Lakers Gameday | 02/05/09 | Lakers 110, Celtics 109
 Los Angeles Lakers
Western Conference Standing : 1 Streak: Won 5 |
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 Boston Celtics
Eastern Conference Standing : 2 Streak: Lost 1 |
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Lakers snap another Boston streak, win 110-109
BOSTON(AP) Lamar Odom made a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left in overtime to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 110-109 victory over Boston on Thursday night and snap the Celtics' 12-game winning streak. Kobe Bryant scored 26 points with 10 rebounds and Paul Gasol had 24 and 14 for the Lakers, who also snapped Boston's 19-game winning streak on Christmas Day and sent the Celtics into a 2-7 skid that is the worst stretch of the New Big Three era. Paul Pierce scored 21, and newly minted All-Star Ray Allen had 22, but he missed a desperation, off-balance shot at the buzzer while Boston fans clamored for a foul call. Rajon Rondo scored 16 with 12 assists, and Kevin Garnett scored 16 before fouling out with 4:22 left in the fourth quarter. It was a physical meeting that featured a pair of double-technicals and enough shoving to pass for a playoff game, but both teams were tired when it ended. Bryant, who scored 61 and 36 in his previous two games, hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, the last with 1:30 left in regulation and Pierce in his face to make it 101-100 - the Lakers' first lead of the half. But after Pierce made one of two free throws with 30 seconds left, Bryant tried to shoot over Pierce again and banged it off the rim. After a timeout with 7.7 seconds left, Pierce dribbled the clock down before Bryant poked the ball away. Eddie House got it and put up a sideways, one-handed 3-point attempt at the buzzer that wasn't close. Bryant missed his last five shots of the game. Gasol made one of two free throws to give the Lakers a 108-107 lead with 1:11 left, then Glen "Big Baby'' Davis made a jumper - his only basket of the game after six misses. Kobe missed over Pierce, then Davis missed again and fouled Odom, who sank them both. The Celtics got the ball to Pierce, but his shot was off. Rondo got the rebound and drew a foul, but it wasn't a shooting foul. The inbounds pass made it to Allen, but he was out of position and never got a good look. Notes: Celtics coach Doc Rivers said center Brian Scalabrine (concussions) is out until at least the All-Star break. If Scalabrine has a recurrence of his symptoms, he could be out much longer. ... The Celtics assigned rookie guard J.R. Giddens to the Utah Flash of the developmental league. ... New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick sat courtside. Running back Kevin Faulk sat two rows behind him. 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-CELTICS PREVIEWby Mike Trudell, Lakers.com Lakers play by play voices Joel Meyers and Spero Dedes spent quite a bit of time in Boston last June, and got a particularly strong dose of Celtics – Lakers vitriol from their courtside perches in respective broadcast booths. Accordingly, we sat down with both to talk about what it’s like playing the Celtics in their house, what we can expect from Kobe, Pau (and Josh Powell) and how I can avoid letting Boston fans know I’m employed by the Lakers (safety concerns).
Lakers - Celtics Preview
BOSTON (AP) - Phil Jackson doesn't need any reminders of the last time the Los Angeles Lakers visited Boston, when they fell under a shower of 3-pointers and left under a shower of confetti as the Celtics clinched an NBA-record 17th championship. "We had our most disappointing moments on that Boston Celtic court in Game 6,'' the Lakers coach said before Wednesday 115-107 victory over the Toronto Raptors in which Kobe Bryant scored 36 points and Pau Gasol added 31. "To be not only beaten, but humiliated, in a game like that to end the series, and have them celebrating and throwing (stuff) all over the court, disrupting the game with 2 1/2 minutes left to go. It was in your face and everybody remembers that. There's a certain element of, you know, we have some serious work to do.'' The Lakers got their first chance at redemption on Christmas Day, when they won in Los Angeles 92-83 to snap Boston's string of 19 consecutive victories. The loss didn't just snap Boston's franchise-record winning streak, it sent them into a 2-7 tailspin that was the worst stretch of the New Big Three era. But the Celtics are on another hot streak, winning their last 12 to improve to 41-9 - best in the NBA - heading into Thursday night's game against L.A. "It'll be one for the ages,'' Celtics guard Ray Allen said after hitting the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night. "People will be excited. It's a big game. It's definitely a playoff atmosphere. We lost to them to the first time so we'll be looking forward to it.'' Longtime foes who seemed to play each other for the title every year in the 1980s, the Celtics and Lakers renewed the rivalry last June in a championship series that Boston won in six games. The Celtics dominated the finale inside and outside, shooting .500 from 3-point range and outrebounding the Lakers 48-29 in a 131-92 laugher that launched the celebration long before the final buzzer. "Last time we played there it was a pretty bad game for us,'' Gasol said. "I'm looking forward to bounce back there and prove a point.'' The Lakers are 3-0 so far on a road trip that has them playing six games in 10 days. On Monday night, Bryant erupted for a Madison Square Garden record 61 points; the Lakers played Toronto on Wednesday night before traveling to Boston. "It's going to be a good test for us, as it always is. When you play the champs it's always a measuring stick to see where you're at,'' Bryant said. "It's a long season, so you're going to have peaks and valleys, no matter how great a team you are. It's just the nature of the beast. They're back to playing the way they know how to.'' The Celtics took the day off Wednesday, although a few players worked out at the Waltham practice facility. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he would give Kevin Garnett a chance to run around "just to get his wind back'' after the All-Star forward missed two games with the flu. Garnett is expected to be in the lineup Thursday night. The Lakers have their own problems. Center Andrew Bynum will miss eight to 12 weeks after tearing the medial collateral ligament in his right knee. Bynum was also supposed to miss 8-12 weeks last year with a knee injury, but he missed the last half of the regular season and was recovering from arthroscopic surgery when the Celtics claimed the title. "Although having him makes us a better team, we're still good enough to get the job done,'' Bryant said. "We were in the finals last year (without Bynum) and we just fell a couple of games short of our end goal. He'll be back and we'll be fine.'' AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston in Philadelphia and freelancer Ian Harrison in Toronto contributed to this story. 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 defeated the Celtics on Christmas day to take a 1-0 season series lead after being swept by Boston last season 0-2. With the victory, Phil Jackson recorded his 1,000th career victory as an NBA head coach. Under Jackson, the Lakers have swept Boston on four occasions while twice being swept by the Celtics. The two teams have met 178 times since the Lakers moved to Los Angeles prior to the 1960- 61 season with Los Angeles trailing the series 81-97. Including their time in Minneapolis, the Lakers and Celtics have met 269 times in all with Boston leading the all-time series 152-117. The Lakers are 6-4 against the Celtics in their last 10 overall regular season meetings. In Boston, the Lakers are 6-4 in their last 10 regular season games at TD Banknorth Garden while in Los Angeles, the Lakers are 7-3 all-time against the Celtics at STAPLES Center (regular season). Under head coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers are 11-6 against Boston during the regular season. In 20 career regular season games against Boston including 17 starts, Kobe Bryant is averaging 25.1 points. Pau Gasol is the next highest scoring Laker career-wise versus Boston, averaging 17.7 points in 12 career games against the Celtics. Celtics forward Paul Pierce grew up in Southern California, attending Inglewood High. Lakers center Chris Mihm was acquired by the Celtics 12/15/03 and played 54 regular season games with Boston, averaging 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds before being acquired by the Lakers in August 2004. Phil Jackson and legendary Celtics head coach Red Auerbach each have nine NBA championships apiece as head coaches, an NBA record, while Jackson surpassed Auerbach last season in all-time victories and this season in games coached. Losing to the Celtics in six games during the 2008 NBA Finals, the Lakers and Celtics have now met in 11 NBA Finals dating back to Minneapolis in 1959, with Boston taking the first eight before Los Angeles won in 1985 and 1987.
LAKERS SCOUTING REPORT
We have done the job we had to on the first part of this road trip. We beat the teams we were supposed to beat and set ourselves up for another battle with “Gang Green”, the Boston Celtics. Doc Rivers has added a couple of offensive sets and put some wrinkles on old ones but for the most part the Celtics are the team we have become familiar with.
LAKERS UPDATES
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