Lakers-Heat Preview

Posted Jan 19 2012 11:38AM

MIAMI (AP) - Kobe Bryant is 33 years old, has spent nearly half his life in the NBA, is dealing with a significant wrist injury and has taken about 3,000 more shots in his career than any other active player.

Given all that, some may think he's a candidate to start slowing down.

LeBron James is not among those who would even consider that possible.

The NBA's top two scorers this season - Bryant at 30.8 points per game, James at 29.8 - are scheduled to go head-to-head Thursday night when the Los Angeles Lakers visit the Miami Heat, though James will be a game-time decision after being sent home from the morning shootaround because of illness. He has been battling flu-like symptoms for much of this week.

Even with subplots including James facing his former Cleveland coach in the Lakers' Mike Brown, Dwyane Wade sitting out again with a sprained right ankle and hints that Miami center Eddy Curry may make his Heat debut, all eyes will be on one thing.

Kobe vs. LeBron.

"We know how great of a player, how competitive he is," James said. "And he's not going to sell himself short, either. ... He's a scorer. He's a flat-out scorer."

Bryant is coming off a stretch where he scored at least 40 points in four straight games, a streak snapped in a 73-70 win over Dallas on Monday night. Bryant entered Wednesday ranking seventh in the NBA in minutes per game (37.7), a stat made even more impressive when considering that only one of the six players ahead of him on that list is older than 27.

"I do want to get it down," Brown said. "He's played a ton of minutes too early right now."

Hey, if Brown wants to start that policy on Thursday, it doesn't sound like the Heat would complain.

"He looks healthier and quicker than he did last year," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "I think everybody knew he wasn't 100 percent last year. He was just grinding through it and the lockout was probably beneficial for him, the extra time but also he was able to get stronger. He looks very lean. He looks in great shape."

The Lakers have played 10 of their first 15 games at home (or 11, technically, since one of their five "road" games was at the Los Angeles Clippers). This trip is a quick but lengthy one, with the Lakers flying cross-country on Wednesday, visiting Miami on Thursday, Orlando on Friday and then heading back home in time for a matchup Sunday against Indiana.

It's the first Eastern Conference trip of the year for the Lakers.

"Just get ready. Just get ready," Bryant said, when asked what the Lakers needed to do to prep for Miami and Orlando. "It's our first really long road trip in terms of distance and travel and with a new coaching staff, kind of getting used to the travel schedule and how they do things. Looking forward to it."

Some would say that scoring wise, Bryant looks as good as ever.

Sure, it's early, but Bryant is on pace to average 30 points for the first time in five seasons. And he's putting up those numbers even though a ligament issue in his right wrist - his shooting side - is hampering him at times on long jumpers, noted by his career-low 24 percent success rate from 3-point range so far this year.

He's more than compensating in other areas of his game.

"Not a surprise," Heat forward Shane Battier said. "That's what he's done his entire career. You know when you're getting ready to lace `em up against Kobe Bryant, you load up for bear. It's going to be a work-filled day."

For James, some of that work would come on the defensive end.

With Wade missing his second straight game Thursday, the Heat will still run a steady stream of defenders at Bryant, with candidates including Battier, James Jones, Mike Miller and James.

Head-to-head, James and Bryant have remarkably similar numbers. Over the last 11 meetings between their teams, James is averaging 27.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7 assists, while Bryant is putting up 28.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists.

There is one significant difference in that span: James' team have gone 9-2 against the Lakers.

"It's not about LeBron and Kobe," James said. "It's the Lakers versus Heat thing. ... We just try to do what's best for our team and help our teams win."

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Even ailing, James leads Heat past Lakers 98-87

By TIM REYNOLDS
Posted Jan 19 2012 11:48PM

MIAMI (AP) LeBron James was sitting at his locker after the game, a bottle of cold medicine at his side.

The Los Angeles Lakers would be hard-pressed to believe it was needed.

James shook off flu-like symptoms to put up 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists - hours after being told to stay away from the team's shootaround practice after calling in with a cough and chest congestion - and the Miami Heat topped the Lakers 98-87 on Thursday night. Chris Bosh scored 15 for Miami, which won its second straight after a three-game slide.

"A chest cold can get to you at times," James said. "But I felt like I could help the team."

Shane Battier scored 11 and led the way defensively on Kobe Bryant. Mario Chalmers finished with 10 for Miami, which led by as many as 23 points and improved to 5-1 at home. Miami moved to 5-0 this season without Dwyane Wade, who missed his second straight game with a sprained right ankle. He missed three games earlier this season with left foot soreness.

No problem - James simply did his thing, yet again.

"We don't take his talent for granted, nor do we take Dwyane's talent or Chris' talent," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "They're special players and they can rise to the occasion."

Pau Gasol scored a season-high 26 for the Lakers, Bryant scored 24 - 14 of them coming in the fourth quarter - and Andrew Bynum finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

"We tried to adjust to some things," said Bryant, who had a four-game stretch of scoring at least 40 points earlier this month followed by a two-game total of 38 since. "We might want to go back to some of the things that we were doing a few weeks ago in terms of me being on some spots on the floor and things where I'm most comfortable."

Bryant put together a great late run to attempt a comeback, banking in a 3-pointer and following that seconds later with a steal and transition dunk that got the Lakers within 94-84 with 2 minutes left. But Derek Fisher's 3-point try on the next Los Angeles possession hit the front of the rim, Udonis Haslem controlled the rebound and James made a 15-foot runner to seal the outcome.

"They were the aggressors on both ends of the floor until the last few minutes of the game," Lakers coach Mike Brown said of the Heat. "We were aggressive the last six, seven minutes. You can't go over a 48-minute game against a team like this and allow them to be the aggressor for most of the night."

It was the first time James had gone against Brown, his former coach in Cleveland. James ran over to Brown moments before tip-off for a long embrace.

"I had a great time coaching LeBron," Brown said. "I wouldn't be in this suit if it wasn't for him."

James showed no signs of illness. In fact, he apparently felt good enough to take on two teams - the Lakers ... and the Miami Marlins. James' momentum carried him over the sideline across from the Lakers' bench in the first half, nearly knocking over none other than Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, who escaped the collision with the 265-pound two-time MVP unscathed.

Loria spent most of the next few minutes laughing.

Meanwhile, the Lakers had very little to laugh about, and fell to 1-5 on the road.

"We have to control tempo and understand certain momentum shifts in the game," Bryant said.

They shot 31 percent in the first half, their lowest output for any half this season. Bryant had as many field goals in the opening 24 minutes (one, on eight shots) as Heat forward Eddy Curry (1 for 1), who got his first NBA action since December 2009 when he checked in late in the first quarter for a 2 1/2-minute stint in which he made a basket, grabbed a rebound, was charged with a turnover and got a pair of loud ovations from a sellout crowd.

Curry returned for another stretch to start the fourth quarter, finishing his night with six points and three rebounds in six minutes. Curry said earlier Thursday that he lost about 65 pounds to get ready for his comeback, more than half of that since the start of Heat training camp in December.

"Felt great," said Curry, who did a 20-minute cardio workout after the game. "I didn't know what to expect. I've been working hard for this moment. This is only the beginning."

Miami's lead was 52-37 at the half, buoyed by eight 3-pointers - more than the Heat attempted in two December games - and a sizzling defensive start where the Lakers were forced into missing 18 of their first 24 shots. Over a 51-minute stretch going back to late in the first half of Tuesday's game against San Antonio, the Heat had outscored the Spurs and Lakers by a whopping 137-83 margin.

There was no second-half let-up, either. James scored nine points and Bosh was 4 for 4 from the floor in the third quarter, and even with the Lakers shooting 56 percent in the period Miami pushed its lead out to 77-56 entering the fourth.

NOTES: Bryant passed Bill Russell (40,726) for 21st on the league's all-time minutes played list. Next up: Michael Jordan (41,011). At his current pace, Bryant should become No. 5 on the NBA's career lists in points (passing Shaquille O'Neal) and free throws made (passing Jerry West) before the All-Star break. ... Ludacris was among the celebrities in the crowd. ... The Heat wore new all-black alternate uniforms, giving the Lakers the chance to wear their home gold on the road. ... Magic Johnson sat with Heat president Pat Riley for the second straight game. ... Gasol's previous season-best was 22. He hadn't scored 20 in any of his last nine games.

Notebook: Heat 98, Lakers 87

By Shandel Richardson, for NBA.com
Posted Thursday January 19, 2012 11:49PM

THE FACTS: The Miami Heat defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 98-87 Thursday at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Heat were led by LeBron James, who scored a team-high 31 points on 12 of 27 shooting. Miami won despite playing without Dwyane Wade for a second straight game. Wade continues to nurse a sprained ankle.

Without one of their top players, the Heat were still able to cruise by the Lakers. James was dominant despite questions whether he would play. He was listed as questionable after leaving the morning shootaround because of the flu.

Forward Chris Bosh had 15 points and eight rebounds while Shane Battier had 11 points and six rebounds. The Lakers were led by Pau Gasol's 26 points and eight rebounds, but received a subpar effort from star Kobe Bryant.

Bryant scored 24 points, but shot just 8 of 21 from the field. The Lakers as a team shot 42 percent, including 6 of 20 from 3-point range.

QUOTABLE: "It's never been between me and Kobe. I've been in this league long enough that I don't have to prove anything to Kobe, and he doesn't have to prove anything to me."
-- James.

THE STAT: The Heat were once again on the mark from 3-point range. They shot 9 of 18 from the arc after making a season-high 16 the previous game against the Spurs.

TURNING POINT: The Heat took control in the second quarter when it outscored the Lakers 27-17. Miami did it with defense, led by James. He had three blocks, and the Heat played solid interior defense against Andrew Bynum and Gasol.

QUOTABLE II: "They were the aggressors on both ends of the floor, up until the last minute of the game. We were aggressive in the last six or seven minutes of the game. You can't go through a 48-minute game against a team like this and allow them to be aggressivefor most of the night."
-- Lakers coach Mike Brown.

HOT: James had his second consecutive strong game, scoring 31 points. He also had eight rebounds, eight assists, four steals and three blocks. Not bad for a guy battling the flu.

NOT: Bryant didn't get started until the fourth quarter. By then, it was too late. Bryant finished 8 of 21 from the field.

GOOD MOVE: Heat coach Erik Spoelstra inserted Battier in the starting lineup, replacing James Jones. The move was beneficial because Battier was able to play solid defense on Bryant. Bryant struggled the first half when the Heat gained control.

BAD MOVE: The Lakers struggled all night to defend the perimeter. Once the Heat were able to knock down some shots from the outside, it allowed James to be more aggressive in attacking the basket.

NOTABLE: The Heat improved to 5-0 in games without Wade this season. Center Eddy Curry scored six points in five minutes. It was first game since Dec. 17, 2009. James is 11-5 in games against Bryant. The Lakers shot 31 percent in the first half, their lowest of the season. Bryant surpassed Bill Russell for 21st place in career minutes played.

UP NEXT: For the Heat, Saturday vs. 76ers, Sunday vs. Bucks, Tuesday vs. Cavs. For the Lakers, Friday @ Magic, Sunday vs. Pacers, Wednesday vs. Clippers.

• Lakers: Blake, Caracter
• Heat: Gladness, Wade

• Lakers: McRoberts
• Heat: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
• Officials: #48 Scott Foster, #56 Mark Ayotte, #29 Mark Lindsay
• Attendance: 20004
• Duration: 2:19