Lakers Gameday | 12/16/09 | Bucks

December 15, 20099:50 PM PST

GAME RECAP
QUOTES
GAME PREVIEW
INJURY REPORT
GAME NOTES

Kobe's jumper at OT buzzer lifts Lakers over Bucks

By COLIN FLY
Posted Dec 16 2009 11:15PM
MILWAUKEE(AP) Kobe Bryant hit a 15-footer as time expired and scored the game's final seven points over the last 1:18 of overtime to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 107-106 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
Bryant, who had 27 of his 39 points in the second half and overtime, missed a shot from nearly the same spot from the left elbow that would've won it at the buzzer to end regulation.
Given a second chance, he backed down Charlie Bell again and drained the jumper to start the celebration.
Pau Gasol had 26 points and a career-high 22 rebounds for the Lakers (20-4), who tied Boston for the best record in the NBA with their 13th win in the last 14 games.
Bryant, who scored 42 points in a win over Chicago on Tuesday night, was again sharp when it counted despite a broken right index finger that's been hampering his ball handling and follow through. He went 13 of 28 from the field and hit all 12 of his free-throw attempts.
Reserve Michael Redd had 25 points and Ersan Ilyasova added a career-high 24, but the Bucks lost their fourth straight in the series with the Lakers and are 3-14 in the last 17 meetings.
This one was painful.
Milwaukee took a 106-100 lead in overtime after Redd hit a 3 and Luke Ridnour added a 15-footer.
Bryant hit a jumper and after Ilyasova missed two free throws, the Lakers star added a three-point play by plowing into Andrew Bogut, who had 16 points and 12 rebounds, to make it 106-105 with 48 seconds left.
Both Ridnour and Redd missed shots for the Bucks, and Ron Artest grabbed a rebound with 5.4 seconds left. After a timeout, Lamar Odom inbounded the ball to Bryant, who hit the game-winner.
Gasol has 78 rebounds in his last four games, including three 20-rebound performances. His 78 boards is the NBA's best mark in a four-game span since Marcus Camby had 79 during a stretch that ended in January last season, according to STATS, LLC.
Milwaukee trailed 74-71 heading into the fourth, but took an 85-80 lead midway through the quarter. The Lakers failed to tie it until Gasol's three-point play and Bryant's turnaround fallaway evened it at 93 with 2:11 left.
The game tightened considerably from there, with both teams missing chances to take the lead until Derek Fisher hit a 17-footer.
Bogut then drew a foul on Gasol and made the basket with 21 seconds left, but missed a free throw that would've given Milwaukee a lead. Bryant was isolated on Bell, but missed a contested 16-footer to send the game into overtime.
NOTES: Artest and Odom got technical fouls in the game, both for arguing calls. ... The Lakers didn't spend much time in Milwaukee. They took a bus to the Bradley Center after spending Tuesday night in Chicago and flew out after the game to New York. Los Angeles plays the Nets on Saturday. ... Artest said after shootaround that Tiger Woods ``still is'' a role model for him and his children. Artest wrote a post on his blog that was an open letter to the superstar golfer to encourage him.

Head Coach Phil Jackson

(On tonight’s game…)

“I’m really disappointed in the end of regulation. I didn’t think we finished up good fouling at the end and not getting a good shot. I felt (I should have) called (a timeout) after that missed free throw by Andrew Bogut. We got our opportunity back in overtime, it was a miraculous win, it really was.”

(On the Bucks…)

“They’re a tenacious defensive team. They’re not going to give you anything, they’ll make you have to beat them. We turned the ball over, those are things we did that just cost us a number of shots in the first half. So even though (the Bucks) were shooting a worse percentage, they had so many more field goal attempts than we did that made up for it.”

(On Kobe Bryant…)

“I told him, ‘Why did you keep us waiting? You had the same situation in regulation.’” Really, he wasted a whole half hour of our lives, I just don’t understand that boy sometimes.”

Guard Derek Fisher

(On Kobe Bryant’s winning shot…)

“He’s done it for a very long time and he’s done it a couple of times this year already. As a team, we don’t like to be in those situations because for the most part we feel that we hadn’t played the type of game that we can play. Anytime you can get a win in this league you have to take it, so we’re not going to not celebrate.”

Forward Ron Artest

(On Kobe Bryant…)

“I’m glad he was wide open but I didn’t know if we had any more timeouts. When I see Kobe is open, he’s getting the ball. It was a great shot, a great shot, but a bad game. Not because we almost lost but because of the way we played.”

(On tonight’s game…)

“We understand that we did not play well today. We haven’t played well a lot this year. We’ve played well maybe eight games. We got outhustled, I thought we tried to play smart at times but we got outhustled a couple times and really we shouldn’t get outhustled.”

Lakers vs. Bucks Game Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Dec 16 2009 12:21AM
A broken finger doesn't seem to be much of a hindrance for Kobe Bryant. Facing the Milwaukee Bucks hasn't really been a challenge for the Los Angeles Lakers star, either.
Coming off a season-high scoring effort, Bryant looks to continue his success against the Bucks on Wednesday night when the Western Conference-leading Lakers visit the Bradley Center.
Playing with a splint on the broken right index finger he suffered Friday against Minnesota, Bryant scored a season-high 42 points in Los Angeles' 96-87 win at Chicago on Tuesday. The victory was the 12th in 13 games for the Lakers (19-4), who bounced back after opening their five-game road swing with a 102-94 loss at Utah on Saturday.
"If I ask him how his finger is doing he is going to strangle me,'' Lakers forward Ron Artest said after Bryant recorded at least 40 points for the fifth time this season. "When he is hurt you are not allowed to ask him how he is doing or you're not allowed to ask are you OK. He gets very mad. He's a solider.''
Plagued by both the injured finger and a stomach ailment, Bryant was held to a season-low 16 points while shooting 7 of 24 shooting against the Jazz. It didn't take long for him to regroup, going 15 of 26 from the field against the Bulls and scoring 20 points in the first quarter as the Lakers improved to 4-2 on the road.
"This is the most challenging one,'' Bryant said of his current injury. "I've played with sore ankles, broken knuckles and things like that. It's tough, it affects my follow through.''
Bryant is averaging 28.4 points on the season and 29.7 in his last nine games against the Bucks. He had 30 and eight rebounds in the Lakers' 104-98 road win April 1 - the teams' most recent meeting and the Lakers' third straight win in the series.
Milwaukee, though, had won the previous two times it hosted Los Angeles at the Bradley Center.
While Bryant's star status is well established, the Bucks (11-11) have their own budding star thriving despite injury in rookie point guard Brandon Jennings.
Wearing a brace after hyperextending his knee, the 10th overall pick in the June draft had 18 points and 11 assists in Milwaukee's 108-101 double-overtime win over Portland on Saturday.
"It was important for us to get back to .500, so it was a big win for us," Jennings told the Bucks' official Web site.
The team leader in points (21.1 ppg) and assists (6.0), Jennings is a big reason Milwaukee is holding its own despite injuries to some key players.
Andrew Bogut had a season-high 27 points and Luke Ridnour added 20 off the bench as the Bucks won their second straight game to improve to 9-3 at the Bradley Center. The 7-foot Bogut is averaging 21.3 points and 10.3 boards in his last three games.
Milwaukee star Michael Redd had 11 points in 29 minutes Saturday - his first game after missing seven straight with a knee injury. Redd, who's played in just six games this season, is averaging 17.3 points versus Los Angeles in his career.

SEASON & SERIES NOTES; CONNECTIONS
The Lakers swept last season’s series with Milwaukee 2-0, after splitting the 2007-08 season series with the Bucks 1-1. From the 2001-02 season through the 2005-06 season, the Lakers won 10 straight games against the Bucks before falling to Milwaukee 105-109 11/28/06 at STAPLES Center. This will be the 118th meeting between the two teams with the Lakers holding a 74-43 all-time series advantage. In their last 10 games against Milwaukee, the Lakers are 7-3 against the Bucks and have won 22 of the last 27 overall. In Milwaukee, the Lakers are 7-3 in their last ten games, snapping a two-game losing streak in Milwaukee last season. The Lakers are 8-2 all-time against the Bucks at STAPLES Center and are 8-2 in their last 10 home games (15-2 in their last 17 home games vs. Milwaukee). Under head coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers are 13-5 against the Bucks. In 23 games including 20 starts against Milwaukee, Kobe Bryant is averaging 23.7 points against the Bucks. Lakers special assistant coach Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played six seasons with Milwaukee before being traded to the Lakers in 1975 and currently holds the Bucks series scoring record (50 points, 3/17/73 vs. Milwaukee) against the Lakers. Additionally, on November 21, Abdul-Jabbar took part in a halftime ceremony during the Lakers/Bucks game in which his retired number 33 banner was rededicated in celebration of Milwaukee’s 40th anniversary season. Abdul-Jabbar owns Bucks franchise records for points (14,211), rebounds (7.161) and scoring average (30.4) among others. Prior to joining the Chicago Bulls and then the Lakers, assistant coach Frank Hamblen spent nine seasons with the Bucks as both Del Harris and Mike Dunleavy’s top assistant while serving as the interim head coach for Milwaukee during the 1991-92 season. Bucks forward Luc Mbah a Moute played alongside Lakers guard Jordan Farmar with the UCLA Bruins during the 2005-06 season.
LAKERS RECENT 11-GAME WIN STREAK TIES FOR NINTH LONGEST IN TEAM HISTORY
The Lakers saw their recent 11-game win streak come to and end in a 102-94 loss in Utah on 12/12. With their victory over the Timberwolves December 11th, the Lakers won for the 11th straight time, further surpassing their longest win streak from a season ago when the Lakers strung together 7-straight victories on three occasions, most recently from 1/30/09 – 2/10/09. The Lakers victory over the Jazz December 9th marked the 24th time in franchise history that the team has put together a 10+ game win streak (20 in Los Angeles, 4 in Minneapolis). The Lakers last 11-game win streak came during the 2003-04 season from March 13 – April 2, 2004. The Lakers have not won 12 straight games since a streak of 19 consecutive victories from February 4 – March 13, 2000, part of a 19-game streak that ranks as the 2nd longest in team history.ARTEST REACHES 10,000 CAREER POINTS AND 2,000 CAREER ASSISTS
With 16 points and one assist December 12 at Utah, Ron Artest scored his 10,000th career point and dished his 2,000th career assist. Currently in his 11th NBA season, Artest has averaged 16.0 points (10,005) and 3.2 assists (2,000) over 626 career games. Furthermore, the Lakers now have four players with over 10,000 career points (Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest). The only other teams in the league with four or more players with 10,000 career points are San Antonio with five players (Tim Duncan, Michael Finley, Antonio McDyess, Tony Parker, Richard Jefferson), Dallas with four players (Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Jason Terry) and Boston with four players (Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rasheed Wallace).GASOL RECORDS BACK-TO-BACK 20 REBOUND NIGHTS
With 20 rebounds 12/12/09 at Utah and 20 rebounds 12/11/09 vs. Minnesota, Pau Gasol became the first Laker to record 20 rebounds in consecutive games since Lamar Odom posted 22 rebounds 3/23/08 vs. Golden State and 21 rebounds 3/24/08 at Golden State. The only other Laker to record back-to-back 20-plus rebounds in the past thirty years is Vlade Divac, who did so 2/24/95 vs. Charlotte (24 rebounds) and 2/25/95 vs. Los Angeles Clippers (20 rebounds). Prior to that, the most recent Lakers player to post consecutive 20 rebound games was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (20 rebounds 1/24/78 vs. Philadelphia, 21 rebounds 1/27/78 vs. Milwaukee).LAKERS PLAY STINGIEST DEFENSIVE 4TH QUARTER IN FRANCHISE HISTORY (SHOT CLOCK ERA)
Leading by two entering the 4th quarter of their December 9th contest with Utah, the Lakers played the best defensive 4th quarter in franchise history (shot clock era), holding the Jazz to the third fewest 4th quarter points (6) in the NBA’s shot clock era. During the period, the Lakers forced nine turnovers, including three shot clock violations in a three minute span, while limiting the Jazz to just 2-of-18 shooting from the field. Only the Warriors (2 points, 2/8/04) and the Trail Blazers (5 points, 3/15/06) have scored fewer points in a 4th quarter than what the Lakers limited the Jazz to (7th time a team has scored six 4th quarter points). Overall, the Jazz’s six fourth quarter points were the fewest points in any quarter the Lakers have surrendered since holding the Los Angeles Clippers to three points in the second quarter of 95-68 victory 12/14/99. The franchise record for fewest points allowed in any quarter is two, established in the third quarter of the Lakers 87-80 victory vs. Dallas 4/6/97.
JUST ADD GASOL
Since Pau Gasol made his season debut 11/19 vs. Chicago, the Lakers are 10-1, after winning their first 10 games with Gasol in the lineup, while defeating teams by an average of 13.9 points per game (153). Additionally, with Gasol’s return, all five starters have scored in double-figures four times whereas in the previous 11 games without him in the lineup, not once did that occur. In games played without Gasol since he joined the Lakers, Los Angeles is 15-7 overall (6-4 in 2007-08, 1-0 in 2008-09 and 8-3 in 2009-10). With Gasol in the lineup, the Lakers are 96-23 (.807) in the regular season since he joined the team in February of 2008 (22-5 in 2007-08, 64-17 in 2008-09 and 10-1 in 2009-10) and 30-14 (.682) in the playoffs.BACK-TO-BACK
Tuesday’s game against the Bulls will be the first of a back-to-back set with Chicago and Milwaukee. This season, the Lakers are 4-0 in the first game and 2-2 in the second game of back-to-backs. On the year, the Lakers will play 20 sets of back-to-back games, the most the team has played in a single season since playing 22 sets of back-to-backs during the 1999-00 campaign. Last year, the Lakers played 19 sets of back-to-backs, going 14-5 in the first game and 14-5 in the second as well. Charlotte, Detroit and Milwaukee lead the league with 23 back-to-backs each in 2009-10 while New Orleans (15) and San Antonio (17) will play the fewest sets this season.