Lakers Gameday | 12/09/07 | Lakers 123, Warriors 113
Lakers extend dominance with ninth straight win over Warriors Kobe Bryant had 20 of his 28 points in the second half, six teammates scored in double figures, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat Golden State 123-113 Sunday night for their ninth straight win over the Warriors. The win was the third straight for the Lakers (12-8), who have won 14 of their last 15 games over Golden State and have a 16-1 record against the Warriors at Staples Center since the facility opened eight years ago. The Warriors (11-9) lost for only the third time in 14 games following an 0-6 start. They were shooting for their most victories in a 14-game span since the 1975-76 season, when they went 13-2 during a 15-game stretch. Bryant also had six rebounds and a season-high eight assists. Andrew Bynum matched a career high with 20 points and pulled down 11 rebounds; Derek Fisher scored 15 points; Lamar Odom added 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and Vladimir Radmanovic had 13 points for the Lakers. Baron Davis led the Warriors (11-9) with 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Stephen Jackson added 18 points, Mickael Pietrus scored 14 and Monta Ellis added 13 for Golden State. The Warriors scored five straight points to cut the Lakers' lead to four before two baskets by Bryant and a 3-pointer by Radmanovic put Los Angeles ahead 106-95 with 6:58 remaining. The Warriors weren't closer than nine points after that. The Warriors scored 12 straight points for a 71-68 lead early in the third quarter. They led 73-70 when 3s by Bryant and Fisher triggered an 18-4 run that put the Lakers ahead 88-77, and they were on top the rest of the way. Neither team led by more than seven points in the first half, which ended with the Lakers on top 60-59 thanks to an 11-3 run to finish the second quarter. Bryant shot 3-of-13 for eight points in the half. Bryant and Odom, the Lakers' leading scorers, combined to shoot 1-of-8 and score five points in the first quarter, but their teammates went 11-of-16 and the teams were tied 31-all. Davis scored 15 for the Warriors. Game notes Warriors-Lakers Preview By DAN PIERINGER, STATS Writer The Golden State Warriors pulled off one of the most remarkable playoff upsets in NBA history last spring, but fell from grace with a miserable start to this season. Their resurgence, however, has come about just as quickly. The Warriors go for their 12th win in 14 games on Sunday when they visit the Pacific Division rival Los Angeles Lakers, who have swept their last two season series against the Warriors. Golden State (11-8) was outscored by an average of 11.0 points in losing its first six games - a start that seemed to put its hopes for a second consecutive playoff appearance in jeopardy in the competitive Western Conference. The Warriors, though, have rebounded with wins in 11 of their last 13 games, putting themselves in the middle of the pack in the West. Their only losses in that stretch are on the road against Atlantic Division-leading Boston and in overtime against Southeast Division-leading Orlando. "I told you all that I wasn't worried early in the season," said point guard Baron Davis, leading the team with 23.2 points, 8.5 assists and 2.4 steals per game. "We got back to .500 quicker than I expected. But at the same time, knowing that we have our whole team together, anything is possible with these guys in this locker room." Suddenly, the Warriors are looking more like the team that upset the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs last season, becoming the first No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in a best-of-seven series in NBA history. Part of the reason for the turnaround has been the return of Stephen Jackson, who missed the first seven games because of a league suspension. Golden State gave up 116.3 points per game without Jackson, but has held opponents to 102.2 with the team captain back on the court. "I think from what I've seen with Stephen back in the lineup we can play up to the potential we had last year when we played real well," coach Don Nelson said. "That's what I hope for. I think if we stay healthy we can achieve that goal." Jackson had 28 points on Friday as Golden State overcame an 18-point deficit to beat Miami 120-113. Baron Davis added 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, when the Warriors rallied from 11 down to win for the fifth time in their last six home games. "There were a lot of reasons we won tonight, none of which we probably deserved," Nelson said. "We got away with one tonight and hopefully we learned a lesson and we'll come and play for four quarters instead of two." The Warriors' resurgence has pulled them even with the Lakers (11-8) in the Pacific. Golden State, though, has lost eight straight games to Los Angeles since its 126-99 victory on April 18, 2005. The Lakers have won 13 of the last 14 meetings, and 24 of 26 home games against the Warriors since the 1994-95 season. On Wednesday, Los Angeles overcame 51 points from Denver's Allen Iverson to beat the Nuggets 111-107. Kobe Bryant scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter as Los Angeles improved to 8-4 against opponents from the West. The Lakers also improved to 10-3 when they score at least 100 points. They're 1-5 when held below the century mark. Bryant has averaged 36.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists in his last seven games against the Warriors - all Lakers wins. Copyright 2007 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited |
GAME NOTES SEASON & SERIES NOTES; CONNECTIONS The Lakers have swept each of the last two season series with Golden State 4-0 and are winners of eight straight against the Warriors. This will be the 282nd regular season meeting between the two teams with the Lakers leading the all-time series 176-105. The Lakers have not lost a season series to the Warriors since they were defeated the 1994-95 season (2-3). The Lakers are 13-1 in their last 14 overall games against Golden State including 8-0 in their last eight. At STAPLES Center, the Lakers are 15-1 all-time against the Warriors and have won eight straight at home. On the road, the Lakers have gone 7-3 against the Warriors in their last 10 and have won four straight at ORACLE Arena. Under head coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers are 23-5 against the Warriors. In 40 career games including 31 starts against the Warriors, Kobe Bryant is averaging 26.5 points. In his last seven games against the Warriors, Bryant is averaging 36.0 points per game. Lamar Odom posted his first triple-double as a Laker with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists against the Warriors on April 11, 2006. In the Lakers last meeting with Golden State on March 25, the Lakers defeated Golden State 115-113 behind Kobe Bryant’s 43 points and Lamar Odom’s 24 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. Lakers guard Derek Fisher played two seasons for Golden State, where he averaged a career-best 13.3 points during the 2005-06 season. Golden State’s Matt Barnes and Baron Davis along with the Lakers Jordan Farmar and Trevor Ariza all played collegiately at UCLA.
KEY WINNING STATS
DOUBLE-DOUBLE THREAT |
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