Gasol scores 24 of his 34 points in first half as Lakers rebound from 1st loss

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Losing a game didn't sit well with the Los Angeles Lakers. They took out their anger on the Chicago Bulls.

Pau Gasol scored 24 of his season-high 34 points in the first half, and the Lakers rebounded from their first setback of the season with a 116-109 victory over the Bulls on Tuesday night. His previous season high was 22 points.

Kobe Bryant added 21 points, five rebounds and six assists and Andrew Bynum had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers (8-1), who had three full days to contemplate a 106-95 loss to the Detroit Pistons.

Jordan Farmar scored 12 points and Lamar Odom had 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists before fouling out with 8:30 remaining.

Derrick Rose led Chicago (5-6) with 25 points and nine assists. Ben Gordon added 23 points and Aaron Gray had 11 for the Bulls, who are winless in four road games.

With Bryant on the bench, Chicago rallied from an 18-point deficit early in the fourth quarter to draw within 10 on a twisting layup by Rose with 4:08 remaining. But that's as close as the Bulls would get until the outcome had been decided.

Bryant made his first appearance of the final period with 3:50 remaining and made a 3-pointer on the Lakers' first possession, helping to keep them safely in front.

Bryant scored seven points during a 12-2 run to start the second half, giving the Lakers a 73-58 lead. Chicago drew within eight points before Bynum scored six in a row and Bryant added a 3-pointer, making it 82-65. It was 90-74 entering the final period.

Bryant was held scoreless until hitting a jumper with 8:18 left in the second quarter, triggering a 21-4 run that gave the Lakers a 57-40 lead, and they were on top the rest of the way. Bryant scored eight points and Gasol six during the spurt.

The Bulls responded by outscoring the Lakers 16-4 during the remainder of the second quarter, making it 61-56 at halftime.

Gasol shot 7-of-9 while scoring 18 points in the first quarter, which ended with Los Angeles on top 30-29.

To preview Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls, Lakers Reporter Mike Trudell called up his college buddy Ben Shields, who spent eight years watching the Bulls while getting his doctorate in media technology and society from Northwestern University. The co-author of a sports marketing book called “The Elusive Fan - Reinventing Sports in a Crowded Marketplace,” Shields also happens to have a silky smooth jump shot.

The first part of the conversation focused on Chicago’s coaching change, the 5-5 Derrick Rose-inspired start to the season, the worth of Ben Gordon and Luol Deng and more. After talking hoops, Shields gave his take on Chicago’s hiring of veteran sports writer Sam Smith, who now writes exclusively for Bulls.com, marking a significant change in the industry.

Lakers-Bulls Preview

Ten games into his NBA career, Derrick Rose knows he has a long way to go before he can be compared to Michael Jordan.

But the way the rookie has performed so far, it's hard not to draw the comparisons to Jordan's arrival in Chicago for the 1984-85 season.

On Tuesday night, Rose and the Chicago Bulls open a seven-game road trip as they face the Los Angeles Lakers and the player most often compared to Jordan -- Kobe Bryant.

In Saturday's 104-91 win over Indiana, Rose led Chicago with 23 points as he became the first Bulls rookie since Jordan to score in double figures in his first 10 games.

"I didn't even know that to tell you the truth," said Rose, who has four 20-plus-point games. "I'm not even near him right now. Hopefully I will be, but I'm too far way. For me to do that is nice. I'm worried about winning right now."

Chicago (5-5) won its second straight as Rose hit 3-of-5 shots from 3-point range. He had made only 2-of-9 from beyond the arc in his first nine games.

"They are giving it to me. I'd be a fool not to shoot it," said Rose, who added eight assists, four rebounds and three steals.

If Rose can keep up his current pace of 18.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game, he would become the first rookie to average at least 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists since LeBron James posted 20.9, 5.5 and 5.9, respectively, in 2003-04.

With Kirk Hinrich out possibly three months with a thumb injury, Ben Gordon is averaging 25.5 points in his last four games -- all starts. Gordon, though, has scored 12.5 points per game on 37.3 percent shooting (19-for-51) in four lifetime road games against the Lakers.

Andres Nocioni had his first double-double of the season on Saturday with 20 points and 11 rebounds. He hit six 3-pointers and posted his first career 30-point game in an 82-72 loss at the Lakers on Nov. 19, 2006.

While Chicago looks for a win to open its western swing, Los Angeles (7-1) will try to rebound from its first loss of the season.

After holding opponents to a league-low 86.7 points per game and 40.2 percent shooting through seven games, Los Angeles (7-1) fell to Detroit 106-95 on Friday when the Pistons shot 50.7 percent and made 7-of-16 from 3-point range.

"They're one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, obviously," said Bryant, who scored 29 points but missed 18 of 30 shots. "And they caught us on a night when they were hot as a pistol and we were pretty cold."

Despite having Bryant held to 36 points in his last two home games against Chicago, Los Angeles has won both games by limiting the Bulls to an average of 75.0 points and 34.3 percent shooting. Bryant did have a 43-point game on Nov. 20, 2005, but the Bulls won 96-93 -- their last win at Los Angeles.

Pau Gasol, whom the Bulls nearly acquired before last season's trade deadline, has three consecutive double-doubles against Chicago, averaging 16.3 points and 11.3 rebounds.

After leading Chicago to six NBA championships in nine seasons from 1989-98, Lakers coach Phil Jackson is 9-5 against his former team, including 5-2 in Los Angeles.

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The Lakers swept last season’s series with the Bulls 2-0 after splitting the season series with Chicago in each of the three previous seasons. This will be the 134th meeting between the two teams with the Lakers leading the all-time series 79-54. The Lakers have gone 7-3 against the Bulls in their last 10 overall games. At STAPLES Center, the Lakers are 7-2 all-time against the Bulls and have won 5-of-their-last-6. In Chicago, the Lakers have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games at the United Center against the Bulls. Under head coach Phil Jackson, who coached in Chicago for nine seasons, the Lakers are 11-5 all-time against his former team, 6-2 in Los Angeles, 5-3 in Chicago. Lakers assistant coach Frank Hamblen spent three years as an assistant in Chicago and was a member of the 1997 and 1998 Bulls Championship teams. Assistant coach Jim Cleamons spent seven seasons as an assistant in Chicago and was a member of the 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1996 Bulls Championship teams. Lakers Basketball Consultant Tex Winter spent 14 seasons on the Bulls assistant coaching staff, eight under Phil Jackson. Lakers Special Assistant Coach Craig Hodges played four seasons with the Bulls and was a member of their 1991 and 1992 Championship teams. Center Chris Mihm was originally drafted by the Bulls with the 7th overall pick in the first round of the 2000 NBA Draft. In their November 18 contest against Chicago last season, the Lakers defeated the Bulls by 28 points, surpassing the old mark of 27 established back on February 18, 1968. In 20 career games (16 starts) against Chicago, Kobe Bryant is averaging 24.3 points with a high game of 43 coming back on 11/20/05.

BYNUM NEARS 1,000 CAREER REBOUNDS
Currently nine rebounds shy of 1,000 for his career, should Andrew Bynum reach 1,000 rebounds in any of the Lakers games this week, he would become the 8th youngest player in NBA history to reach the 1,000 rebound mark. If Bynum reaches 1,000 rebounds 11/18 vs. Chicago, he would do so at 21 years and 22 days of age. Below is a list compiled by the Elias Sports Bureau of the only players to reach 1,000 career rebounds at a younger age than Bynum: Years Days Years Days 19 356 1007 Howard, Dwight 11/29/2005 20 335 1006 Bosh, Chris 02/22/2005 20 110 1006 James, LeBron 04/19/2005 20 335 1009 Smith, Josh 11/05/2006 20 308 1004 Garnett, Kevin 03/23/1997 20 339 1010 Biedrins, Andris 03/07/2007 20 320 1002 McGrady, Tracy 04/08/2000

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END
With their 95-106 loss to Detroit November 14, the Lakers suffered their first defeat of the 2008-09 season. The loss snapped a seven-game win streak that was the team’s longest to start a season since opening the 2001-02 season 7-0. Only twice in franchise history had the Lakers started the season with a better mark, going a franchisebest 11-0 to open the 1997-98 campaign and 8-0 to start the 1987-88 season. This was the second time under head coach Phil Jackson that the Lakers have opened the season 7-0 (2008-09, 2001-02). Only once has a Jackson-led team opened the season with a better record, with the 1996-97 Bulls going 12-0 to begin the season.

BRYANT MOVES PAST LARRY BIRD AND GARY PAYTON INTO 22nd ON NBA’S ALL-TIME SCORING LIST
With 29 points November 14 against Detroit, Kobe Bryant moved past both Larry Bird and Gary Payton on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Bryant (21,817) now trails Clyde Drexler (22,195) for 21st on the all-time list. Bryant, now in his 13th NBA season, passed Bird in his 874th career game. Bird reached 21,791 points in 897 career games over 13 seasons while Payton reached 21,813 points in 1,335 games over 17 NBA seasons. Last season, Bryant became the 25th player in NBA history to score 21,000 points and in doing so, became the second youngest player ever to 21,000 points (29 years, 194 days) and second ever under the age of 30 behind Wilt Chamberlain (29 years, 184 days). Michael Jordan was the third youngest to 21,000 (30 years, 40 days). Earlier in the season, Bryant, at 29 years, 122 days, became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 20,000 career points and the third player ever to reach 20,000 points under the age of 30, ranking ahead of Wilt Chamberlain (29 years, 134 days) and Michael Jordan (29 years, 326 days). The youngest player in league history to accumulate 12,000 – 20,000 career points, Bryant became the 12th fastest to 21,000 points in terms of games, reaching the mark in 845 career games, moving him ahead of Larry Bird who reached 21,000 points in 857 career games. Through his career, Bryant was the 29th fastest to