Lakers Gameday | 01/21/09 | Lakers 108, Clippers 97
 Los Angeles Lakers
Western Conference Standing : 1 Streak: Won 2 |
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 Los Angeles Clippers
Western Conference Standing : 14 Streak: Lost 2 |
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Bynum scores 42 as Lakers beat Clippers 108-97
LOS ANGELES(AP) Andrew Bynum scored a career-high 42 points, Kobe Bryant had his second triple-double in three games and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Clippers 108-97 Wednesday night. Bynum became the first Lakers player to reach 40 points other than Bryant since Shaquille O'Neal scored 48 against Boston on March 21, 2003. The 21-year-old center shot 17-of-24 from the floor and 8-of-11 from the foul line, and pulled down 15 rebounds as the Lakers raised their record to a Western Conference-best 33-8 record at the halfway point of the season. Bryant, playing in pain two days after dislocating his right ring finger, added 18 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists for his 16th career triple-double. He hadn't had a triple-double since April 1, 2005, before accomplishing the feat last Friday night in a 109-103 loss to Orlando. Lamar Odom had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who have won their last seven games against the Clippers by an average of 24.4 points. Rookie DeAndre Jordan, making his second career start, had career-high totals of 23 points and 12 rebounds for the injury-ravaged Clippers (9-32), who have lost 14 of 15. Al Thornton added 20 points and rookie Eric Gordon had 16 points and six assists. The Clippers played without their four best players - guard Baron Davis (bruised tailbone) and big men Chris Kaman (strained left arch), Zach Randolph (sore left knee) and Marcus Camby (sprained left ankle). That left the seldom-used Jordan, journeyman Brian Skinner and second-year player Thornton as the starters up front, and they were no match for the Lakers' big men - especially Bynum. Bynum passed his previous career high of 28 points with a dunk 2 1/2 minutes into the third quarter, giving the Lakers a 65-56 lead, and added seven points during a 21-11 run to finish the third quarter, putting the Lakers on top 88-73. Odom outscored the Clippers by himself, 10-7, to start the final period, making it 98-80, but the Clippers moved within 12 points on two free throws by Gordon and a pair of dunks by Jordan. The Lakers extended their lead to 16 before the Clippers scored nine straight to make it 102-95 with 2:37 left. But that's as close as they would get. Bynum shot 11-of-14 for 25 points and also had 10 rebounds in the first half, which ended with the Lakers on top by just three points despite shooting 50 percent and committing only five turnovers. Jordan already had a career-high 12 points at that stage for the Clippers, who shot 56.1 percent in the opening 24 minutes. Notes: The Lakers have an 89-25 record against the Clippers since they moved from San Diego to Los Angeles in 1984. ... The Lakers entered with an NBA-leading 107.6-point scoring average, while the Clippers were averaging 93.0 points to rank next-to-last, ahead of only Charlotte (91.2). ... Starting Lakers F Luke Walton returned to action after missing nine games because of an injured right foot and scored 11 points. ... Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he hopes G Jordan Farmar, who missed his 16th game because of an injured left knee, would be able to practice later this week and return to action next Tuesday night against Charlotte or early in a six-game road trip that begins three days later at Minnesota. Copyright 2008 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  LAKERS-CLIPPERS PREVIEWby Mike Trudell, Lakers.com As team injuries go, there is “banged up,” there is “missing a few guys,” and then there’s the Clippers. Literally playing without their four best players for much of the month, the Clippers have lost 13-of-14 games, and will be without Baron Davis, Zach Randolph, Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman on Wednesday. To break down the rest of L.A.’s other team, we spoke to Clippers radio voice Brian Sieman.
Lakers - Clippers Preview
A scary injury to a finger on his shooting hand didn't stop Kobe Bryant from leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a victory over one of the best teams in the NBA. Although the reigning league MVP doesn't expect to miss any time, Los Angeles could probably win without him on Wednesday. The Lakers look to build off their latest victory as they try to continue their dominance over the Los Angeles Clippers, one of the worst clubs in the league. In a matchup of two of the top teams in the NBA, the Western Conference-leading Lakers (32-8) defeated Cleveland 105-88 at home on Monday, thanks to a gutsy performance from Bryant. The 10-time All-Star finished with 20 points, 12 assists and six rebounds in 41 minutes despite dislocating the ring finger on his shooting hand less than two minutes into the game. "I just dove for the ball, and the finger just popped out," said Bryant, who shot 9-of-22 from the floor. "I was scared, I thought I was done. It felt like I had two fingers on one, it was just disgusting. (Trainer) Gary (Vitti) just popped it back into place. Not fun." Bryant spoke to reporters just minutes after X-rays showed no fracture. He said he hadn't sustained this kind of injury before, but didn't believe he would miss any time. While Bryant plans to play Wednesday, the Lakers could probably get by without him. The Lakers have won six straight games over the Clippers (9-31) by an average of 26.6 points since a 118-110 loss on April 12, 2007. The Lakers played the Clippers twice in their first four games, beating them 117-79 on Oct. 29 and 106-88 on Nov. 5 - the closest game between these teams during the Lakers' winning streak. The Lakers have been winning with such ease, Bryant has hardly been needed. He had 27 points against the Clippers in November after scoring no more than 17 in the previous four meetings. The Lakers have limited their crosstown rivals to just 38.7 percent shooting in the two victories this season. The Lakers aren't the only team that has had success stopping the Clippers. After defeating Milwaukee 101-86 on Saturday to snap a season-high 12-game losing streak, the Clippers lost to Minnesota 94-86 on Monday. It was the 11th time in their last 14 games that the Clippers were held to fewer than 100 points. The Clippers are one of the worst offensive teams in the league (93.0 points per game), while the Lakers are first in scoring (107.6). Coach Mike Dunleavy used only eight players on Monday, as Marcus Camby joined a lengthy list of injured Clippers. Camby, the league's second-leading rebounder (13.8), missed his first game of the season because of a sprained left ankle. He joined fellow injured Clippers Zach Randolph, Baron Davis, Chris Kaman, Mike Taylor and Jason Hart. "It's tough because we do not have all of our players on the court," Dunleavy said. "When you do, you know exactly who you are going to. Some of the guys we have out there have not been in that position, but I was pleased with our effort." Copyright 2008 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
NOTES & CONNECTIONS The Lakers lead their season series with the Clippers 2-0 after sweeping last season’s series 4-0 for the first time since the 2002-03 season (4-0). The two teams have met 179 times overall and on 113 occasions since the Clippers moved to Los Angeles with the Lakers leading the all-time series 134- 45 (88-25 vs. LAC). Overall, the Lakers have lost just two series in franchise history (1992-93 & 1974-75) to the Clippers. The Lakers are 8-2 in their last 10 games against the Clippers overall. At home against the Clippers, the Lakers are 15-4 all-time at STAPLES Center and have gone 7-3 in their last 10 home contests. On the road against the Clippers, the Lakers are 7-3 in their last 10 games as a visitor at STAPLES Center. Under head coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers are 27-7 versus the Clippers. In their first meeting of 2008-09, the Lakers defeated the Clippers 117-79 with their 38- point margin of victory marking the Lakers largest margin of victory over the Clippers since they moved from San Diego to Los Angeles prior to the 1984-85 season. The previous mark of 37 was established just last season in a 119-82 victory 3/7/08. In 48 career games versus the Clippers including 40 starts, Kobe Bryant is averaging 24.9 points. Additionally, Bryant has posted two 50- point games against the Clippers, most recently 4/12/07 vs. LAC (other: 50 points 1/7/06 @ LAC). With the departures of Elton Brand and Corey Maggette this offseason, no Clippers remain from Lamar Odom’s time with the team (1999-03). Current Clippers Head Coach and General Manager Mike Dunleavy led the Lakers to a 101-63 record in two seasons with the team (1990-92) including a Western Conference Championship in 1990-91. Lakers forward Vladimir Radmanovic averaged 10.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 29.5 minutes in 30 games (11 starts) with the Clippers in 2005-06. Lakers forward Josh Powell played the 2007-08 season with the Clippers, averaging career-highs in points (5.5), rebounds (5.2) and minutes (19.2) in 64 games (25 starts). Clippers center Cheikh Samb was originally selected by the Lakers in the second round (51st overall) of the 2006 draft before his draft rights were traded to Detroit for guard Maurice Evans.
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