Lakers Gameday | 02/16/10 | Warriors

Lakers win 4th straight without Kobe

Posted Feb 17 2010 1:28AM
LOS ANGELES(AP) Shannon Brown set career highs with 27 points and 10 rebounds while starting in place of the injured Kobe Bryant, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 104-94 on Tuesday night.
Andrew Bynum added 21 points and seven rebounds in his return to the lineup after missing two games because of a bruised right hip that still gives him discomfort. He was 8 for 11 from the field in 30 minutes.
Brown made his third start and had his first career double-double, scoring eight points in the final 1:13 while Bryant sat out his fourth straight game because of a sprained left ankle.
The defending NBA champions have won all four games they've played without Bryant, who also was unable to play in the All-Star game.
Four different players have led the Lakers in scoring during his absence, including Ron Artest, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, who had 18 rebounds and eight points against the Warriors.
Anthony Morrow scored 23 points and C.J. Watson added 20 off the bench for the Warriors, who lost to the Lakers for the eighth straight time and have dropped 29 of their last 32 road games against Los Angeles.
Stephen Curry had 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Warriors, who are 2-20 against the Lakers at Staples Center since the arena opened in 1999.
The injury-ravaged Warriors used their 30th different starting lineup while losing for the 10th time in 11 games. Corey Maggette had 17 points after missing two games with a dislocated ring finger on his non-shooting hand, but leading scorer Monta Ellis missed his second straight due to a sprained left knee and was in Birmingham, Ala., to get it examined by Dr. James Andrews.
The Warriors, who came in averaging a league-best 23.2 fastbreak points, didn't crack that column until Watson made a driving layup with 9:46 left in the second quarter to trim the Lakers lead to 38-26. Former Laker Ronny Turiaf's dunk capped a 25-9 run that turned Golden State's 14-point deficit into a 49-47 lead with 1:55 left in the half.
Bryant did not miss a game in either of the previous two seasons. The next game he plays will be his 1,000th during the regular season, and will make him the youngest player in NBA history to reach that milestone.
NOTES: The Lakers are 57-33 all-time when Bryant has been out of the lineup. ... A moment of silence was observed in memory of former Lakers coach and general manager Fred Schaus, who died last Wednesday at age 84. ... Frank ``Pep'' Saul, who played on three Lakers championship teams in Minneapolis during the 1950s, turned 86 years old on Tuesday. He's the second-oldest living Lakers player behind Gene Stump - who was born 95 days before Saul. ... Brown made a pair of jumpers less than a minute apart that originally were ruled 3-pointers. But both were changed to 2-pointers after the referees reviewed the tape during a timeout with 4 1-2 minutes left in the first quarter.

Copyright 2010 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’ Coach Phil Jackson on tonight’s game:
“It’s one of those games but we managed to play the best with the two teams in the last three and half minutes or so. Shannon had a real fine game and it was a real benefit to us.”

On whether the Lakers’ play was affected by the All Star Game break:
“Yea I think so, it’s that. You know you gotta give the opponents some credit. They forced a lot of turnovers tonight and brought that game back from a dynamic first quarter and also, second quarter, and then we were ok. I think we won the last two quarters.”

On why he chose to start Shannon Brown in tonight’s game:
“I just thought we needed the speed, the quickness and speed. Shannon gives us that and a little extra hustle all the time which helps our defense out and helps our total game.”

On difference down the stretch:
“The teams that win know how to defend at the end and know how to execute at the offensive end at the end of games. So they threw the ball away and couple times and we were successful. Maybe that’s one of the reasons we’ve been successful, because of that.”

On whether Kobe Bryant will be ready to play this upcoming Thursday against Boston:
“I’m sure he wants to be. I’m sure he’s making every attempt to be. He’s doing therapy. He’s almost doing therapy too much in the process of trying to get this thing better. I think he’ll give it a try and we’ll see how it is on Thursday.”

Lakers’ Forward Pau Gasol on the Golden State Warriors:
“Ronny is a good player and he always tries to play you tough. They are undersized but they still try to play hard, try to overcome that lack of size.”

On coming back from the All Star Break:
“First game after the break, it’s going to be a little sluggish, no rhythm.”

Lakers’ Forward Lamar Odom on his rebounding tonight:
“No I had to focus on the rebounds since I couldn’t make my free-throws.  I was 2-6 and getting a little frustrated so I had to do something to help the team.”

On Shannon Brown’s performance tonight:
“He is being aggressive and firing his shots.  He is doing a heck of a job filling in for Kobe.”

On Kobe Bryant:
“We want him to be healthy.  That’s the most important thing.  This is a long season so it makes no sense to rush him and let him get hurt again.  We will buy some time and get victories but we want him to be healthy.”

On playing the Boston Celtics:
“We understand the tradition and that it’s a big game and everyone is looking forward to it.  It will be really intense and it is always a game that we look forward to.”

Lakers’ Center Andrew Bynum on tonight’s game:
“I think we all did well together out there as a team.  This game was just another building block to continue our winning streak.”

On Shannon Brown’s performance tonight:
“He played a phenomenal game.  I knew he has the talent and is super athletic.  He just had to wait for a good opportunity.  The talent is there and he just went out and played a really great game.”

Lakers’ Guard Shannon Brown on tonight’s game:
“I did not know Kobe was out or that I was going to start until we had our pregame talk.  So I just had to come out and be aggressive.  We know that coming back off of All-Star break it is usually one of those times when everything is not clicking right the way it was leading into the All-Star break.  So we just had to come out and show skills on both ends of the court and we got a victory.”

On the Golden State Warriors:
“They are a type of team that likes to get up and down and I like to play like that.  So I get the ball in the open court and I see what is going on and I do what I have to do from there.  This team was a great team.”

Warriors’ Coach Don Nelson on tonight’s game:
“Well, I thought we had some opportunities. When we needed to make, you know, probably every shot, we didn’t make any shots. Even to keep it close, you know, we actually had open shots, we just didn’t make them… And we got outrebounded too badly really to even have a chance, which we did. So I can’t complain really.”

On Shannon Brown having a career night starting in place of
Kobe Bryant:
“Yea, he could do that. He’s a pretty good player.”

On Stephen Curry’s performance tonight:
“[Stephen Curry] had a nightmare game; he hasn’t had one like that for awhile. I think Fisher got in his head a little bit. He’ll do that to young players.

Warriors’ Corey Maggette on tonight’s game:
“They came with some big plays and put us in a situation where we were down.  We had to concentrate on doing some big plays and we didn’t do that. Morrow and C.J. kept us in the game, making some big plays here and there but Shannon had some big plays towards the end and Lamar had a great rebounding game. I think he had 18 and that’s a big plus.”

Warriors’ Anthony Morrow on tonight’s game:
“It was a close game. We had an opportunity down the stretch but we couldn’t make enough shots down the stretch. It was alright though. I mean, we played hard and I’m real proud of my teammates.”

On Shannon Brown:
“He’s a good player. He’s getting his opportunity now with Kobe down. He made some shots and got rolling early. He played a good game.”

Warriors’ C.J. Watson on the Lakers back-court without Kobe Bryant tonight:
“They played well. They stepped up and made some big shots. Shannon Brown, Farmar, pretty much effort by all 4 of the guards.”

Warriors’ Stephen Curry on his offensive performance tonight:
“I’m just playing the game and taking the shots I think I should take, regardless if they’re going in or not. You got to keep taking them to put you in the best position to win. Couple of those go down and it’s a different ball game. Next game, have the same mentality and hopefully they’ll fall. Tonight I was just struggling to get my legs back from the break and couldn’t find it.”

On tonight’s game:
“We were down three with about 2 minutes left and had 3 consecutive three-point attempts to tie the game and make it . Easily 2 or 3 or all of those could have fallen and opened the game up for us. I’m proud of the way we played and competed. Have to come back tomorrow and try to play the same way.”

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Lakers vs. Warriors Game Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Feb 15 2010 1:30PM
With the All-Star break behind them, the Los Angeles Lakers are unquestionably focused on one thing - defending their championship. When Kobe Bryant will return to help that pursuit remains a question.
Regardless of whether Bryant comes back Tuesday night, the Western Conference-leading Lakers seem to have a very good chance to begin the second half of the season on a positive note as they host the Golden State Warriors.
Los Angeles (41-13) entered the All-Star break following a 96-81 victory at Utah on Wednesday. Lamar Odom had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Pau Gasol added 22 points and 19 boards as the Lakers won their third straight game without Bryant, sidelined by a sprained left ankle.
"This is a good team no matter who's in or who's out of the lineup," said Odom, averaging 17.0 points and 14.3 rebounds during Bryant's absence. "We've got a lot of guys that can play."
Bryant could miss a fourth consecutive game Wednesday. He played in all 82 regular-season games the last two seasons.
"People make too much of this warrior thing, it's kind of silly," Bryant said during Friday's All-Star media day in Dallas. "If it's an injury that can get better while I continue to play, then I'll continue to play. If it won't, than I can't. It's simple as that."
Los Angeles, which has won 28 of 31 at home against Golden State since 1993-94, could also be without center Andrew Bynum, who has missed the last two games with a bruised right hip.
Gasol, the Lakers' only All-Star game participant after Bryant pulled out of Sunday's contest with his injury, is averaging 25.4 points and 13.8 boards while posting five straight double-double against the Warriors, including two this season.
In the teams' last matchup, Gasol had 27 points and 12 rebounds while Bryant had season highs with 44 points and 11 assists in a 124-118 victory at Staples Center on Dec. 29. It was the Lakers' seventh consecutive win in the series overall.
It seems likely that streak will continue, considering Golden State (14-37) has the league's third-worst record and might be missing its top two scorers.
Monta Ellis, sixth in the NBA with 26.2 points per game, is questionable Wednesday with a sprained left knee, while Corey Maggette could be out for the third straight game with a dislocated left ring finger.
If Ellis and Maggette can't play, rookie Stephen Curry will likely be Golden State's go-to player on the offensive end. With Curry and Maggette sidelined, Curry had season highs with 36 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in a 132-102 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 10 to help the Warriors snap a season-high nine-game slide.
It was the first time a Warriors rookie posted a triple-double since Chris Webber accomplished the feat Dec. 23, 1993.
"It was a lot of fun out there, to be able to perform that well, especially in the situation for us as a team," said Curry, runner-up to Boston's Paul Pierce in the 3-point shootout during All-Star weekend. "I had the ball in my hands a lot more and that allows me to make more plays for myself and for my teammates."
The Lakers are a conference-best 25-4 at home. The Warriors have lost five straight and 13 of 14 on the road.

Copyright 2010 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

SEASON & SERIES
NOTES; CONNECTIONS
The Lakers currently lead the season series with Golden State 2-0 after sweeping last season's series with the Warriors 4-0 for the third time in the last four seasons. The Lakers and Warriors have met 291 times in the regular season during the Los Angeles Era with the Lakers leading the all-time series 184-107. Including their time in Minneapolis, the Lakers and Warriors have met a total of 382 times with the Lakers holding a 235-147 all-time series advantage. The Lakers have not lost a season series to the Warriors since they were defeated 2-3 over five games during the 1994-95 season. The Lakers are 21-3 in their last 24 games against Golden State. At STAPLES Center, the Lakers are 19-2 all-time against the Warriors. On the road, the Lakers have gone 8-2 against the Warriors in their last 10, winning 8-of-their-last 9 at ORACLE Arena. Under head coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers are 31-7 against the Warriors. In 50 career games including 41 starts against the Warriors, Kobe Bryant is averaging 26.9 points (1343) with a high-game of 51 points. Additionally, Lamar Odom posted his first triple-double as a Laker with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists against the Warriors back on 4/11/06. In 2007-08, Odom pulled down a career-high 22 rebounds on 3/23/08 vs. Golden State and just one day later, posted 23 points, 21 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 rebounds at Golden State, becoming the first Laker in 13 years to record consecutive 20-rebound games and just the fifth player of the decade in the NBA to post at least 20 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and five blocked shots in a single game. Lakers guard Derek Fisher played two seasons for Golden State, where he averaged a career-best 13.3 points during the 2005-06 season. Warriors forward Ronny Turiaf played 3 seasons with the Lakers from 2005-08, averaging 5.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.13 blocks in 15.6 minutes, forward Devean George won three championships with the Lakers (2000-02), averaging 6.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 429 games and guard Coby Karl played in 17 games with the Lakers during the 2007-08 season, totaling 30 points in 71 minutes with a high game of six.WIRE-TO-WIRE
With their 96-81 victory at Utah February 10th, the Lakers posted their 5th wire-to-wire victory of the season. The Lakers recorded their 1st wire-to-wire victory of the year with a 104-88 win 11/8 vs. NO, their 2nd with a 130-97 win 11/28 @ GS, their 3rd with a 108-88 win 12/6 vs. PHX, their 4th with an 88-79 win 1/5 vs. HOU, and their fifth with a 95-77 win 1/10 vs. MIL. Last season, the Lakers claimed nine wire-to-wire victories (games in which they never trailed) during the regular season, tied for 3rd most in the league (Phoenix) behind Cleveland (14) and Orlando (13). The Lakers also won in wire-to-wire fashion twice during the 2009 Playoffs (4/29 vs. Utah & 5/17 vs. Houston). Additionally, the Lakers were one of only two teams last season (Cleveland) to never lose in wire-to-wire fashion during the regular season. In the playoffs, however, the Lakers played two games in which they never led, falling twice to Houston in the Conference Semifinals (5/10/09 at HOU and 5/14/09 at HOU). This season, the Lakers have lost one game in wire-to-wire fashion (98-107 loss 1/8 @ POR), their first regular season wire-to-wire defeat since 1/17/08 vs. PHX.FISHER PLAYS IN 1,000th CAREER GAME; BRYANT ONE GAME SHY OF 1,000 FOR HIS CAREER
In the Lakers 96-81 victory over the Utah Jazz on February 10, Derek Fisher played in his 1,000th career regular season game. Of his first 1,000 career games, 816 came in a Lakers uniform, ranking him 9th (816 games) in franchise history for games played behind Byron Scott (8th/846). Having missed the last three games due to a sprained left ankle, the next game Kobe Bryant plays in will be the 1,000th regular season contest of his career. Bryant, who entered the season ranked 2nd on the Lakers all-time games played list, will be just the second Laker in franchise history to reach the 1,000 game milestone, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,093) in that exclusive club. In terms of playoff games, Bryant (175 games) currently ranks 3rd in franchise history behind Abdul Jabbar (180) and Earvin "Magic" Johnson (190) while Fisher (160) ranks 5th in franchise history behind Michael Cooper (168).GASOL'S HISTORIC LINE
In the Lakers 101-89 victory over the Spurs on February 8, Pau Gasol recorded game-highs in points (21), rebounds (19), assists (8) and blocks (5). Since the NBA began tracking blocked shots prior to the 1973-74 season, only six other times in NBA history has a player recorded 21+ points, 19+ rebounds, 8+ assists and 5+ blocks in a single game. Gasol, who accomplished that feat for the 7th time in league history, became 6th player ever to do so and the first since Shaquille O'Neal in January of 2000.MINUS 24
On February 6th at Portland, Kobe Bryant missed his 1st game since 3/7/07, snapping a streak of 235 consecutive games played. Bryant's streak ranked 5th among active players prior to his absence. So far this season, Bryant has missed three games, bringing his career total to 89 missed games in this his 14th NBA season. In games that Bryant has not played but been on the team's roster, the Lakers are 56-33 overall. However, since 2003-04, in 43 games without Bryant, the Lakers are just 20-23.
ODOM RECORDS 3,000th ASSIST; BECOMES 8th FASTEST PLAYER IN NBA HISTORY TO REACH 6,000 REBOUNDS & 3,000 ASSISTS
In the Lakers 99-82 victory over the Trail Blazers on February 6, Lamar Odom recorded his 3,000th career assist. With 3,001 assists and 6,372 rebounds after 717 career games, Lamar Odom became the 8th fastest player in NBA history (in terms of games) to total 3,000 assists AND 6,000 rebounds. Already a member of the 10,000 point club, Odom joins Larry Bird (574 games), Chris Webber (667 games), Kevin Garnett (681 games), Oscar Robertson (688 games), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (691 games), Wilt Chamberlain (691 games) and Elgin Baylor (716) as the only players to amass 3,000 assists and 6,000 rebounds in as few as 717 games.LAKERS FIRST NBA FRANCHISE TO 3,000 WINS
With their 100-95 victory at Dallas January 13th, the Los Angeles Lakers became the first NBA franchise to 3,000 wins. The Lakers (3,011-1,854) recorded 457 wins over twelve seasons as the Minneapolis Lakers and have now posted 2,554 wins since moving to Los Angeles prior to the 1960-61 season.