Lakers-Wizards Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Mar 07 2012 1:18AM

After an impressive three-game winning stretch, a banged-up Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers have come back down to earth.

Bryant and the visiting Lakers, though, have a good chance to bounce back from a frustrating loss when they try for a 10th straight victory over the lowly Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.

Sporting a protective mask after suffering a broken nose and a concussion during the All-Star game Feb. 26, Bryant averaged 34.0 points on 38-of-70 shooting (54.3 percent) during Los Angeles' three-game winning streak following the break.

Bryant's hot streak ended Tuesday, however, when he went 8 of 26 from the floor and finished with 22 points in an 88-85 overtime loss at Detroit. Though Bryant helped the Lakers (23-15) force overtime by hitting a 19-foot fadeaway at the buzzer, he was held to nine points on 2-of-10 shooting in the first half.

Fellow All-Star Andrew Bynum had a season-high 30 points with 14 rebounds and Pau Gasol added 20 with 10 boards, but Los Angeles lost for just the third time in 11 contests.

"Everyone played a little tired," said Bryant, the NBA's leading scorer at 28.7 points per game.

Coach Mike Brown was not happy watching his team shoot 42.0 percent while matching its third-lowest scoring game of the season - despite the extra five minutes - against an opponent that won for the 13th time.

"Nothing went well, and we paid for it with a loss," Brown said.

Plenty has gone right for the Lakers while averaging 111.3 points on 51.3 percent shooting during a nine-game winning streak over Washington, which dates to a 147-141 overtime home loss Dec. 17, 2006. Los Angeles has won five straight on the road against the Wizards since losing Dec. 26, 2005.

Bryant, who wore two different protective masks Tuesday, has averaged 29.9 points on 47.6 percent shooting in his last 17 games versus Washington - including eight 30-point efforts and three with more than 40.

That does not bode well for the Wizards (8-29), who matched a season high for points allowed Monday during a 120-100 home loss to Golden State. Nick Young scored 25 points off the bench and John Wall added 20 with 14 assists, but Washington trailed 41-24 after one quarter and allowed the Warriors to shoot 54.2 percent two nights after the Wizards snapped a six-game skid with a 101-98 win over Cleveland.

"We get one win and we come in with that effort to start the game," coach Randy Wittman said. "Inexcusable, and that's on me. ... That is unprofessional. I apologize to everybody that had to watch it."

Wall has been one of the few reasons for fans to watch the Wizards, averaging 25.7 points on 53.8 percent shooting in his last three games. He scored 22 and recorded 14 assists in his only previous game versus Los Angeles, a 115-108 loss at Staples Center on Dec. 7, 2010.

Like his coach, Wall was not happy about his team's performance Monday or the club's current attitude overall.

"Some guys knew, we lost the game before we came on the court," Wall said. "Too much joking in the locker room. Too much joking through warm-ups."

Wizards come from 21 down, top Lakers 106-101

By JOSEPH WHITE
Posted Mar 08 2012 1:10AM

WASHINGTON (AP) The same arena that rocked to "M-V-P!" for Kobe Bryant in the first half was bellowing "Beat L.A.!" in the final minute.

It's amazing the fans weren't speechless over what they were witnessing. It wasn't merely that the Los Angeles Lakers had blown a 21-point, second-half lead to the lowly Washington Wizards - it was the fact that the Lakers had essentially lost the game to a bunch of Wizards second-stringers.

It truly is almost surreal what happened in the fourth quarter of the Wizards' 106-101 victory Wednesday. Kevin Seraphin scored 10 of his career-high 14 points. Roger Mason hit three huge 3-pointers. Nick Young, who usually passes the ball only with great reluctance, had four of his career-high six assists. Trevor Booker, the only starter to see significant minutes, grabbed eight of his career-high 17 rebounds.

Also, Bryant, who seemingly could do whatever he wanted in the first half, went 1 for 10 in the final period to finish with an unfulfilling 30 points.

Conclusion: It's safe to say that the Lakers thought they had it won when they were leading 76-55 in the third quarter.

"I was out there kind of loafing around and having a good time," said Andrew Bynum, who scored 19 points but committed seven turnovers. "They played up, got the home crowd into it, and they were able to hit shots."

The Wizards will take it. They hadn't beaten the Lakers since 2006, a streak of nine straight losses. The same team that was called "unprofessional" by coach Randy Wittman after a 20-point loss to Golden State on Monday somehow pulled off a minor miracle.

"When our backs are against the wall," Young said, "you can't do nothing but go up."

Young finished with 19 points, and those half-dozen assists were indeed out of the norm for someone with only 38 in his first 36 games, causing him to joke that he had become "a complete player." Booker scored 18 points, and Seraphin shot 7 for 8 and tied his career high with nine rebounds. Mason finished with 14 points, and John Wall had nine assists to help make up for four points on 1-for-8 shooting. The bench tallied 55 points.

"A lot of us," Mason said, "are hungry to play."

Pau Gasol added 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers, who dropped both ends of a road back-to-back. Bryant said the team "played a little tired" after an overtime loss at Detroit the night before, and on Wednesday he wasn't saying much of anything.

How surprised were you that you were up 21 and you lost? "Shocked."

How disappointed? "Very."

"I'll keep it to one word," Bryant then said.

The Wizards were their usual disjointed selves well into the third quarter, mixing dunks with misfired alley-oops and other failed attempts at flash. Jordan Crawford and Young were both 0 for 4 from 3-point range in the first half, and Wall didn't have a point until his dunk with 3:19 remaining in the third.

Young had a classic Wizards blooper in the second quarter, going up for an uncontested dunk only to have the ball slip out of his hands and fly over the backboard and into the rows of fans seated behind the basket.

The deficit was 21 when the Wizards started on a 26-7 run that pulled them within two at the end of the third quarter. Mason started the fourth by hitting a pair of 3s, and Seraphin twice gave Washington back the lead after the Lakers had rallied.

Seraphin's dunk - Washington's 10th of the game - and Young's jumper put the underdogs ahead 104-99 with 43 seconds left. After a dunk by Gasol, Booker grabbed an offensive rebound on Wall's missed jumper to keep the Lakers at bay. The Wizards made two free throws in the final 15 seconds to help seal the improbable win.

"Our mindset right now to play on the road," Lakers coach Mike Brown said, "is not what it should be."

Notes: Bryant wore a clear mask to protect his broken nose. He had switched from a black one midgame the night before because it wasn't comfortable. ... Bryant is 12 points shy of 29,000 for his career. ... The Lakers wrap up their three-game road trip at Minnesota on Friday. ... Wizards F Rashard Lewis missed his fifth straight game with a sore left knee.

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Joseph White can be reached at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

Notebook: Wizards 106, Lakers 101

Posted Thursday March 8, 2012 12:02AM

By Ben Standig, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Roger Mason drained three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter while Trevor Booker and Kevin Seraphin had career efforts down low as the Washington Wizards stormed back in the second half for a 106-101 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers led by 21 points in the third quarter, but shot their way out of the lead in the second half while the Wizards picked up production from unlikely sources and redeemed themselves after Monday's 20-point home loss against Golden State. Mason finished with 14 points and gave the Wizards the lead for good with consecutive 3-pointers opening the fourth quarter, Nick Young scored a team-high 19 points and doled at a career-high six assists.

Kobe Bryant paced the Lakers with 30 points, but missed 22 of 31 shots. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum each scored 19 points for the Lakers one night after blowing another double-digit lead at Detroit

QUOTABLE: "Guys had career night against us because of the momentum that they had from the bad shot selection that we took, the lack of ball movement and the turnovers."
-- Lakers coach Mike Brown

THE STAT: Coming off a loss Tuesday night in Detroit, the Lakers shot 26.3 percent (10-for-38) in the second half. Bryant shot 3-for-18 in the second half and missed nine of 10 shots in the fourth quarter.

TURNING POINT: Trailing 76-57 with 7:04 left in the third quarter, Booker scored consecutive baskets with a follow-slam dunk and hook shot. The comeback soon followed as the Wizards closed the quarter on a 26-7 run and then Mason opened the fourth with consecutive 3-pointers.

QUOTABLE II: "We were doing them hard, and stayed in the game. That's all we did. Then, we started making some shots and the crowd got into it. All of a sudden, there were no more Laker fans, and the momentum. That's what, hopefully, can go a long way for us in terms of that mentality of staying in the game, playing as hard as you can."
- Wizards coach Randy Wittman

HOT: Booker tallied 18 points and a career-high 17 points while seldom-used reserve Seraphin posted career best numbers with 12 points and nine rebounds. The two post players shot a combined 14-of-16 from the field and generated 18 points and 18 rebounds in the second half against the NBA's top rebounding team.

NOT: John Wall picked a good night for an off night. The Wizards electric point guard missed seven of eight shots and finished with four points despite a favorable matchup against grizzled veteran Derek Fisher.

GOOD MOVE: Wittman stuck with his Booker and his energetic reserves in the fourth quarter, playing Young, Seraphin, Mason and Shelvin Mack extended minutes against the Lakers' stars. Wall sat out all but three minutes and starting center JaVale McGee never saw the court during the final 12 minutes.

QUOTABLE: "All we have to do is play hard. I was out there kind of loafing around, having a good time and they caught up. Got their home crowd into it and they were able to hit shots."
-- Lakers center Bynum

NOTABLE: The Wizards picked up their first win against the Lakers since 2006, snapping a nine-game losing streak.

UP NEXT: For the Lakers, Friday @ Minnesota, Sunday vs. Boston, Tuesday @ Memphis. For the Wizards, Saturday vs. Portland, Monday @ San Antonio, Tuesday at Dallas.

• Lakers: Morris
• Wizards: Turiaf

• Lakers: --
• Wizards: --

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: Verizon Center, Washington, DC
• Officials: #71 Rodney Mott, #59 Gary Zielinski, #58 Josh Tiven
• Attendance: 20282
• Duration: 2:17