Knicks-Lakers Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Dec 29 2011 2:27AM

After starting the season with a dramatic win, the New York Knicks opened a three-game road trip with a disappointing loss.

Bouncing back against the Los Angeles Lakers doesn't look like it will be easy.

The Knicks try to avoid losing a ninth straight game to the Lakers when they meet Thursday night at Staples Center.

New York (1-1) got off to an encouraging start to the season by rallying from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat Boston 106-104 on Christmas. Carmelo Anthony hit two free throws with 16 seconds left to break a tie and help the Knicks snap an eight-game losing streak to the Celtics.

While the victory over its long-time nemesis gave New York an immediate boost of confidence, that feeling quickly faded with Wednesday's 92-78 loss to Golden State.

The Knicks led the Warriors by eight early in the second half, and the game was tied at 64 after three quarters, but Golden State scored 25 of the first 31 points of the fourth quarter to put the game away. Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, who combined for 58 points on 18 of 28 shooting in the opener, totaled 29 points on 8 of 27 shooting in the second game.

"I'm not making any excuses, but we're a young team that's coming together and we have to build," said Tyson Chandler, who was held to two points and three rebounds. "Unfortunately, we're learning things on the fly."

New York now has the difficult task of trying to beat Los Angeles (1-2) for the first time since a 107-106 victory on Feb. 13, 2007.

The Knicks' eight-game losing streak to the Lakers is their longest current skid against any opponent. Neither of last year's meetings were close, with New York losing the two by an average of 19.5 points.

Both of those games, however, took place before the Knicks acquired Anthony from Denver. The four-time All-Star averaged 27.5 points in two games against the Lakers last season with the Nuggets. He only scored 13 on Wednesday.

Although New York is a far better team offensively with Anthony, it still needs to figure out a way to slow down Kobe Bryant. In the eight games against the Knicks since 2007-08, Bryant is averaging 34.1 points, his most against any team.

The 13-time All-Star had 26 points in Tuesday's 96-71 victory over Utah for the Lakers' first win of the season. Pau Gasol added 22 points and nine rebounds and Metta World Peace scored 14 to help Los Angeles avoid the franchise's first 0-3 start since 1978-79.

"We've got a long way to go, it's just one win," World Peace said. "We've got to keep working, we're still not satisfied, and we still have to improve."

The Lakers saw great improvement from their defense, which limited the Jazz to 32.2 percent shooting and one 3-pointer on 13 attempts.

"The focus, the energy, the effort, that communication and trust that we brought defensively, was exciting to see," said Mike Brown, who won his first game as Lakers coach.

Los Angeles opened the season playing three games in as many days - its only back-to-back-to-back stretch of the lockout-shortened season - and should greatly benefit from a day off. The Lakers are already hurting with Bryant nursing a torn ligament in his right wrist and Gasol wearing extra support for his sprained right shoulder.

"It still bothers me a little bit," Gasol said of his injured shoulder, "but it felt better (Tuesday) than it did (Monday) so it seems like it's under control."

Gasol is averaging 20.4 points and 11.6 rebounds in his last five games against the Knicks.

Kobe scores 28, Lakers surge past Knicks in 4th

By GREG BEACHAM
Posted Dec 30 2011 2:26AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) After the Lakers roared away from the Knicks in the fourth quarter without even a point from Kobe Bryant, he put his long-standing friendly rivalry with Carmelo Anthony in perspective.

"I enjoy going against Melo, because I always win," Bryant said with a grin.

Although Bryant was exaggerating about his head-to-head advantage over Anthony, he's absolutely right about Los Angeles' rivalry with New York over the past half-decade.

Bryant scored 28 points in yet another dynamic performance against the Knicks, and the Lakers relied on stiff defense to roll to their ninth straight victory over New York, 99-82 Thursday night.

Pau Gasol had 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Lakers, who have won two straight after a 0-2 start to the compressed season.

The Lakers have dominated this rivalry between the signature teams from the nation's two largest cities in recent years, winning every meeting since February 2007 with Bryant averaging more than 34 points per game in the first eight.

They easily took care of New York down the stretch, opening the fourth quarter with a 17-3 run to take a 22-point lead - and Bryant didn't even need to score, contributing three assists as Los Angeles finished strong.

"We did a great job," Bryant said. "It's tough to hold down an offensive team like the Knicks. We're doing what we're supposed to do."

Steve Blake scored 11 points and hit two big 3-pointers while the Lakers dominated the fourth quarter, forcing the Knicks to miss nine of their first 10 shots while committing seven turnovers.

Anthony scored 27 points in his first showdown with Bryant since joining the Knicks, and Amare Stoudemire had 15 points on 4-for-17 shooting as New York again struggled down the stretch in the middle stop of a three-game West Coast road trip. For the second straight night, the Knicks showed none of the late-game poise they exhibited in a gritty Christmas win over Boston.

"The Lakers are good, and we're awful," New York coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We didn't play well. We can't make shots. We started off really well. I thought the pace was good, the rhythm was good, and then it just went downhill from there."

Tyson Chandler had 13 points and 11 rebounds in his hometown for the Knicks, whose nine-game skid against the Lakers is their longest current stretch against any opponent.

"Everything is just difficult for us right now," Chandler said. "We've just got to make things easier than they've been."

The Knicks' frustration showed in technical fouls for each of their Big Three, who incessantly argued calls despite New York's 41-22 free throw advantage.

"This game is about acting, and right now we're reacting," Anthony said. "We just need to get out there and play ball. ... We're good. Not too much to worry about three games into the season. We will get better."

Josh McRoberts scored 10 points for the Lakers, who made 23 of their 32 shots before halftime for their highest shooting percentage in one half in nearly 13 years. New York pulled within eight points heading into the fourth quarter, but then committed five turnovers in the next 2 1/2 minutes as reserves Blake and Matt Barnes led the Lakers' runaway.

Although Bryant is playing with a torn ligament in his right wrist that requires a brace whenever he isn't playing, the 13-time All-Star's latest injury is doing little to slow him. He has scored at least 25 points in each of the Lakers' games so far, and he shredded the Knicks' spotty defense.

"Kobe be lying. Kobe ain't hurt," Anthony said with a laugh. "I know him."

The Lakers were the only team to begin the season with three games in three nights, losing the first two before routing Utah on Tuesday for new coach Mike Brown's first victory. Although the Lakers struggled early, they've been downright dominant on defense in the past three games at home, showing they're already picking up the finer points of Brown's defense-based system.

The Lakers, who held the Knicks to 31.3 percent shooting, will get even better on defense with center Andrew Bynum wrapping up his season-opening four-game suspension for his misbehavior in last spring's playoff finale. He'll be in the lineup for the Denver Nuggets' visit to Staples Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Lakers returned from their first day off with a sharp first half, taking a 16-point lead in the second quarter with crisp offensive execution that frequently left behind the Knicks. Anthony scored 18 points in the half with six field goals - the same number managed by all of his teammates combined.

Bryant scored 13 points in the third quarter, even banking in a long 3-pointer while getting fouled on a four-point play late in the period, but the Knicks trimmed Los Angeles' lead to 80-72 heading into the fourth.

NOTES: The Lakers made 77.1 percent of their shots in the second half against Orlando on March 21, 1999. ... Baron Davis is traveling on the West Coast with the Knicks, but not playing while resting a herniated disc in his back. The veteran guard grew up in Los Angeles. ... Fans near courtside included USC QB Matt Barkley, Angels ace Jered Weaver, Willie McGinest, actress Kaley Cuoco and Richard Lewis, who sat in with the Lakers' radio broadcast team.

Notebook: Lakers 99, Knicks 82

By Dan Arritt, for NBA.com
Posted Friday December 30, 2011 2:30AM

THE FACTS: Even if the Lakers don't have a championship-caliber roster, they continue to display championship-style defense, forcing their second consecutive opponent to miss more than a third of their field-goal attempts in a 99-82 victory Thursday night against the visiting Knicks at Staples Center.

QUOTABLE: "I thought our guys were very active defensively, so it was fun to watch ... To hold a team to 82 points on 31 percent from the floor and then only give them nine offensive rebounds, with their size on the front line, was pretty impressive."
-- Lakers coach Mike Brown on his team's defensive effort.

THE STAT: The Knicks, coming off a 40 percent shooting performance the night before in a 92-78 loss at Golden State, did not shoot better than 40 percent in any quarter against the Lakers, finishing 21-for-67 from the floor, their worst shooting performance in four years. The 21 field goals were just four off the NBA record for fewest field goals in the shot-clock era. That mark was set by the Heat in an 88-62 loss to the Celtics on March 30, 2008.

TURNING POINT: Brown called timeout with his team trailing, 19-14, and 5:52 remaining in the opening quarter. His message must have gotten through because the Lakers followed with a 13-0 run to take the lead, and the Knicks never got closer than five points the rest of the way. The Lakers took control of their 96-71 victory Tuesday against the visiting Jazz with a 13-0 second-quarter surge.

HOT: Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, torn wrist tendon and all, scored a game-high 28 points on 10-for-17 shooting. He did most of his damage in the third quarter, scoring 13 points of his team's 17 points on 5-for-8 shooting. His four-point play with 2:25 left in the third gave the Lakers a 78-63 lead.

NOT: Last game it was Al Jefferson of Utah who couldn't buy a basket, making a career-worst 2-for-16 shots from the field. This time it was New York power forward Amar'e Stoudemire who struggled with his shot throughout the game, missing 13 of 17 field-goal attempts, his worst shooting night in eight years when taking at least 10 shots. His effort came on the heels of a 5-for-14 shooting performance against the Warriors.

GOOD MOVE: Kings power forward Josh McRoberts has done an admirable job holding down the starting role while Andrew Bynum served a four-game suspension. He brought out the biggest roar from the crowd in the first half when he slammed home a lob from Steve Blake to give the Lakers their biggest lead of the first half, 45-29. McRoberts finished with 10 points, six rebounds and three steals in what will likely be his last start for a while.

BAD MOVE: The Knicks finished the third quarter on a 6-0 run to pull within eight points and had the ball after Blake missed a 19-footer to open the fourth, but Carmelo Anthony threw the ball away, leading to a 15-footer by Jason Kapono. The Knicks would commit six more turnovers before they finally got on the board in the final quarter. By then, the Lakers were back up by 12.

QUOTABLE II: "The Lakers are good and we're awful."
-- New York coach Mike D'Antoni.

NOTABLE: The Knicks haven't defeated the Lakers since February 2007. Bryant has averaged 34 points against the Knicks during that span ... The Lakers shot 23-for-32 in the first half, their highest shooting percentage in a half in 13 years. The Lakers made 77 percent of their shots in the second half against Orlando in March 1999.

UP NEXT: For the Lakers, Saturday vs. Denver, Sunday @ Denver, Tuesday vs. Houston. For the Knicks, Saturday @ Sacramento, Monday vs. Toronto, Wednesday vs. Charlotte.

• Knicks: Davis, Jeffries, Shumpert
• Lakers: Caracter, Morris

• Knicks: Anthony, Chandler, Stoudemire
• Lakers: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #14 Ed Malloy, #74 Curtis Blair, #42 Eric Lewis
• Attendance: 18997
• Duration: 2:32