several occasions and simply slipped on a few others. His broken finger, of course, could be noted for the lack of ball control, but the slips? Either way, L.A. had a lot of work to due in the face of a 53-34 deficit at the half.

Third Quarter
6:52 The one Thunder player who hadn’t been able to find any offense was Jeff Green, who started 0-for-8 … but even he started hitting, making back-to-back jump shots to put the Thunder up 62-40. Phil Jackson often talks about how difficult it is to beat a team four times in one season, and that’s certainly been the case tonight.

2:48 Have we mentioned that L.A. couldn’t get anything, at all, to go its way? Bench players Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar, whose five collective threes against San Antonio on Wednesday were key, had yet to score despite 23 combined minutes. Meanwhile, Durant found his way to the free throw line (he’s the league leader in attempts) despite a furious Bryant at one call and entirely confused Brown on the next. The four freebies pushed OKC’s lead all the way up to 29 points at 76-47, sending Gasol and Bryant to the bench.

0:00 Not much to say here … L.A. didn’t score in the final 3:20 of the quarter, got outscored 27-13 in the third and trailed 80-47 heading into the fourth. So, yeah. The 47 points were the team’s fewest through three quarters all season.

Fourth Quarter
9:12 L.A. went on a 6-0 run to start the fourth … which is notable considering the rest of the game. Unfortunately for Phil and Co., they were still down by 27, with Bryant, Odom, Gasol, Artest and Fisher watching from the bench.

8:01 The Lakers’ run actually reached 10-0, but the deficit was still 23. Even so, Scott Brooks inserted Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook back into the game, a (very) minor accomplishment for L.A.’s bench.

0:32.4 If only they’d played the whole game like the bench played the fourth quarter, as witnessed by a 28-11 margin for the Lakers after Brown’s 3-pointer, the game’s last field goal. The Thunder still won by 16, outscoring L.A. 91-75, the team’s season-low in points (previously 79, at Denver, back in November).

The good news? L.A. only has one night to think about this one, since the Houston Rockets await in a back-to-back.

Until then, your numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
2 Blocked shots by Congo Cash (D.J. Mbenga). Sorry, had to get excited about something.

8 First half turnovers for Kobe Bryant, who had trouble holding onto the ball and keeping his footing.

30 Minutes played by Bryant, a silver lining since the Lakers go to Houston on a back-to-back tomorrow. Pau Gasol played just 28 minutes, while Lamar Odom and Ron Artest played 33 each.

39.2 L.A.’s shooting percentage for the game, which is actually far better than it had been thanks to a 28-11 fourth quarter. The Lakers made only 32.1 percent of their shots through the first three quarters.

47 L.A.’s point total through three quarters, getting 15, 19 and 13 points in each of the first three. They’d finish with a season-low 75 points in the contest.

After his pregame shooting routine and about two hours before Kevin Durant and his Oklahoma City Thunder faced off against the Lakers on Friday night in OKC, we spent a few minutes with one of the NBA’s best young players, discussing his focus, his thoughts on Kobe Bryant and the Lakers and more:

MT: You seem to just enjoy coming to work every day and not getting wrapped up in a lot of the chatter about the league’s best players, the scoring title and such. True?
Durant: That’s all I want to do. Those guys – Kobe, LeBron, D-Wade, Dirk – there are a lot of guys having great seasons, I’m just trying to do my part to help us win. I’m not worried about anything else. There are so many great players, and the scoring race could go from Kobe, LeBron, D-Wade, the assists could go from Chris Paul, D-Wade, LeBron, everything just flip flops. It’s a long season and I don’t worry about that, I just worry about getting better individually and getting better as a group.

MT: People like to focus on your 29.7 points per game, but it seems that you’ve put a lot of work into all the other areas of your game?
Durant: Yeah you could say that. I’ve become a better leader I think on the floor and gotten my guys to always be focused at all times. Being a better rebounder, being a better passer, playing better defense, I think I’ve grown in those areas. It’s just a matter of me continuing to watch film and watch guys on the floor such as Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest and guys on the Lakers that are great players. I watch everybody, try and take bits and pieces and incorporate them into mine.

MT: I know you admire how Kobe brings it each and every day, no matter what. Is that something you try to focus on?
Durant: Yes – practice, shootaround, games, always focused and locked down on what we’re trying to do. Just talking to guys around the league, summer time they say Kobe Bryant is a guy that’s always locked in and focused and ready to lead his team, and I’ve been around him in the USA Basketball setting. It was like that for him there, he was one of the leaders, the guys that stood out. So like I said I try to take things from him not only on the court but also his demeanor and things like that, try to bring them back here to Oklahoma City to help my team.

MT: Kobe’s always trying to add something to his game in the offseason. Anything in particular you want to add this coming summer?
Durant: I want to add stuff, but I also want to get better at everything I’ve learned so far. Shooting the basketball, ball handling, because those things can always get better. You don’t want to forget about those while adding another thing – I try to do that as well, but I want to get better at my overall game. I don’t only work on one thing.

MT: The Lakers are younger than one might think … Kobe’s 31, Artest and Odom 30, Gasol 29, Bynum 22 … do you see them as the team to beat for years to come?
Durant: Yeah I think so. Kobe doesn’t play like he’s 31, Artest doesn’t play like he’s 30, Lamar Odom doesn’t, Pau doesn’t play like he’s 29, Andrew Bynum is 22. Man. They have a great nucleus of guys that are going to be around for a while. It’s going to be a joy just to go out and compete with those guys each and every year.

Prior to L.A.’s Friday evening road game in Oklahoma City, Phil Jackson addressed reporter’s questions about a possible return to coach the Lakers next season.

Here’s a transcript from the pregame media session:

Q: On his he’s made a decision about next season, or if he’s leaning one way or the other:
Jackson: No. There’s no decision. No leaning at all. I’m leaning against the wall.

Q: On if the odds have gone up since he’s feeling better health wise:
Jackson: Well, health wise it’s fine. Odds wise, I serve at the behest of the Buss family. Jeanie I serve all the time … but (right now) I’m serving this basketball club as a coach.

Q: On revisiting the issue after the season:
Jackson: I think it’s the best way to approach it right now. Where this team is, the way it’s built, the way we’ve been going along this season, the direction the NBA is going right now. A lot of these things fit together.

Q: On how winning this year could affect his decision:
Jackson: If we win it’s almost imperative that (I) give it another shot, but that’s a lot of ‘if’s’ in there. Winning is a really big (challenge). There are four playoff (series) that you have to get through before you can say that ‘We won’ and then have a chance to do something special again, unique. So, that’s a long shot.

Q: On why winning has a lot to do with it:
Jackson: Yeah, I think how we make it through the year has a lot to do with it. Dr. Buss put some things on the line by resigning Lamar (Odom). Some of it is financial … the team has never lost money since he took over, so yeah it’s a big part of it. I pushed him to sign Lamar, and we all said (that) we have to have this guy back. We put this team in jeopardy as far as financially, but at a time when it’s tough in this league (Dr. Buss) took the step.

Q: On if health or finances were an issue for him:
Jackson: Neither one.

Q: On if he’d take a pay cut:
Jackson: A pay cut can come in all different forms … there are some ways around that. I think we can find a way to make that work.

Q: On his health being improved over last year:
Jackson: Yeah, I’ll do a whole physical checkup at the end of the year and I’ll make a decision. It’s pretty easy. It’ll go pretty quick. Two day thing and I’ll be back, see what happens.

Heading into Friday night’s contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder, this season’s fourth and final regular season matchup, the Lakers are looking for their 13th consecutive victory against the franchise, a streak dating back to the Seattle Supersonic days.

This season, two of those victories came in November and one in December, and the Thunder are a different team since then.

They went just 7-8 in November, but are an impressive 34-19 since then, including a 19-6 mark since Jan. 29th (.760) thanks in large part to elite athleticism and length on defense and the scoring ability of Kevin Durant.

Phil Jackson described the Thunder’s D, which allows the fourth-worst field goal percentage (44.2 percent) in the NBA, after Thursday’s practice.

“They are awfully active and athletic, and their defense is predicated a lot on steals, turnovers, tough shots, blocks and they run out very well from it,” he said. “In fact, most of our practice today was concerned with our spacing, taking care of the basketball, getting the kind of shots we want to get.”

Jackson detailed that the Lakers aren’t really concerned with anything but controlling the perimeter at both ends of the court, which is easier to do with the kind of effort Ron Artest has been putting forth on defense. The first-year Laker dominated the second half of L.A.’s Wednesday evening win in San Antonio (five steals) and has now turned his gaze towards Durant and his 29.7 points per game (second to LeBron James).

Though Artest generally doesn’t like to discuss individual matchups on defense, feeling like it gives the opponent too much credit, other have spoken for him lately.

“He’s the one that created the turnovers,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. “He did a heck of a job for them.”

Artest did offer an explanation for his swipes, at least: “Guys kept dribbling the ball around me but I think to their credit, they‘ve been thinking for the past three year I haven‘t been the same defender. But since I‘ve gotten lighter, I think guys are now going to be reminded now to dribble so much around me.”

A recent Sports Illustrated Player’s Poll (taken for the March 22 issue from a survey of 173 NBA players) revealed some promising results for Artest’s D. The question was: “Who is the toughest defender in the NBA?” Artest grabbed 42 percent of the vote, a big majority, while Kobe Bryant came in second at 13 percent and Dwight Howard third at 12 percent.

Now for a bit more on the guy Artest will be trying to contain on Friday…

Kevin Durant Can Score
In his third NBA season, Durant has put up 2,077 points through the Thunder’s first 70 games, which already puts him third in franchise history. He got to the 2,000 point threshold in just his 68th game of the season to join LeBron James as one of two NBA players to accomplish that feat at age 21 or younger. For such a high volume shooter, Durant’s percentages are impressive. He’s shooting 47.7 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from 3-point range and 89.4 percent from the line, where he’s hit 626-of-700 free throws (by comparison, Kobe Bryant has taken only 491 FT’s, making 403 for an 82.1 percent success rate). Durant also leads the NBA in most 30+ point games this season (39), and OKC is 27-12 when he goes for more than 30.

In fairness, Kobe wouldn’t have a problem averaging 30 if he needed to, but L.A. has many more alternative scoring options than do the Thunder, though Oklahoma City does have one of the better perimeter defenders in the league in the underrated Thabo Sefolosha.

The Lakers are also well aware of OKC’s second-leading scorer, Russell Westbrook (16.2 ppg) particularly in screen-roll situations, and Jeff Green’s capability as more of a stretch four player (15.0 ppg, 34% 3-pointers), not to mention the scoring and playmaking ability of rookie James Harden off the bench.

Turn your channel to KCAL at 5 p.m. or your radio dial to 710 ESPN radio to catch all the action, and as always, you can follow me on Twitter (@LakersReporter) for live updates during the game.

After Thursday’s practice in Oklahoma City, Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson answered some questions to assembled L.A. media about his squad as well as Friday night’s opponent, the Thunder.

Among his comments:

On Sasha Vujacic:
Jackson: Sasha has had a year where his shot’s been inconsistent and his playing time has been inconsistent. So we’ve asked him to just play the role that he knows how to do. He’s an efficient guard, he knows how to run the offense, he knows the actions we’re (running). Don’t worry about the shot, it will come when it comes. He was playing really well in short minutes, because Shannon (Brown) has played well and started when Kobe (Bryant) was out and Jordan (Farmar) has had a dedicated role on this team and Sasha hasn’t. But that’s doesn’t mean he can’t help us, and that’s what we’ve been saying.

On Oklahoma City’s Defense:
Jackson: They are awfully active and athletic, and their defense is predicated a lot on steals, turnovers, tough shots, blocks and they run out very well from it. In fact, most of our practice today was concerned with our spacing, taking care of the basketball, getting the kind of shots we want to get. Not worrying about anything else but just controlling the perimeter, both offensively and defensively.

On if L.A. should handle the Thunder:
Jackson: Well, we had a last-second situation here the first meeting, and everybody said about the same thing: ‘Geez, how’s this young team taking (the Lakers) to the limit?’ But that’s the way it is on the road. You have these young teams that can play; they have an excitable crowd here and we have to keep them out of it.

On getting the type of good play off the bench from Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown as was offered against San Antonio:
Jackson: We hope so. We try to do that, and I told Jordan he may not match up with (Russell) Westbrook off the bat, but (Eric) Maynor is definitely going to be a matchup for him. So (Farmar) may not be the first guard off the bench; Westbrook wants to jump over people lots of times.

If you had to guess which Laker wins something like 80 percent of half-court shooting contests between various players and (almost always) assistant coach Brian Shaw, whom would you pick?

Kobe Bryant (good at everything)? Sasha Vujacic (never stops shooting)? Derek Fisher (experience, good touch)?

Wrong, wrong and wrong.

The answer is Jordan Farmar.

It’s gotten to the point that regular competitors Adam Morrison, Luke Walton, Vujacic and Shaw almost expect Farmar to win, and in Oklahoma City, we caught the point guard’s latest victory on camera.

During L.A.’s impressive 92-83 victory in San Antonio on Wednesday night, we were reminded of something we’ve known for years: watching Manu Ginobili play basketball is fun.

The Argentinean-bred All-Star has a style that’s really unlike that of any other NBA player, and his most notable move is the “EuroStep.” Let’s try a rough description in words: an extra change of direction where one steps in one direction with one foot and the other with the opposite foot to culminate a dribble move to the basket once the ball has already been picked up (you can watch by CLICKING HERE). That work? Kind of?

Before the game, I asked Phil Jackson if the EuroStep could be taught to other players or if it was a more instinctive move, noting how good Ginobili is at executing it. Here’s what Jackson had to say:

There is a certain kind of a move that was brought by the European players to the NBA and that’s picking the dribble up and taking the extra step, and they don’t count that as a step (for a travel). A lot of European players* have really done a great job with it and Ginobili is probably the best because he can change directions on his drive with the ball off the floor in his hands. Kobe has messed around with it. We’ve had a number of guys mess around with it and try to get after it, but (Ginobili) is the best.

*Obviously, Jackson’s aware that Ginobili is from Argentina, but he played professional ball in Italy, where he was a star.

Makes sense. We also had a chance to speak with Ginobili about it before the game, after he got through a series of shooting drills, to clarify:

MT: How did your version of the EuroStep start?
Ginobili: I really don’t know when it started. But I know that nobody taught it to me. I found it naturally while trying to get to the rim. It just happened.

MT: Phil Jackson said that you were the best in the league at it, but it seems like more and more players are trying to add it to their game. Who else do you notice specifically:
Ginobili: I think Dwyane Wade has an unbelievable one because of his strength. He is able to go up after it, which is not easy. I usually go to the sides, but he can go to the side and up. The thing is, I usually don’t have to the strength to go up after (the hop).

MT: Kind of like on a triple jump, it gets harder with each step?
Ginobili: Yes, something like that. Wade is impressive because of his athletic ability. That’s the one I see.

MT: Your teammate Tony Parker has a nice Euro step too, right? Did you teach him?
Ginobili: Tony does it great. I didn’t teach him, but he developed it (in San Antonio). But he doesn’t have that extra (burst), he does it with speed.

MT: Jordan Farmar told me that he’ll sometimes get called for a travel when doing it and sometimes not. Do you ever consider it a travel?
Ginobili: I don’t know, I don’t even think about it. I’ve gotten called a few times, but it’s not something that’s going to affect the way I do it because I don’t think I travel. The times I get called, it’s not even close.

After the EuroStep convo, we snuck a question in about whether or not L.A. was to Ginobili the clear favorite in the West:

Ginobili: Yes. The most steady, the deepest. Dallas and Denver have had great seasons, but you’ll see them have (bad) losses. I think the Lakers are the best in terms of talent, size, and athleticism. But you can get one on the road and anything can happen … they can be beaten, but they’ve been the best. At this point, we’re not there yet. We’ve been so up and down.

Our next chance to see Ginobili’s EuroStep comes on April 4 at STAPLES Center.

Lakers – Spurs Gameday Page
We took a look at the Lakers – Spurs contest in San Antonio while it was happening, entering a thought or three each quarter as the Lakers looked to win for the seventh straight time and fourth straight on the road.

Inactives
Lakers: Luke Walton (back)
Spurs: Tony Parker (hand)

Starters
Lakers: Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Odom and Gasol
Spurs: George Hill, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Tim Duncan, Antonio McDyess

Knocking Down the Three-Pointer
As Phil Jackson explained before the game, there’s a reason the Lakers don’t shoot threes particularly well during the regular season … it’s not part of the focus:

We were always a late three-point shooting team. We don’t spend a lot of time parking guys in corners like a lot of teams do because we have a different kind of offense. Our three-point shots come out of a different type of action. We do focus on it in the later part of the season. I think guys get their legs and becoming better shooters as the season goes on, so we look forward to some guys hitting their stride a little bit now.

For the full pregame preview, CLICK HERE.

First Quarter
7:28 Even with Andrew Bynum out for the second straight game (strained Achilles), L.A. has a plethora of low post options, including Ron Artest, who used an up-and-under move around Richard Jefferson for hoop No. 1. On the next possession, Lamar Odom drove right around Antonio McDyess and a too-late-to-help Tim Duncan for a lefty layup. Minutes later, Odom added a tough layup amidst traffic and then a two-handed dunk after Kobe Bryant’s bullet pass to put L.A. up 10-6, looking good early. Speaking of Kobe … he became the NBA’s 12th all-time leading scorer with a jumper, allowing him to surpass Alex English.

4:00 It wasn’t 1990’s Grant Hill, but George Hill who nailed back-to-back threes to put the Spurs up 21-14 as the Lakers went suddenly Pacific-Ocean-in-December cold from the field. Ginobili had hit back-to-back threes himself a minute earlier, giving San Antonio 12 quick points from distance, not exactly what the Lakers had in mind.

0:01.5 Spurred on by some newfound energy in the form of Shannon Brown, Jordan Farmar and D.J. Mbenga on D, L.A. kept the Spurs from scoring in the final two minutes while going on a 6-0 run capped by a beautiful play from Odom. First, LO swatted Jefferson near the rim, then collected the ball and sprinted up the court for a driving right-handed layup just before the quarter closed. In other Lamar news, he was working out with his personal trainer at the team hotel today (as is customary) as I was, and looked at the TV while ESPN’s SportsNation discussed the Kim Kardashian’s (Odom’s sister in law) reported break up from Saints RB Reggie Bush.

Second Quarter
7:04 The Spurs almost immediately reclaimed the momentum L.A. had gained out of the first, getting two more three-pointers from Ginobili and Matt Bonner before a Kobe layup and Jordan Farmar three-pointer cut the deficit to five. By the way, a few of us went to a movie in downtown San Antonio last night for $4.00. FYI.

4:30 Phil Jackson channeled Jack Nicholson on the stand in “A Few Good Men” when Pau got stripped by Hill after a rebound. Not a good thing. The Spaniard, who’d been so good of late, had a rough start with four points and four boards, but he held Duncan to 1-of-5 shooting for just two points on defense.

0:10.8 After Farmar’s three cut San Antonio’s lead to just one with 2:25 remaining, the Lakers managed just two points for the rest of the half and the Spurs closed with a 6-0 run to take a 48-41 margin into the halftime tunnel. The Lakers shot 43.9 percent from the field, led by 12 points from Odom and 10 from Bryant plus eight off the bench from Farmar. The Spurs got 32 of their 48 points from Hill (20) and Ginobili (12).

Third Quarter
8:57 After a solid all-around first half, Artest picked the Lakers up for a few minutes to start the third, doing the following in sequence: nailing a three, stealing the ball from Jefferson and feeding Gasol with a nice pass leading to two free throws. In the process, L.A. cut the Spurs lead to two.

5:09 You’re familiar with the “Tim Duncan Face” popularized in writing by ESPN’s Bill Simmons, right? It’s basically the “I’ve never committed a foul, ever!” look, and we saw a big one as Artest took him to the rim in transition … but Duncan ended up being right as the foul was charged to Bonner. Two free throws still resulted two possessions after Artest had grabbed his eighth rebound and put it back for two points, and he followed with yet another great play by picking Ginobili’s pocket and finishing a layup at the other end.

0:10.7 L.A. got a big boost from Shannon Brown’s back-to-back 3-pointers in a 38-second stretch, then another from Odom, who nailed his own three (L.A.’s fifth of the quarter) then drew a foul and hit both free throws with 10 seconds remaining to cap a 30-18 quarter. L.A. had thus turned a 7-point halftime deficit into a 5-point lead. Artest was the best player on the floor in the period while Bryant got some additional rest.

Fourth Quarter
8:52 It wasn’t just Brown giving L.A. a bench boost from three as Farmar nailed his third of the game to put L.A. up 75-73 after a 7-0 Spurs run to start the quarter. That made the two backup guards 5-of-6 from distance, a significant bench boost that Jackson requested before the game.

3:29 A championship-worthy 16-3 run from L.A. was capped by a wide-open Kobe three in the corner that made it 87-76 Lakers. The Purple and Gold were fantastic on defense, spurred on by the everywhere-at-once Artest, whose fourth steal led to the Bryant triple. It was the second three of that stretch for Kobe, who then nailed a baseline jumper to reach 24 points.

0:39.8 A solid individual effort from Odom was capped by his layup for L.A.’s final points, getting him to 19 points with 13 rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal as the Lakers emerged with a 92-83 victory. The Lakers held the Spurs to only 35 second half points, and got a gem of an all-around game from Artest, who finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, five steals, three assists and a block.

The win marks L.A.’s seventh straight overall and fourth straight on the road leading into Friday night’s contest in Oklahoma City. Until then, your numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
5 Steals for Ron Artest, which actually seems low for how active and intimidating he was on defense throughout an entirely stellar evening. He added 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and one block.

6 Points for Tim Duncan on 2-of-11 shooting, thanks in part to the defensive effort of Pau Gasol. The Spaniard swatted two of Duncan’s shots in 1-on-1 situations and grabbed 12 rebounds while taking only 11 shots, making four, for 10 points.

10 Three-pointers nailed by the Lakers, including three from Jordan Farmar and two from Shannon Brown off the bench.

20 Points in the first half for George Hill, helping the Spurs build a 7-point lead at the break. Hill, however, managed just one point in the second half.

24 Points to lead L.A. on only 16 shots for Kobe Bryant, who made 11 including two huge 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter. Bryant played distributor with five assists in the first three quarter, then scored 10 in the fourth to take the Lakers home.

While addressing the media before L.A.’s Wednesday night tilt against San Antonio, Phil Jackson was asked whether or not Andrew Bynum could play on the team’s current 5-game road trip.

“It’s interesting … I haven’t ruled it out, but I haven’t even thought about it in those terms,” said L.A.’s coach. “(Bynum) did say he’s feeling a lot better today. I can’t see that happening right now, but that’s a hopeful note.”

Jackson added that Bynum has worn his walking boot at times and taken it off at others, such as in the pregame locker room when he sat barefoot reading a book.

The Lakers play Oklahoma City on Friday, Houston on Saturday, New Orleans on Monday and Atlanta on Wednesday.

As has become typical of Gregg Popovich Spurs teams, the Silver and Black are picking up their play as the playoffs approach, even with starting point guard Tony Parker going on the shelf on March 6 with a hand injury, due to return in mid April.

In fact, the Spurs have gone 9-3 in March* after a 6-5 February, their only three losses coming at Cleveland by two points, at Orlando and at Atlanta in overtime.
*This comes as no surprise, since the Spurs are the NBA’s best March team since Tim Duncan was drafted in 1997, going 152-54 for a .738 winning percentage (L.A. is second at 134-69, .660).

In related news, Manu Ginobili has been playing like … a healthy Manu Ginobili, averaging 21.2 points and 5.7 assists while shooting 53 percent from the field and 45 percent from 3-point range in March. Throw in solid bench production, Tim Duncan’s consistency and an improving Richard Jefferson and the Spurs are dangerous.

“(Ginobili’s improved play) helps a lot and I think their bench has been very successful,” said Jackson said after the team photo on Tuesday. “They had a game the other night against Golden State where (Tim) Duncan played 13 minutes and it was one of the highest scoring games they’ve ever had. It just says something about their bench coming to life and their players all supporting one another.”

The Spurs’ bench, which leads the NBA in scoring (40.3) and assists (9.0) [Ginobili’s 35 games off the pine don’t hurt the averages] consists of Roger Mason Jr., Matt Bonner, DeJuan Blair, Keith Bogans, while Malik Hairston gets some minutes from time to time. Second-round draft pick Blair leads the bench in points (7.7) and rebounds (6.1), Bonner chips in 6.9 points and Mason 6.6.

George Hill started the season on the bench before earning a starting spot even before Parker got hurt, and he’s playing his best ball of late, scoring a season-high 27 points in San Antonio’s 99-96 win over Oklahoma City on Monday.

First Round Meeting Looming?
When the Lakers and Spurs have met in the playoffs five times throughout a decade they’ve collectively dominated (seven of 10 championship isn’t bad), it hasn’t been in the first round, not once:

2001 Western Finals (4-0 Lakers)
‘02 Western Semis (4-2 Lakers)
‘03 Western Semis (4-2 Spurs)
‘04 Western Semis (4-2 Lakers)
‘08 Western Finals (4-1 Lakers)

But this season, the first round remains a distinct possibility, with the Spurs currently just a game out of the No. 8 slot and L.A. in first place, five-and-a-half games ahead of Denver and Dallas. San Antonio and Oklahoma City – whom the Lakers play on Friday – share a 42-27 mark, two games behind Phoenix for the No. 6 slot, while Portland checks in at 42-29.

While San Antonio’s been playing good basketball, they face a very difficult schedule that includes two home and away meetings with the Lakers, home games against Cleveland (56-15), Orlando (50-21) and Memphis (38-33) and road tilts against Boston (45-25), Phoenix (45-26), Dallas (46-24) and Denver (47-23). Ten of S.A.’s 13 games come against teams that are above .500, eight against teams with Top 10 NBA records.

The Thunder’s schedule is also difficult, including home games against Houston, the Lakers, Portland, Denver, Phoenix and Memphis and road contests at Boston, Dallas, Utah and Portland.

The Trail Blazers, however, have a softer schedule, the toughest games coming home against Dallas (twice) and Oklahoma City and roadies including at Denver and the Lakers.

The Numbers
The Lakers logically have a statistical edge over San Antonio, as shown with the majority of these numbers:

– L.A. is sixth in the NBA in scoring and 10th in points allowed, while S.A. is 14th in scoring and 8th in points allowed.
– L.A. ranks fifth in field goal defense and the Spurs 12th.
– The Lakers lead the NBA in rebounding while San Antonio ranks 11th.
– L.A. is eighth in the NBA in steals per game, S.A. 26th.
– The Lakers rank 10th in the league from the free throw line and the Spurs 20th.
– L.A. commits the 2nd fewest personal fouls, S.A. 14th.

The Spurs do have their areas of advantage:

– San Antonio shoots the ball very well, ranking sixth in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. The Lakers come in at 13th from the field and 19th from three.
– The Spurs are third in the NBA at fewest offensive boards allowed, while the Lakers are 18th.
– S.A. ranks fifth in assists, the Lakers 14th.

Lakers’ forward Pau Gasol was on Monday named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played March 15-21.

The Spaniard was terrific during L.A.’s 4-0 stretch, averaging 24.8 points on .685 shooting (third in the NBA) alongside 11.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 block, leading the team to W’s over Golden State, Sacramento, Minnesota and Washington.

Gasol double-doubled three times, capped by a 28-point, 14-rebound performance at Sacramento.

Here’s a game-by-game recap of Gasol’s winning week:

– March 15 @ Golden State: Scored 26 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished four assists in a 124-121 win over the Warriors.
– March 16 @ Sacramento: Notched a season-high 28 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in a 106-99 victory over the Kings.
– March 19 vs. Minnesota: Posted 17 points, 14 rebounds and four assists in a 104-96 win over the Timberwolves.
– March 21 vs. Washington: Matched his season high with 28 points and added 12 rebounds and three assists in a 99-92 win over the Wizards.

Paul Pierce won the award in the East with his performance in Boston’s 4-0 week.

One initially surprising number from the box score of Sunday night’s 99-92 Lakers win over Washington is Kobe Bryant’s minute total: 39:47.

After all, the Lakers were up by around 20 points for most of the game after Bryant scored 20 himself in the second quarter alone to give the Lakers a 59-33 lead at the half. Phil Jackson generally likes to give Bryant extra rest if possible, and while he pulled Kobe out for good with 4:02 remaining and L.A. up 16 points, No. 24 had played nearly 40 minutes.

After the game, however, Kobe explained that 40 minutes on the box score isn’t always exactly 40 minutes on his legs.

“It just depends on the game and situation,” he said. “Tonight I played almost 40 minutes, but they were easy 40 minutes. I didn’t really have to over exert myself. I pushed hard in the second quarter, did my job, extended the ball game and then just kind of coasted the rest of the way.”

In other words, 40 minutes against the 21-47 Washington Wizards at home generally isn’t going to feel like 40 minutes on the road in San Antonio might on Wednesday evening.

For the season, Bryant ranks eighth in the NBA in minutes played with 38.9 per game, two more than teammate Pau Gasol (36.8), and both expect to stay around their minute totals – particularly in the absence of Andrew Bynum – during L.A.’s 5-game road trip as the team tries to lock up home court advantage in the Western Conference.

Currently, the Lakers hold a 5-game lead over Denver (47-23) and a 5.5-game edge over Dallas (46-23) with 11 games to play.

And as Kobe intimated, don’t sweat his playing a few more minutes down the stretch if he has to. He can certainly take care of himself.