Author: Mike Trudell

Lakers – Wizards Gameday Page
We took a look at the Lakers – Wizards contest in Los Angeles while it was happening, entering a thought or three each quarter as the Lakers looked to win for the sixth straight time.

Inactives
Lakers: Luke Walton (back)
Wizards: Josh Howard

Starters
Lakers: Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Gasol and Bynum
Wizards: Shaun Livingston, Mike Miller, Al Thornton, Andray Blatche, JaVale McGee

How L.A. Plays Without Bynum
Before the contest, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson discussed how the Lakers are different sans Andrew Bynum, who will be out at least a week after straining his Achilles tendon in the third quarter of L.A.’s Friday night win over Minnesota. In tonight’s running diary, we’ll keep primarily focused on how the Lakers play without the big man, which Jackson suggested would mirror almost precisely what the team did last season when Bynum was out for more than two months (the gist: more inside-outside than inside-inside).

First Quarter
8:04 Andrew Bynum’s absence was notable in the early portion of the first, since that is often when he gets the majority of his shot attempts. Without the big man to feed, five different Lakers attempted a shot, mostly from the perimeter, making 3-of-9 to take a 6-4 lead (the Wiz missed their first five shots).

4:11 It goes without saying that L.A. would much prefer to have Bynum playing, but one by-product of his absence that’s positive for the Lakers is the increased touches for Pau Gasol. So skilled is the Spaniard, the Lakers nearly always benefit when he has the ball on offense, as shown with his 10 points and four rebounds in the first ten minutes to put his team up 14-10. His hoops included a pretty baseline hook and an up-and-under layup that should be illegal for 7-footers in fairness to the rest of the league.

0:18.9 An obvious necessity for the Lakers is some additional help off the bench with Lamar Odom in a starting role, and Shannon Brown provided as much at the close of the first by backing up a baseline jumper with a right wing 3-pointer that put L.A. up 24-16. Wizards guard Randy Foye managed a buzzer-beating jumper at the other end to make it a 6-point margin after one.

Second Quarter
6:17 Josh Powell and D.J. Mbenga will each see minutes in Bynum’s absence depending on the matchup, and since the Wizards are a smaller team, that meant more Powell and less Mbenga on Sunday. In his first eight minutes, Powell was effective, adding an and-1 layup off a nice move in the paint* to a swished perimeter jumper. After the and-1, Kobe Bryant and Odom ran over to Powell and alternately slapped the back of his head in approval, which shouldn’t surprise as Powell is one of the most popular guys in the locker room.
*Powell’s been working on that move in practice all season.

4:25 A more aggressive Kobe is to be expected, and we saw as much as No. 24 put up 12 shots in the first 18 minutes he played, making six to get to 13 points with his team up 44-29 after a 3-pointer from the left wing. Minutes later, he’d nail back-to-back triples once again to get to 19 points, not to mention putting the Wizards in 54-33 hole.

1:10 Let’s make that four three-pointers for Kobe in the quarter, who caught fire NBA JAM style (it’s coming back soon!) by nailing his first three and felt compelled to jack another while on fire (swish). Bryant keyed L.A.’s 13-0 run to close the second quarter, affording the Lakers a 59-33 lead at the half. Note that Washington is among the worst teams in the league, but the first half showed that the Lakers know how to play without Bynum at least for a short time.

Third Quarter
11:40 Against certain bigger teams, the Lakers will certainly miss Bynum’s defensive paint presence, but the Wizards barely run anything through center JaVale McGee and many of Andray Blatche’s touches come outside of the paint as well (think Kevin Garnett’s plays in Minnesota, since Flip Saunders is the coach). With Gasol able to leak into the paint and cut off potential drivers, Odom held Blatche to just 2-of-10 shooting in the first half, then swatted his first shot of the third. This is notable as Blatche came into the game averaging 20 points and 7.5 rebounds a game in March.

4:15 Mentioned earlier why it’s always good to get more touches for Gasol, which he continued to prove by throwing down a dunk after establishing great post position, his seventh make in 10 attempts. He also made all eight of his foul shots to reach 22 points with seven boards and three assists is his first 25 minutes of burn.

0:29.1 To continue the theme of collectively stepping up as a unit, Ron Artest got hot in the third quarter, making 5-of-6 shots to score 11 of his 16 points. His defense of Al Thornton was also notable, netting three steals for the team’s leader in thefts.

Fourth Quarter
9:00 Perhaps in part to keep rotations in order without Bynum, Jackson started Gasol and Bryant in the fourth quarter, but the Lakers still managed to go three minutes without scoring a point. The Wizards went for seven straight at the other end, but Brown’s ensuing 3-pointer and two foul shots quickly pushed the lead back to 20.

5:23 To their credit, the Wizards didn’t roll over despite being down by 20 for most of the game, even getting to within 13 on a Nick Young 3-pointer. Brown promptly answered with his third three of the game, however, and Bryant (40 minutes) finally left the game at the 4:02 mark.

0:45.2 Per usual, the final minutes of a sure win were more interesting to assembled fans looking for Jack In The Box tacos. Those assembled often seem to think that the Lakers need to score 100 points in order to assure the two free tacos, but actually, L.A. needs only to win and hold their opponent under 100. Yet when Sasha Vujacic missed a technical and Gasol missed the second of two, the Lakers stayed at 99 points (Washington with 89), producing a collective groan at STAPLES. Any frowns would soon be turned upside down upon receiving coupons at the exits, of course.

With the 99-92 victory (the Wiz outscored the Lakers 32-17 in the fourth when L.A. stuck their car in cruise control), L.A. improved to 52-18 on the season, winning for the sixth straight time heading into the team’s 5-game road trip.

In summation, it’s difficult to judge how the Lakers will look for the duration of Bynum’s absence after just one game against a team like the Wizards, but the team’s all-around talent clearly remains superior and is more than enough to keep the team on a positive course until the big man returns.

Until next time, your numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
1 Point Kobe Bryant needs to tie Alex English for 12th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Bryant needed 26 to surpass English, and scored 24 through three quarters. He played for eight minutes and change in the fourth without attempting a shot.

12 Free throws made by Pau Gasol, who began the game 10-of-10 before missing two of his final four.

13 Rebounds for Lamar Odom, helping the Lakers to a 37-31 edge on the glass. He added a team-high six assists.

20 Points for Kobe in the second quarter alone on the strength of four 3-pointers and 8-of-11 shooting.

28 Points for Gasol to lead the Lakers, matching his season high. The Spaniard, sliding over to center in the absence of Andrew Bynum, added 12 rebounds and three dimes with a block.

Before Sunday’s game against Washington, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson answered a few questions about Andrew Bynum and his Achilles tendon strain.

Here’s the gist:

Q: On moving forward in the short term:
Jackson: I think we’re ready to move forward. This is a team that is more of a speed team (now). We increase the volume of shots, we increase the tempo of the game we play. It will be a lot different team. We’ll play outside-inside a little bit more than (when) Andrew (is playing).

Q: On if the Lakers will be able to adjust back to how they were playing before Bynum got hurt when he gets back:
Jackson: I think so. I think this team has adjusted and (is) adaptable to (having) Andrew in and out of the lineup in the last three years so we can do that.

Q: On being optimistic about his return (Bynum is set to be reevaluated in one week):
Jackson: The best thing I heard today is the fact that he felt better from day one to day two.

Jackson also explained that the toughest part of the injury is that Bynum will have trouble staying in the same cardiovascular shape he was in since the Achilles injury limits his activity level until it’s better.

An MRI taken Saturday morning confirmed that Andrew Bynum suffered a strained Achilles tendon during the third quarter of L.A.’s Friday night win over Minnesota.

The good news is that there is no tear or rupture.

“It’s not a torn Achilles,” said Phil Jackson on Saturday. “We just hope that the time is not extended. He’s a very optimistic young man, so (his reaction) wasn’t that bad. I was pleased with that.”

Bynum will be reevaluated in a week, and will not play until that time, meaning that the young center will definitely miss Sunday’s game against Washington, and road games at San Antonio (Wednesday) and Oklahoma City (Friday) and most likely Houston (Saturday).

L.A. then plays in New Orleans on Monday, March 29, and in Atlanta on March 31.

Jackson said that Lamar Odom would start in Bynum’s place, moving Pau Gasol over to the center position.

The good news: the Lakers won for the fifth straight time on Friday night at STAPLES Center, getting 22 points and 13 assists from Kobe Bryant to send former Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis and his Timberwolves to their 12th straight loss with a 104-96 result.

The bad news: Andrew Bynum left the game early in the third quarter with a left Achilles strain, though he did manage to run up and down the court before checking out and exiting to the locker room under his own power.

Bynum, who scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting with five rebounds in 20 minutes, will be re-evaluated on Saturday.

“We’re a little concerned, he’ll probably miss a little while,” said Phil Jackson. “We’ll have to use our practice tomorrow to reassess how we’re going to play without Andrew for a little bit here.”

The proverbial show had to go on, of course (especially with Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Leonardo DiCaprio, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Jack Nicholson sitting courtside), and after the Lakers gave up a 10-point halftime lead as Minnesota claimed a 68-66 edge late in the third, L.A. turned the defense back up and cruised to an 8-point victory.

Pau Gasol continued a red hot stretch that featured 76 percent shooting in his past three games to score 17 points on 7-of-13 plus a team-high 14 rebounds, while Bryant had nine of his season-high 13 assists in the first half alone. L.A.’s bench chipped in 42 points, including 18 from Lamar Odom, who nailed four 3-pointers.

As the Lakers were up comfortably for most of the game, Bryant played just 32 minutes, Ron Artest 33, Gasol 34 and least of all Derek Fisher (16), as Jackson gave some addition run to Jordan Farmar.

Struggling with his shooting of late, Farmar had managed to hit just 2-of-17 field goals in his last five games while playing sporadically, but he managed 4-of-8 makes and 3-of-4 free throws for 12 points off the pine, plus six rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes.

Playing at STAPLES for the first time in 10 days, the Lakers shot poorly, making only 41.5 percent of their attempts, but made much of their money at the free throw line in making 29-of-35 attempts as the Wolves took only 11 themselves, making eight. Kevin Love notched a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double for Minnesota, and Darko Milicic was effective inside with 16 points and 12 boards before leaving with an injury late in the game.

Speaking of injuries … Bynum’s comes at an unfortunate time as he had been playing his best basketball of the season, averaging 15.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks on 56.8 shooting in March, including averages of 20.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks on 63.3 percent shooting in his last four contests.

Make sure to check Lakers.com tomorrow for a Bynum update, but until then, your numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
1 Courtside high-five given to Tom Cruise by Kobe Bryant, in the second quarter as Andrew Bynum took the first of two free throws. That’s always fun.

9 Assists for Kobe Bryant in the first half alone. He finished with 13 on the game, a season high.

14 Rebounds from Pau Gasol to lead the Lakers. He’s averaging 11 boards a game on the season, the most on the team.

24 More free throws taken by the Lakers than the Wolves.

41.5 L.A.’s shooting percentage in their first game at STAPLES Center in 10 days.

Lakers center Andrew Bynum suffered a left Achilles strain in the third quarter of L.A.’s Friday night contest against Minnesota, leaving a game to which he would not return.

Bynum finished the game against Minnesota with 11 points and five rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting in 20 minutes.

The 7-foot center had been playing his best basketball of the season, averaging 15.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks on 56.8 shooting in March, including a recent 4-game tear where he’d averaged 20.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks on 63.3 percent shooting.

Stay tuned for updates on Lakers.com, as Bynum will be re-evaluated on Saturday.

When former Lakers assistant coach and player Kurt Rambis left L.A. to take the head coaching job in Minnesota after winning a championship last June, he knew it was going to be a struggle, at least at first.

The Wolves are among the league’s youngest teams, a franchise in rebuilding mode that was not expecting to win many games in 2009-10, but rather assembling cap space and young assets for the future.

Sure enough, they haven’t won many games in 2009-10, a process not helped by Al Jefferson’s recovery from ACL surgery and last season’s No. 5 overall pick Kevin Love missing 22 games to injury.

Minnesota is just 14-55, and is struggling mightily of late, losing 11 straight and 17-of-18 after the Timberwolves’ lone 4-game winning streak this season, when they beat the Clippers, Knicks, Mavericks and Grizzlies in succession from Jan. 29 to Feb. 6.

Four games is the current length of L.A.’s winning streak, three of which came on the road (Phoenix, Golden State, Sacramento) after a home victory over Toronto, allowing the Lakers to reach 50 wins to just 18 losses.

The numbers are certainly daunting heading into Friday night’s contest between the two teams at STAPLES Center: the Lakers have lost five games at home all year, the Wolves have won five games on the road; Minnesota scores 98.1 points per game and concedes 107.7 points per game, L.A. scores 103.0 and allows 97.0; Minnesota has trouble with big teams in particular, the Lakers are perhaps the biggest. And so on.

Yet the Lakers have declared themselves to be in the business portion of their schedule, worrying less about opponents and more about their own level of play. Kobe Bryant was among other players this week to refuse to begin thinking about L.A.’s upcoming 5-game road trip before dealing first with Minnesota and then Washington on Sunday.

“We’re playing hard and want to continue to get better with execution all across the board and make sure we play with the right energy,” said Bryant. “We just have things that we need to work on and focus on for ourselves. It’s not about our next opponents, it’s about doing what we need to do to be a better team.”

For a detailed video breakdown of the Timberwolves from assistant coach Brian Shaw, scroll back to the top of the page and press play.

Follow Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) on Twitter.

Pau Gasol (tonsilitis) is feeling much better today after missing Thursday’s practice.

The Spaniard participated in Friday’s shootaround and will play against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In our “Chat with Congo Cash” earlier this week, DJ Mbenga addressed all kinds of topics from his nickname to fashion to Africa to nuggets about his Lakers teammates.

Among his most interesting comments came as he detailed his donation of a basketball court in Kobe Bryant’s name to his native Democratic Republic of Congo:

I always say, when we talk about Michael Jordan we always set him apart. But people gotta realize now, it’s not just Michael Jordan. It’s Kobe too. I told him, “I’m going to give you the best gift you’ve ever had … I’m building a basketball court in Congo with your name on it. People they love you there. You helped me to get a ring, I’m going to give you something back. I’m going to give you a basketball court with your name – that’s something nobody else can have. Even Michael Jordan never had that. I told him, “You’re going to give people hope. There are kids that are stealing, killing, (doing drugs) … instead I want them to play basketball at the Kobe … Bryant … Court.” It’s going to be in Kinshasa*. They are going to start working on it in a couple of weeks. Everything’s already been set up through my foundation.

After L.A. defeated Golden State on Monday night, we had a chance to ask Kobe about the honor:

It makes me feel great. He told me he was going to have a surprise for me, and something he and I talk about often is visiting Congo and speaking to some of the kids. DJ and I have a really close relationship. This is a tremendous honor, something that I didn’t expect. (DJ does) a ton for (the people) over there. It’s something that people don’t hear about, but he doesn’t do it for the attention, he does it because it’s something that’s close to his heart. I absolutely have to (go visit).

Follow Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) on Twitter.

Lakers – Warriors Gameday Page
We took a look at the Lakers – Kings contest in Sacramento while it was happening, entering a thought or three each quarter as the Lakers looked to win their third straight road game.

Inactives
Lakers: Luke Walton (back)
Kings: Jon Brockman

Starters
Lakers: Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Gasol and Bynum
Kings: Beno Udrih, Tyreke Evans, Donte Green, Carl Landry and Spencer Hawes

Pregame Notes
(Editor’s note: We were a bit light on pictures right after the game, as you can see by the photo above) For a full preview of the contest, CLICK HERE. Details include Sacramento’s adjustment after the Kevin Martin for Carl Landry trade, Tyreke Evans’ play and what L.A. specifically wants to do to counter certain Kings’ plays such as the high screen and roll with Spencer Hawes and Beno Udrih.

First Quarter
8:15 Andrew Bynum was an absolute man among small children in the paint in the game’s first four minutes, during which he dunked three times and laid in a fourth time, the Kings flailing limbs his way to no avail. That helped the Lakers to an early 11-4 lead in front of a terrific, energized crowd.

6:16 The Bynum-inspired start was all well and good, like the past season of “Friday Night Lights.” But the next two minutes were more like “The Jerry Springer Show,” (guilty pleasure or not) as the Kings rattled off a 9-0 run, the first seven points scored by Spencer Hawes (who happened to set a career high with 30 points against L.A. on New Year’s night.

0:02.4 The final six minutes swung the pendulum back L.A.’s way, in a big way, thanks almost exclusively to Kobe Bryant. No. 24 reeled off 13 straight points himself, and the Lakers conceded only four at the other end to build a 28-17 lead after the first quarter. Feel free to align Kobe’s dominant stretch with the “Real World – Road Rules Challenge” series (OK, last random TV reference for a while, sorry). Bynum, meanwhile, finished the quarter with 11 points and six rebounds, already approaching his solid recent stretch that’s had him average nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds over his last three games.

Second Quarter
9:46 No TV reference this time, but feel free to think of a really bad show as the Lakers’ bench conceded a 10-2 run to start the half. The Farmar-Brown-Morrison-Odom-Gasol fivesome played right into Sacramento’s hands by trying to run up and down, letting the Kings right back into the game.

6:06 After a Tyreke Evans layup, the scoreboard read “Kings 20, Lakers 6″ in the first six minutes of the second, continuing what has been a deplorable stretch of second quarters for L.A. of late, to the point that Phil Jackson has mentioned the hard-to-explain issue more than once. But thanks to the solid first quarter, the Lakers trailed by just one after a Kobe jumper.

0:51 The final half of the second saw the teams swap leads several times as good things continued to happen for L.A. when Bynum touched the ball inside, whether intentional or not. After Bryant’s driving attempt (his 18th shot of the half) rimmed out, Bynum broke through for an offensive board, then stuffed it back for yet another dunk. Moments later, Kobe spotted Bynum alone under the rim and lofted an alley-oop pass for, you guessed it, another dunk that had the 7-footer at 17 points with eight boards. It wasn’t like L.A. was calling much for ‘Drew, either, as much of his action came off five offensive boards.

Third Quarter
8:57 Broken record alert: L.A. has success when consistently feeding Bynum and Gasol on the block. Pau nailed his sixth field goal in seven attempts moments after Bynum made his ninth in 12 attempts, drawing praise from the efficiency gods (combined 15-of-19, 79 percent). They were connecting with as much consistency as Michael Jackson songs on “Thriller.”

3:02 So, it wasn’t exactly Artest’s best game on offense, as he’d missed his first four shots before muscling his way to a left-handed layup to put L.A. up 69-62. Yet it was still funny when he kissed his bicep and looked towards Sacramento’s bench after the make. Ron Ron.

0:01.0 When Bryant went to the bench to begin the second quarter, the Kings went on a big run (10-2). With two minutes left in the third, he and Fisher went back to the pine, but the Lakers got four straight buckets from four different players (Gasol, Vujacic, Brown and Odom) including Odom’s pretty lefty layup with just a second to go, helping the Lakers take a 77-68 lead into the fourth.

Fourth Quarter
10:27 Here’s what I typed on Twitter to describe a nasty finish to a great open to the fourth (you can always follow @LakersReporter for live game updates): Shannon Brown officially violated Sacramento air space. What an absurd one-handed thunder jam. Lakers up 16. Brown’s slam came from the right wing, courtesy of a slick Gasol pass from the middle of the floor. The Spaniard can lead the break. The hammer capped a 7-0 run to open the quarter.

5:17 Lakers opponents generally play with an Ivy-League-dreaming-high-school-kid-before-the-S.A.T.’s effort level, and the Kings were no exception, cutting the 16-point lead in half on a baseline layup for Evans, who was approaching a triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Kobe was on TD watch as well with 27, nine rebounds and six dimes.

2:07 Bynum’s two free throws not only put the Lakers up 11, the game well in hand, gave him 21 points with his 12 rebounds, joining Gasol (26 and 11) with 20-10 double-doubles. Kobe was actually just one board away from joining them, which would mark the first time three Lakers players have done so in one game since 12/21/84, when guys named Magic, Kareem and Worthy did it. Unfortunately, Kobe would be stuck on nine boards … but on the bright side, the Lakers won the game, 106-99.

That marked three straight road wins for the Purple and Gold, who return home for a two-game stretch against Minnesota and Washington (Friday and Sunday). Until then, your numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
3 Lakers with at least 20 points and nine rebounds, as Kobe Bryant went for 30 and nine (plus seven assists), Pau Gasol posted 28 points and 12 rebounds and Andrew Bynum 21 points and 12 boards. Had Kobe nabbed one more rebound, the trio would have been the first to reach 20+ and 10+ double-doubles since Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy did so in 1984.

9 Lakers turnovers, much improved from the 24-turnover game in Golden State the night before.

10 Free throws missed by the Lakers, including an 8-for-14 struggle for Bryant at the stripe.

27 Points scored by Lakers not named Kobe, Pau or Andrew.

45 Combined points (25), rebounds (11) and assists (9) for Kings rookie Tyreke Evans, just an assist away from a triple-double a game after he missed the coveted TD by one rebound.

Follow Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) on Twitter.

With the Lakers (49-18) in the state capital for a Tuesday evening tilt against the Kings (23-44), a slew of questions come into play after a two-plus month hiatus since the last time the two teams met (Jan. 1).

Do the Kings play a bit harder against the Lakers than they do in general? How has the loss of Kevin Martin and acquisition of Carl Landry affected the team? How good is Tyreke Evans? Are Jason Thompson, Spencer Hawes and Landry at all equipped to deal with Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom?

First things first, the Kings do appear to raise their level of play against the Lakers … but that’s nothing new for the Purple and Gold. Sacramento played very well in each of L.A.’s two games against the Kings, first in a double overtime contest at ARCO Arena on Dec. 26, then in the New Years Day game that demanded Kobe Bryant’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer as a Lakers’ bail out. Yet the Kings simply haven’t been able to match L.A.’s talent of late, and the Lakers have won 8-of-10 games including six straight.

Since trading Martin to Houston for Landry, the Kings have gone 5-8, including a home win over Utah and road win in Houston (Landry put up 22 and 10 in that one). The Lakers game marks the fourth of five straight home games that began with a victory over Toronto, a loss to Portland and Sunday’s 114-100 victory over Minnesota in which Evans just missed a triple-double with 29 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. In related news, he’s pretty good even without a completely reliable outside shot.

Evans, in fact, is likely the front runner for Rookie of the Year (even as Golden State’s Stephen Curry, who was terrific against L.A. on Monday, games steam) on the strength of some outstanding numbers: 20.3 points, 5.6 assists and 5.1 rebounds with 1.47 steals in 37.2 minutes. Landry, meanwhile, gave the Lakers problems off Houston’s bench last season and earlier this season, and has been solid* with averages of 17.0 points and 6.8 rebounds in 37 minutes.
*Solid, not great, due to the 37 minutes. Neither Bynum nor Odom play over 30 minutes per game.

Among L.A.’s chief concerns with the Kings is Evans’s unique ability to get all the way to the rim and finish, particularly in transition, and both Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol are on protect-the-basket alert. Speaking of the paint, Landry’s had success with a bevy of pump fakes and via offensive rebounds, another point of emphasis for the Lakers.

An additional area of focus will be doing a better job with Spencer Hawes, who hurt the Lakers at STAPLES with his ability to step out and shoot the ball out of screen and rolls sets often involving Beno Udrih. Hawes went off for a career-high 30 points in that game, including 4-of-5 3-pointers, plus 11 rebounds.

The Lakers also hope Andrew Bynum’s upward trend continues, as the center who wasn’t even playing at this time of year last season due to an MCL tear has averaged 19.6 points and 9.6 rebounds in his last three games. The Kings will try and use Jason Thompson (12.6 points, team-high 8.5 rebounds) to go at Bynum, but it’s clearly a tough matchup

To catch all the action, tune into KCAL or 710 ESPN radio for a 7 p.m. start.

Lakers – Warriors Gameday Page
We took a look at the Lakers – Warriors contest in Golden State while it was happening, entering a thought or three each quarter as the Lakers looked to win a second straight road game.

Inactives
Lakers: Luke Walton
Warriors: Ronny Turiaf, Andris Biedrins

Starters
Lakers: Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Gasol and Bynum
Warriors: Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, Corey Maggette, Anthony Tolliver, Chris Hunter

Pregame Notes
Kobe Bryant showed up a few hours early in Oakland to get some additional shots up, which Derek Fisher later explained is something he’d prefer to do more often but hasn’t been able to as much this season due to various injuries. We also heard from Phil Jackson, which you can read about by CLICKING HERE.

First Quarter
7:30 The Lakers were hotter than Sasha Vujacic after getting called for a foul to start the game, nailing all six of their shots and all three free throws, but three turnovers and two threes from D-League call up Anthony Tolliver kept Golden State within two points. L.A. then promptly missed its next six shots in a 16-all tie. Not yet into the game was D.J. Mbenga, whom I bring up as he sat down with us for an extended interview in which he discussed building a basketball court in his native Congo with Kobe Bryant’s name on it, fashion, his nickname and much more.

2:52 Nobody was happier that Ron Artest drained two wide open 3-pointers than Kobe Bryant, who assisted on each when the Warriors’ defense overcompensated on the other side of the floor. Artest has been L.A.’s best 3-point shooter this season, flirting with 40 percent for most of the year before dipping to around 38 percent of late. Kobe knows quite well how much more difficult the Lakers are to beat if Artest’s 3-ball is going down, and went immediately towards Ron Ron with a “Yeah boy!” look after the second make.

0:02.5 Pau Gasol was efficient and effective throughout the first, matching Kobe’s nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, plus three rebounds and an assist. One area that he wasn’t happy with: his free throw shooting. The Spaniard clanked his first three before making the fourth a game after shooting just 1-of-5, but he remains near 80 percent on the season. Nonetheless, L.A. took a 39-32 lead into the second quarter.

Second Quarter
9:02 After a Steve-Kerr-circa-1996 efficient offensive first quarter that saw L.A. dish 13 assists on 14 field goals (66.7 percent shooting), the team’s first field goal of the second came three minutes in on an Odom put back. In related news, G.S. stayed within three points.

3:36 More of the same continued through the second, L.A. scoring easily but missing free throws, and giving up a bit more than they liked defensively. Bryant earned a trip to the line but missed the second, the seventh miss of the half from the Purple and Gold, and C.J. Watson hit a J at the other end to bring his squad within one at 57-56. A clear positive for the Lakers, however: balance. Kobe had taken nine shots, Gasol six, Artest and Bynum five and Odom four.

2:03 Before the game, Phil Jackson warned against the Lakers turning the ball over, recognizing that it would lead directly to run outs and points at the other end for the Warriors. Oops. Bynum tried a cross court pass that was easily intercepted by Watson and turned into a layup, giving G.S. a 59-57 lead, L.A. already totaling 10 turnovers. It got worse quickly, the Lakers committing five more turnovers in the final two minutes to help the Warriors claim a 65-59 halftime lead. Jackson may as well have gone reverse psychology and said “Turn the ball over please.” Fortunately for L.A., a six-point deficit to the Warriors at halftime isn’t exactly intimidating, particularly with how easily scoring came when not turning it over (58.3 percent shooting, 20 free throw attempts).

Third Quarter
9:57 Great defense to start the third could have fairly been expected for a Lakers’ team that’s done so quite frequently (not frankly), but three quick field goals, including a Stephen Curry three, pushed Golden State’s lead to nine, its highest of the game.

4:25 Remember when G.S. was up nine? Since then, the Lakers did indeed put up the bunker (WWI style? No? OK.) on defense and converted nearly without fail at the other end, putting together a 20-5 run that created a 83-78 lead when Gasol followed Bynum’s dunk with a 7-foot hook. The two bigs had combined for 36 points (20 for Pau) and 19 rebounds (12 for Bynum) at that point to lead the Lakers.

0:33.7 With an angry, to quite angry expression on his face after not getting what he thought were a series of fouls called on Warriors’ reaches, Bryant finally get to the line in transition and sank both foul shots to cap a 35-22 quarter dominated by L.A. Bryant had reached his season high of eight turnovers, but also managed 20 points with four assists heading into the final quarter.

Fourth Quarter
10:09 Monta Ellis, the NBA’s sixth leading scorer with 25.6 points per game, trailing only LeBron, Durant, Carmelo, Kobe and Wade, couldn’t have dropped a shot into the Pacific Ocean off the Bay Bridge on the way into Oakland tonight. He was only 2-for-19 (10.5 percent) after another missed layup. In a slight bit of fairness, he was charged with guarding Kobe at the other end for much of the game. Meanwhile, Odom went the other way with efficiency, making all six of his attempts for 15 points with nine boards, while Gasol was 9-of-12 for 22 points.

3:18 Curry’s fifth three was but a temporary lifeline for the Warriors, as Bryant immediately answered with a three of his own, and Fisher followed with an alley-oop to Gasol in transition to put the Lakers up 119-108 with time running out on G.S.

0:23.0 Wait a second… Ellis, who as we mentioned literally couldn’t throw a stone in the ocean from a boat, pulled up for a transition three after forcing Bryant’s ninth turnover (Kobe thought it was a foul and had a good argument) to cap a super-quick 9-0 run to an almost indifferent Lakers team that made it just a two-point margin. Golden State still had to foul, and Shannon Brown made both free throws with 13.9 seconds to play. After an ensuing Ellis layup and Bryant’s improbable miss of 1-of-2 free throws, both Curry and Ellis had looks at potential game-tying threes, but both missed. The final attempt, from Ellis, seemed to hang on the rim for about three seconds, bouncing this way and that, before ultimately spinning out. Lakers win, barely.

Up next for the Purple and Gold is a Tuesday evening tilt against Sacramento, but until then, your numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
9 Turnovers for Kobe Bryant, to surpass his previous season high of eight in Chicago on Dec. 15. Andrew Bynum added eight turnovers of his own (Golden State had only five as a team to L.A.’s 24), masking otherwise good games from both players. Kobe finished with a team-high 28 points with four assists, while Bynum was good for 19-and-14 double-double with three blocks.

21.7 Field goal percentage for Monta Ellis, who started just 2-of-19 from the field before making three of his final four attempts.

35 Total rebounds snatched by Bynum (14), Pau Gasol (nine) and Lamar Odom (12) who controlled the paint throughout for L.A. That was more than Golden State’s total of 29 rebounds; the Lakers finished with 56 as a team, spurred in part by the turnover discrepancy.

40 Minutes played by Kobe Bryant on the front end of a back-to-back.

77.3 Combined shooting percentage for Odom (7-of-9) and Gasol (10-of-13) for 17 and 26 points, respectively.

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant arrived early to ORACLE Arena in Oakland in preparation for L.A.’s Monday night contest against Golden State, running through a variety of shooting drills with assistant coach Brian Shaw.

An hour after Bryant completed his shooting regimen and started his stretching routine in the locker room, Derek Fisher said that Kobe’s various injuries throughout the season (broken finger, sprained ankle among others) have affected No. 24’s preferred routine.

“He hasn’t been able to practice as much as he (could) in the past,” said Fisher. “Working out before and after the game and things like that … but he’s been getting (to the arena) at 4:30 (p.m.) to try and ramp himself up for 7:30.”

This season, Bryant has put up 44 and 20 points in two games against Golden State, missing the third match up while recovering from his ankle injury. He added 11 and six assists, respectively, in those two Lakers wins, and is looking for a season sweep of the Warriors.

Phil Jackson Pregame
Some notes from Jackson’s pregame session:
– Jackson noted the edge that he expects Golden State to play with since this is the fourth meeting between the teams and that L.A. has won the first three. Clearly, no team ever wants to lose, but four times is a different beast.

– While of course pounding the ball down low is a key, Jackson said it’s not so much about what Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol do, but how L.A.’s guards manage to control the game and how well they’re able to feed the post. Golden State is a small, active team that tries to disrupt passing angles and prevent easy entry passes, of which Jackson is aware.

– Jackson mentioned the fluky nature of the Lakers having such a multitude of hand injuries, the roll call reading: Kobe, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown.

– L.A.’s head coach isn’t so much watching the scoreboard to see how far behind Denver or Dallas is, but instead simply keeping an eye on all teams that the Lakers might face.

After stopping a four-game road losing streak with a Friday night victory in Phoenix, the Lakers will look to build a streak in the other column when they head to Northern California for Monday-Tuesday road clashes with Golden State and Sacramento.

On paper, the Warriors (18-47) and Kings (22-44) are among the league’s worst teams, the Lakers having already beaten the Kings twice and Warriors thrice.

But both wins against Sacramento came down to the wire, first a 112-103 double overtime victory in the state capital on Dec. 26 and second a 109-108 buzzer-beating win courtesy of Kobe Bryant’s three-pointer in front of the Kings’ bench. The victories came easier against Golden State (a total of 49 points, in fact), but the Warriors have played better at home of late, taking Portland down to the wire before a late loss on Thursday and defeating Toronto on Saturday.

While the Kings will surely bang with and bruise the Lakers, the Warriors will try and entice them into the kind of wide-open, free-wheeling game that helped them beat the Raptors.

“(It’s about) the pace of the game,” said Phil Jackson. “Players get used to playing the game with a five- to eight-second pace where shots are going up, and that gets contagious. That happened to us in Phoenix on (Friday) in the third quarter where we got shooting three-pointers at their level.”

Jackson explained that falling into the Suns’ style helped their opponent cut into their lead, as such, L.A.’s coaching staff will stress the inside game of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol … even if that’s not even a little bit out of the ordinary.

“It’s always part of the game plan to give it to Bynum and Gasol,” said Ron Artest. Fair enough.

Bynum has been particularly solid of late. In consecutive wins over Toronto and Phoenix, the youngest Laker has gone 8-of-12 from the field for 22 and 18 points, respectively, bullying his way to the basket for an array of dunks and layups. Add 15 total rebounds, three blocks and no turnovers, not to mention an improvement on defense notable enough to garner Phil Jackson’s explicit approval.

“I like what he’s done defensively,” Jackson said after the win in Phoenix. “I thought he’s played pretty good defense.”

Since Golden State is missing nearly all of its big men – center Andris Biedrins is done for the season, backup Ronny Turiaf is out with a sore knee and forward Anthony Randolph has been out for most of the season – Bynum certainly won’t face a lot of opposition in terms of raw size.

The Kings, however, can throw some bigger bodies at L.A., such as Spencer Hawes, Jason Thompson and newly-acquired Carl Landry, who gave the Lakers problems while playing for the Houston Rockets.

Aside from getting the ball inside, Jackson offered some keys to winning both games.

“The big thing is loose balls, turnovers, rebounds,” he said. “You (want to) give teams one attempt so that you’re getting the majority of the shots and you’re limiting them by not giving them open floor opportunities.”

The importance of securing wins is evident to the Lakers, well aware that Denver trails by 3.0 games and Dallas by 3.5 in the West.

Lakers – Suns Gameday Page
We took a look at the Lakers – Suns contest in Phoenix while it was happening, entering a thought or three each quarter as the Lakers looked to break a streak of four consecutive road losses.

Inactives
Lakers: Luke Walton
Suns: Leandro Barbosa

Starters
Lakers: Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Gasol and Bynum
Suns: Steve Nash, Jason Richardson, Grant Hill, Amare Stoudemire and Robin Lopez

Pregame Notes
The Lakers blew Phoenix out in both games in L.A. (total of 39 points) but lost by 15 here in the Valley of the Sun earlier this year. For a full preview, plus Phil Jackson’s pregame thoughts, CLICK HERE.

First Quarter
8:15 The early game plan for both teams: feed the post. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol took four of L.A.’s first 6 shots, while Amare Stoudemire – thanks in part to two of his own offensive boards – took seven shots in the first four minutes, making three to keep Phoenix within three points.

5:27 A good beginning for Bynum continued as the 7-footer first sprinted up the floor and jammed home Derek Fisher’s trailing pass, then tipped in Bryant’s miss on the following possession to score eight of L.A.’s 18 points. However, the Suns switched into a zone defense that gave the Lakers problems, helping inspire an 8-0 run that put Phoenix up 24-18 with 2:54 to play as Phil Jackson was forced to call his third time out.

15.2 Put-back layups from Lamar Odom and Gasol cut what had been a nine-point lead to five, but Gasol missed his third straight free throw on the and-1 opportunity. Nash then pulled up for a jumper to make it a 31-24 margin at the quarter break. Stoudemire was terrific, going off for 17 points and seven rebounds, while the Lakers couldn’t have been happy with their execution at either end.

Second Quarter
10:53 That execution, however, improved almost immediately as Bryant returned to start the second (he’d played only seven first quarter minutes due to picking up two fouls). First was an open Josh Powell jumper (swish), then an open corner three for Shannon Brown (swish) that cut Phoenix’s lead to two.

8:37 Phoenix answered right back with a 6-0 run that again pushed the lead to eight, leaving L.A. searching for a spark yet again. They got a quick one from Sasha Vujacic, who caused two turnovers in a row with his uber-aggressive defense, and nailed a pull-up three in between. Minutes later, Artest nailed a three and Bynum a short jumper to again cut the lead to two.

0:22.4 Remember how L.A. was struggling on offense? Yeah … that stopped happening. A fantastic stretch featured Lakers points on eight consecutive possessions, resulting in an 18-6 run that turned an 8-point deficit into a 7-point lead (53-46) at the half. Ron Artest was key, nailing two three-pointers and sticking back his own offensive rebound for eight of his 10 points in a solid individual stretch.

Third Quarter
8:54 L.A. turned back to Bynum to open the third, and ‘Drew responded with three buckets, the first two dunks, to help L.A. reach its biggest lead of the day at 10. Fisher added a three, and Phoenix looked helpless to stop the multi-faceted Lakers attack that hasn’t been consistently available of late, particularly on the road.

6:26 Much like a shark, when it smells a bit of blood, Kobe goes right for the jugular, often on a pull-up three in transition that I call his “momentum three.” He nailed one to put the Lakers up 15 points, almost completely quieting the crowd. After another stop on defense, Bryant pulled up yet again to try and push it to 18, but missed.

0:22.2 Quite a difference a few minutes makes, as suddenly L.A. went back to its offensive struggles of the first quarter to concede an 11-0 run that cut that 15-point lead to just two, though Odom did manage to end the quarter with a layup that made it 77-73 into the fourth quarter. Nash, Richardson, Stoudemire and Hill all played a role in the Suns’ burst, though Phoenix’s second unit would enter to start the fourth.

Fourth Quarter
9:10 Quite a thorn in L.A.’s side was Suns’ sub and resident “energy guy” Louis Amundson, who dunked on consecutive possessions to put Phoenix back in front for the first time since halfway through the second quarter, getting to 10 points with 10 rebounds in 23 minutes.

5:06 And there went the coach. Alvin Gentry, furious that Gasol wasn’t hit with a flagrant after a hard foul of Amundson, got ejected, allowing Fisher to sink two free throws that put L.A. back up 10. Artest had just hit his third triple of the game, and Fisher would nail his third two minutes later as L.A. clung to its lead.

1:26 Stoudemire’s two-handed dunk through traffic followed Richardson’s three to cut L.A.’s lead back to just four at 100-96, but Nash missed a three and then turned the ball over on the next possession to get the Lakers the ball back, resulting in 1-of-2 Kobe free throws (he oddly missed the first, which almost never happens late) to give L.A. a 5-point cushion with 16.5 seconds left for the Suns. That would prove to be enough, as the Suns would miss a few desperation attempts before Fisher sealed the win by intercepting Richardson’s pass.

With that, L.A. had snapped its 4-game road losing streak, and improved to 48-18 on the season.

Up next, a Monday-Tuesday back-to-back in Golden State and Sacramento. Until then, your numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
2 Assists away from a triple-double for Kobe Bryant, who scored 21 points with 10 boards and eight dimes.

5 Starters with at least 15 points, led by 21 from Bryant, 18 from Andrew Bynum and 15 each from Derek Fisher, Ron Artest and Pau Gasol.

6 Three-pointers made by Fisher and Artest, both of whom nailed three. The Lakers made 9-of-25 triples, while Phoenix connected on 6-of-21 from distance.

9 Missed free throws by the Lakers, which nearly came back to bite ‘em. Phoenix hit 22-of-27, L.A. 13-of-22.

49.4 L.A.’s terrific shooting percentage, including 8-of-12 from Bynum and 7-of-11 from Gasol.

On Friday evening in Phoenix, the Lakers and Suns are set to face off for the fourth and final time of the 2009-10 regular season, with L.A. holding a 2-1 lead thus far after two home wins and a road loss.

The details: back on November 12 in Los Angeles, the Lakers demolished the Suns 121-102. Less than a month later, the result wasn’t too different, the Purple and Gold running away with a 108-88 victory for a cumulative + 39 on Phoenix.

But on Dec. 28, Phoenix turned the tables in their own building to the tune of a 118-103 victory. So we’re at +24.

Heading into that matchup, the Suns had struggled, losing 9-of-13 games during their worst stretch of the season (L.A. tends to bring out the best in its opponents, after all).

Yet with Friday’s game at US Airways Center on the horizon, the Suns are hot, winning 8-of-10 games to settle into sixth place in the Western Conference with a 40-25 record, 2.5 games back of Utah (who accounted for one of the two recent Suns losses).

With 17 games left on the schedule, climbing into the top four seems a reasonable, if difficult, goal for Phoenix. The Suns have nine games at home and eight on the road, highlighted by home-and-away contests against current No. 4 Utah (included a season finale at Utah on April 14) that could well decide each team’s playoff slot.

The Lakers, meanwhile, have gone just 9-11 in their last 20 road games, a stretch that began with that Dec. 28 road loss to Phoenix, and have seen their lead over Dallas diminish to 2.5 games. L.A. will be looking to go 3-1 against Phoenix for the third straight season, coming after three straight seasons (2004-07) that saw the Suns win the regular season matchup. Phil Jackson’ squad is 3-7 in its last 10 games in Arizona, though Jackson has a 25-14 record against the Suns overall while coaching the Lakers.

A few other Lakers – Suns connections: Phoenix forward Jared Dudley was a teammate of Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown in Charlotte; Suns assistant coach Bill Cartwright won three championships as a center for Jackson’s Bulls (1990-92); and Luke Walton and Suns center Channing Frye were college teammates at Arizona for two seasons (2001-02, 2002-03).

Frye, who has made a team-high 139 triples (43.4 percent) and effectively spaced the floor for Phoenix, will not play against L.A. due to a one-game suspension for getting into a skirmish with Indiana’s Danny Granger on March 6 (Phoenix’s last game, an improbably long break in the schedule). That hurts, as Frye’s shooting helps pull one of L.A.’s bigs out of the paint, but Phoenix does get Leandro Barbosa back from a 21-game absence during which the Suns went 15-6.

The game tips off at 6 p.m. and can be seen on KCAL or listened to on 710 ESPN radio, and as always.

Phil Jackson Pregame Notes
A summary of Lakers Coach Phil Jackson’s responses to pregame questions from assembled media:
– Jackson said he was not surprised that Amare Stoudemire wasn’t dealt prior to the NBA’s trade deadline in February, noting that on one hand he’s a very difficult player to replace from a talent standpoint, and that deals involving such high level players are very complicated.

– The Suns, to Jackson, are a different team with Robin Lopez playing at center as opposed to Channing Frye, who started 41 games (including all three against L.A.) before giving way to Lopez 24 games ago. “He can get down there and wrestle with big guys,” said Phil, something Phoenix hasn’t had since Shaquille O’Neal left.

– Jackson cited Jordan Farmar’s injured finger as a reason for his recent shooting struggles (Farmar is 2-for-11 in his last two games). He added that Sasha Vujacic continues to deal with his shoulder, but is hoping he’s able to resume running around screens and hitting shots.

Press Release Attached Below
Los Angeles Lakers’ All-Star Pau Gasol announced his partnership with Childrens Hospital Los Angeles at a private event on March 10th with Jack Pettker, chairman of the Board of Trustees at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, and Robert Kay, MD, vice chair of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at Childrens Hospital.

Gasol will initially be involved in community outreach initiatives on behalf of the hospital, and will participate in hospital radiothons, as well as interact with Orthopaedic patients. Some patients will have an opportunity to attend Lakers’ games as Gasol’s guest.

“It is extremely rewarding for me to help draw public awareness to the amazing work being done at the Orthopaedic Surgery Center at CHLA,” said Gasol. “The doctors and staff work tirelessly to give young kids the ability to lead normal active lives.”

“Pau has a vision for creating more opportunities for the children of Los Angeles and around the globe to realize their dreams of being able to walk, to run, and stand taller,” said Pettker. “We are thrilled to call him a partner.”

What’s the best way to figure out the general mood of the Lakers locker room?

That’s easy.

Have a chat with Derek Fisher.

What follows is a conversation we had after Monday’s practice, and below that selected postgame comments from Fish after L.A.’s Tuesday evening win against Toronto:

MT: The three-game losing streak was, of course, not exactly what you had in mind. But it doesn’t seem to have affected the team’s confidence in the larger picture…
Fisher: No, (that’s right), but right now I don’t think it’s about confidence. It’s about doing things out on the floor. In some respects, because we still carry so much confidence, we’re still maybe not pressing (the pedal) to the mat in terms of the sense of urgency that we’ve shown in some games. We haven’t been able to stretch that out over two, three weeks, and that’s tough to do in the NBA season. That’s tough to do after experiencing what we have. We lost in the Finals in 2008, won in 2009 and we’re on a quest to win another title. That’s a lot of basketball, it’s a long three-year process, so you’re going to have some ups and downs. But if we can stay healthy and continue to get healthier, we feel OK in terms of where we’ll to be. We still want to have home court advantage in the West, and having (it) overall would be the best of both worlds.

MT: It seems that in many games – especially of late – you’ve been getting the respective best shots other teams have to offer. How would you describe it?
Fisher: I think that’s true in some cases, and I think some teams have gotten better from last season. But also in particular on the road, where it has impacted us to be honest is the fact that some teams have been hit by lower attendance numbers, but when we show up the building is sold out, everybody in the city is talking about the game the whole week. So the pride, the competitive nature and intensity of the team we’re playing that night is also going to go up. So then they go from being a good and competitive team to maybe playing great that night. And since we’re not playing the best that we can play at this point – not that we won’t be playing our best basketball – we haven’t been able to really counter act that. We still like where we are considering everything that we’ve been through, but we just want to get things going back in a more positive direction.

MT: How do you put the rigors of the regular season in perspective, and balance internal and external expectations?
Fisher: It’s a combination of two things. We aren’t necessarily satisfied or OK with how we’re playing or with the results in particular with the last month and a half, close to two months. We just haven’t played good, consistent basketball. I think that’s one piece of it, in terms of our own expectations. And the other piece is, when you are the champions there is a certain level of expectation externally that comes with it. So when you’re going good, everybody’s rolling with you. When you’re not, everybody has things to say. It’s a part of the process, and when you’re here long enough, you figure it out.

Fisher’s postgame comments from Tuesday night’s win over Toronto:

When the giant appears vulnerable or there’s a chink in the armor or there is an open wound, people have a tendency to go at that. Thus far we haven’t come across as invincible or unbeatable, so of course teams are going to believe that they can win … How we play, with efficiency, focus, concentration, that’s what teams need to feel … We’re not playing at the level that we’re capable of playing. I don’t know exactly why – I think you could point to a number of different things – but I think we’re all confident and optimistic that we can figure it out, and we’re going to stay the course.

A friend of ours who also happens to be a Lakers season ticket holder and ESPN’s main fantasy sports expert, Matthew Berry, joined us via telephone to discuss the current state of the Lakers, his worries about the team’s recent play and what to expect going forward.

And, of course, we mixed in some unrelated chatter comparing fantasy football and baseball players to the Lakers, exchanged opinions on the new “Melrose Place” with “90210″ and just generally tried to make Berry feel better about his favorite squad.

Click below to listen:

If you missed Tuesday night’s game-winning fadeaway jumper from Kobe Bryant, you can head over to our Gameday page as always, or just watch below:

As for the other six game winners he’s nailed*, against Miami, Milwaukee, Sacramento, Dallas, Boston and Memphis? Head HERE, or just watch below:
*ESPN’s Ryen Rusillo reported on his NBA Today podcast that Bryant’s six field goal makes in the final 10 seconds of a game are the most in the NBA in the last 10 seasons (Carmelo Anthony had five in 2005-06).

Losing three straight games just wasn’t something L.A. had done in a while. Not once, in fact, since acquiring Pau Gasol from Memphis in February of 2008, at least until a three-game road trip through Miami, Charlotte and Orlando ended that streak.

“We don’t like losing” was Gasol’s impression of Captain Obvious after Monday’s practice.

But losing four straight? Unheard of, especially with Phil Jackson on the bench. In his 19 seasons as an NBA head coach, Jackson’s teams had lost four straight only 10 times total, and never during any one of his 10 championship seasons.

As such, there was no way the defending champs were letting that happen on Tuesday at STAPLES Center against Toronto, a near-average (32-29) team battling for 5th place in the Eastern Conference. Right?

Right … but just barely.

Kobe Bryant, of course, had the answer himself, nailing a game-winning baseline jumper with 1.9 seconds on the clock, leaving the Raptors only a full court desperation heave that fell 30 feet short.

Toronto did hang tough throughout the game, even tying things up at 107 on a Chris Bosh three-pointer with nine seconds remaining. But then Bryant rose for his seventh game-winning shot* of the season (no typo).
*Click there to watch the first six.

The play developed as Ron Artest inbounded the ball to Pau Gasol, who waited until Bryant freed himself of primary defender Antoine Wright, then evaded the double-team of Andrea Bargnani.

“I was surveying the floor, figured they were going to double me early so I went into a position where I could see my cutters,” Bryant explained. “(The double) didn’t come early, (and) that gave me an opportunity to skate baseline once they did come, and I knocked down the shot.”

“That’s one of his shots,” said Lamar Odom while smiling his own comment, realizing Bryant has seemingly hundreds of shots in his repertoire. “He could see the double-team coming, so he can just go baseline until the space runs out and fade away. It looked good … it went straight through.”

The Raptors had managed to make things pretty interesting down the stretch first by opening a 58-50 lead at the half behind 7-of-10 shooting from three. The Purple and Gold cut that lead down to three points after the third quarter (84-81), reclaimed the lead with 9:50 to play in the fourth on Odom’s left-handed layup and ultimately needed Bryant’s jumper to end the losing streak.

“I’ve worked long hours at that shot,” he added. “It’s my job to kind of bail us out (at times). That’s why baseball has closers.”

This season in particular, Kobe has certainly been Mariano Rivera.

To give Kobe a chance to shut the door, L.A. used a solid low post game keyed by Andrew Bynum that kept him in the game throughout most of the fourth quarter. The big center had little problem scoring around smallish bigs Andrea Bargnani and Chris Bosh, making 5-of-7 field goals for 11 points in the third and finishing with 22 points, six boards and two blocks.

“He was playing well,” said Phil Jackson. “If you’re a coach and he’s playing well, you better have him in the game. Andrew played well.”

Meanwhile, Gasol pitched in 17 points and nine boards, while Odom added 10 points, six boards and four assists in the second half alone as each Laker big did some work.

“It doesn’t really matter (which big man) you guard,” said Raptors forward Reggie Evans. “With L.A., pick your poison. All of them are good.”

The Raptors quickly responded to Odom’s lead-changing layup with a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead briefly, but Bryant would rattle off 14 points in the final 8:19 and finish with a game-high 32 points, plus six dimes and six rebounds.

So, the three-game losing streak was over, and it didn’t reach four (which again, never happened during any of Jackson’s 10 championship seasons). But the Lakers know they need to play better to win it again.

Derek Fisher, whom Bynum recognized publicly for motivating the team at halftime, explained that everybody wants a shot at the champs, particularly if the champs aren’t playing exactly like champs (still with us?).

“When the giant appears vulnerable or there’s a chink in the armor or an open wound, people have a tendency to go at that,” said Bryant’s co-captain. “Thus far we haven’t come across as invincible or unbeatable, so of course teams are going to believe that they can win. How we play, with efficiency, concentration, focus, that’s what teams need to feel.”

Fisher went on to reiterate, as Jackson had said after the game and Bryant earlier in the week at practice, the Lakers feel that they have ample time to build things up.

“We’re not playing at the level that we’re capable of playing,” Fisher concluded. “I don’t know exactly why – I think you could point to a number of different things – but I think we’re all confident and optimistic that we can figure it out, and we’re going to stay the course.”

L.A. will next head on the road, to Phoenix and Golden State, to continue the quest. Until then, your numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
4 Raptors who hit at least two three-pointers, including Chris Bosh, whose triple tied the game with nine seconds to play. L.A. hit only 3-of-15 from downtown, one each from Ron Artest, Derek Fisher and Shannon Brown.

7 First half three nailed by Toronto on 10 attempts. That helped the Raptors throw 16 assists on 23 field goals, compared to just seven dimes for L.A. on 16 makes.

28 Points in the paint for the Lakers in the second half, a 12-point edge over Toronto, who won that battle 22-16 in the first half.

32 Points for Kobe Bryant on 11-of-20 shooting and 10-of-11 free throws, none bigger than his dagger jumper with 1.9 seconds to play. It was his seventh game winner, tying the total number of wins for the New Jersey Nets.

44 Free throws attempted by the Lakers, a season high that showed the home team’s aggression.