Lakers Gameday | 1/12/11 | Warriors

Bryant, Odom rally Lakers past Warriors 115-110

By JANIE McCAULEY

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)—Kobe Bryant had all of about six minutes left when he decided to finally take over. For him, it was plenty of time.

Bryant scored 17 of his 39 points in the final 5:49 and the sluggish Los Angeles Lakers rallied late to beat theGolden State Warriors 115-110 on Wednesday night for their sixth straight victory.

“It don’t matter who’s on me. When it’s go time, it’s go time,” Bryant said. “You have the responsibility to come through for your team and make the right play. Tonight, I did that.”

Bryant also assisted on Ron Artest’s crucial 3-pointer with 1:55 to play.Lamar Odom did his part to fuel the comeback, too, scoring 10 straight points during a key fourth-quarter stretch on the way to 20 points and nine rebounds.

Pau Gasol added 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who looked uncharacteristically out of sync for much of the game before turning it on when it mattered for their 12th consecutive win over the Warriors and sixth straight in Oakland.

Golden State’s Monta Ellis scored 38 for his 10th 30-point game of the season after missing the two previous days of practice with the flu. But the Warriors couldn’t hold an early 14-point lead against the defending NBA champions.

Andrew Bynum had 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who played through loud chants of “Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!” in the waning moments from the sellout crowd of 19,596 at Oracle Arena. Los Angeles pulled out some defensive stops late after trading baskets with the Warriors for much of the final quarter.

Still, the Lakers received quite a push a night after a 112-57 rout of Cleveland in the franchise’s best defensive performance of the shot clock era— a game in which the Los Angeles starters had to play just more than a half.

“We controlled the game better in the second half,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “We stopped turning the ball over quite as often and we had a better choice of shots and exploited Pau. Kobe finished up the game for us.”

Bryant shot 13 for 21, made all 11 of his free-throw tries, had six rebounds, four assists and three steals as the Lakers improved to 7-1 in the second game of back-to-backs this season—with only seven more on their schedule, five fewer than they played last season in winning it all.

Dorell Wright added 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots for the Warriors. They nearly pulled off the upset while kicking off a stretch with 13 of 14 games at Oracle Arena.

“I had to dig deep and gut it out,” said Ellis, already exhausted by halftime. “If I wake up in the morning and God gives me the strength to come out and play, I’m going to do that. This is a big stretch for us at home, a chance to turn it around.”

Ellis clanked in a shot under pressure as the third quarter expired, giving Golden State a 75-69 edge. Bryant, who came in with a 26.6 career scoring average against the Warriors in 53 total games and 44 starts, took charge. His outburst started on a go-ahead 3-pointer with 5:49 left to put the Lakers up 90-89.

“He always has that look. Nine times out of 10 he’s successful,” Artest said. “Actually, it’s like 9.5 times out of 10 he’s successful.”

Ellis often had an answer. He showed no effects of the bug that kept him out of practice the previous two days and required an IV on Monday for dehydration. He has started all 38 games for Golden State and went 15 for 26 with four 3s.

“Just two players trying to get a win. I’ve known for the last three years I’m going to guard him,” Ellis said of the matchup with Bryant. “It was a great test for us. We gave it our all.”

Ellis made six of his first eight field-goal tries to reach 18 points early in the second quarter. He posted his 11th 20-point half of the season, tied with Bryant for most in the league this year.

Artest hit a tying 3-pointer 5:10 before halftime, but the Warriors outscored the Lakers 8-0 the rest of the way for a 53-45 halftime lead. Artest dished out seven assists on the night and had 10 points.

Andris Biedrins, Golden State’s 7-foot center, was held to two points and fouled out in 25 minutes in his fourth game back after missing nine contests with a sprained left ankle. He had taken only four shots in his first three games back, then attempted two Wednesday. Biedrins is eager to get on track after he was limited to only 33 games last season because of injuries.

Golden State hasn’t beaten the Lakers since March 23, 2008.

Notes: New Warriors owner Joe Lacob celebrated his birthday courtside, presented with a cake by one of the Warrior Girls. … The Lakers play the fewest back-to-backs of any NBA team this season and it’s their lowest number of consecutive nights since also having 15 in their first NBA season of 1948-49. … Los Angeles and Golden State meet one more time in the regular season on April 6, with the Lakers looking to sweep the season series for the fifth time in six years. They haven’t dropped the season series with the Warriors since 1994-95 (2-3). … The Lakers are 6-1 this month. … The Warriors are 9-15 vs. the Western Conference. … Golden State sold out for the fourth time this season.

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

Phil Jackson:

On the Lakers’ Improved Performance in the Second Half:
“We controlled the game better in the second half. We stopped turning the ball over quite as often and we had a better choice of shots on the inside and exploited Pau (Gasol)…and Kobe (Bryant) finished the game up for us.”

On the Warriors’ Performance in the First Half:
“I don’t like to see us have those kind of runs or give up those kind of runs like we gave up in the first half, but there is something to be learned from that.”

On Monta Ellis:
“I see (Monta Ellis) a lot. I watch this team, I watch him play. Tonight was a special night for him, I think he really stepped his challenge up and he played Kobe pretty well until the end. Did he play 48 minutes or get a rest out there?  It was a long night for him out there on the floor.”

Kobe Bryant:

On the stepping up in the second half:
“You have a responsibility to your team to try and come through in those situations and make the right play. And tonight I did that.”

On Monta Ellis potentially being an All-Star:
“Absolutely, he is a fantastic player. Offensively, he’s complete. He can shoot the ball well, which is something he’s really improved on. He can get to the rim, obviously, and he has a mid-range game as well, so he’s really a complete offensive player.”

Pau Gasol:

On Lamar Odom’s fourth quarter:
“He didn’t get any chances to get going until that point. Finally, he got it going, he was very active on the glass and he was making his free throws. He got himself into a very good rhythm and into the game.”

On the team’s recent form:
“We’re on a six-game winning streak. I think we are still a work in progress of getting better as a team, and especially defensively, which is always a key factor. If you have a solid defense, no matter what goes on at the other end (of the court), you’re giving yourself a chance to win.”

LAKERS VS. WARRIORS GAME PREVIEW

By JEFF MEZYDLO

Even with Monta Ellis in the lineup, Golden State has been unable to beat the Los Angeles Lakers in almost three years. Without its star, pulling off that elusive victory becomes an even bigger challenge against the two-time defending NBA champions.

The Warriors could be without one of the league's top scorers Wednesday night as they try to avoid a 12th straight loss to the visiting Lakers, who are coming off one of the most dominating performances in franchise history.

Averaging a team-leading 25.2 points, Ellis is a game-time decision for this contest as he recovers from flulike symptoms. The Golden State star has not missed a game in 2010-11 after sitting out 73 of 162 games over the previous two seasons.

"I think once the game starts with the preparation mentally, he'll be ready to play," Warriors coach Keith Smart said. "It's still going to come down with how much strength he has. We need him to be ready to play at a high level every night for us, but especially these kinds of games like this, he needs to be up and ready."

Though Ellis was held to a season-low five points on 2-of-10 shooting in a 117-89 loss at Los Angeles on Nov. 21, and 13 while going 4-of-19 from the field in Sunday's 105-91 loss to the Clippers, the Warriors (15-22) need to be at full strength while trying to beat the Lakers for the first time since March 23, 2008.

Golden State begins a stretch of 13 of 14 home games by trying for a fourth consecutive victory at Oracle Arena.

The Lakers (28-11), however, have averaged 124.0 points on 49.8 percent shooting while winning five straight at Golden State dating to a 108-106 loss on Dec. 14, 2007.

Golden State averages 101.7 points, but has been held to 86.0 per contest on 37.8 percent shooting in two games against the Lakers this season - both in Los Angeles.

The Lakers flexed their defensive muscle in Tuesday's 112-57 rout of Cleveland for their best defensive performance during the shot clock era. The Cavaliers' point total was a record low by a Lakers' opponent.

"We had a defensive goal," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "We wanted to try and limit them to as few points as possible."

The Lakers held the lowly Cavaliers to 29.9 percent shooting, including 1-for-14 from 3-point range, while posting the third-largest margin of victory since moving to Los Angeles.

"You don't ever imagine something like that," Kobe Bryant said. "You just go out there and do your job and we did it for 48 minutes."

Opponents have shot 40.3 percent and averaged 83.8 points during Los Angeles' current five-game winning streak.

Bryant scored 13 points in 24 minutes and Pau Gasol added 13 with 14 rebounds for the Lakers on Tuesday.

Bryant has averaged 30.2 points in his last 20 games against the Warriors. Gasol, meanwhile, averaged 27.0 points and 11.0 boards in the previous two meetings with Golden State.

Golden State's Dorell Wright scored 27 points against the Clippers, and is averaging 23.0 on 52.3 percent shooting his last eight games.

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 their season series with Golden State 2-0 after taking last season's series from the Warriors 4-0. The Lakers have swept four of the last five season series with the Warriors and 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 and Warriors have met 295 times in the regular season during the Los Angeles Era with the Lakers leading the all-time series 188-107. Including their time in Minneapolis, the Lakers and Warriors have met a total of 386 times with the Lakers holding a 239-147 all-time series advantage. The Lakers are 25-3 in their last 28 games against Golden State and have won their last 11 straight. At STAPLES Center, the Lakers are 22-2 all-time against the Warriors. On the road, the Lakers have gone 9-1 against the Warriors in their last 10 games at ORACLE Arena. Under head coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers are 35-7 against the Warriors. In 53 career games including 44 starts against the Warriors, Kobe Bryant is averaging 26.6 points (1412) 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 5th player of the 2000's 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 Vladimir Radmanovic played for the Lakers from 2006-09. Radmanovic owns the franchise record for three-point field goal percentage in a season (min. 100 attempts), shooting .441 from behind the arc over 46 games during the 2008-09 season.

LAKERS HISTORIC ROUT
With their 112-57 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 11th, the Lakers established a new franchise record for fewest points allowed in the shot clock era, eclipsing the old mark of 66 established 3/12/02 vs. Charlotte. The 55-point margin of victory was the third largest in Lakers franchise history (regular season) as well as the largest league-wide since the Pacers defeated the Trail Blazers 124-59 in February of 1998. The Indiana-Portland game was the only contest in NBA history in which one team doubled up an opponent, with the Lakers falling one basket shy of becoming the second team in league history to score at least twice as many points as its opponent. The Lakers led by 51 entering the fourth quarter against Cleveland and by as many as 56 on the night, marking the first time the Lakers led by at least 50 points in a game since 1/9/04 vs. Atlanta when they defeated the Hawks 113-67 and led by as many as 53 points in the contest. For the Cavaliers, 57 points are the fewest scored in franchise history while the 55-point margin of defeat also establishes a new Cleveland franchise mark.

WIRE-TO-WIRE
With their record setting 112-57 victory vs. Cleveland on January 11th, the Lakers recorded their league-leading SEVENTH wire-to-wire win of the season. Getting to seven wire-to-wire victories in just 39 games matches the Lakers regular season total from all of last season. This season, the Lakers lead the Celtics (6), Spurs (5), Hawks (4) and Bucks (4) in wire-to-wire victories through games played 1/11/11. The Lakers other wire-to-wire victories this season came against the Warriors (10/31 vs. GS, 11/21 vs. GS), Grizzlies (11/2 vs. MEM), Wizards (12/7 vs. WAS), Pacers (12/15 @ IND) and 76ers (12/31 vs. PHI). Last year, the Lakers claimed NINE wire-to-wire victories (games in which they never trailed); seven during the regular season and two during the 2010 Playoffs (4/18 & 4/27 vs. Oklahoma City). During their previous championship run in 2008-09, the Lakers claimed 11 wire-to-wire victories; nine during the regular season and two during the 2009 Playoffs (4/29 vs. Utah & 5/17 vs. Houston). Last season, the Lakers also lost twice in wire-to-wire fashion (98-107 1/8/10 @ POR and 75-91 3/26/10 @ OKC).

BACK-TO-BACK
Wednesday's game at Golden State is the second of a back-to-back set with the Cavaliers and Warriors. This season, the Lakers are 6-2 in the first game and 6-1 in the second of back-to-backs. On the year, the Lakers will play 15 sets of back-to-back games as opposed to the 20 they faced a season ago. The only other time the Lakers have played 15 or fewer sets of back-to-backs came in the team's first ever NBA season (1948-49) when they also played 15 sets of back-to-backs. Chicago, Milwaukee and Atlanta lead the league with 23 back-to-backs each in 2010-11 while Oklahoma City (17), Phoenix (16) and the Lakers (15) will play the fewest sets this season.

BRYANT MOVES PAST OSCAR ROBERTSON FOR 9th ON THE NBA'S ALL-TIME SCORING LIST
With a running jumper at the 1:09 mark of the third quarter 1/7 vs. New Orleans, Kobe Bryant moved past Oscar Robertson (26,710) for 9th on the NBA's all-time scoring list. Just days early, also at STAPLES Center 1/4 vs. Detroit, Bryant connected on a driving lay-up in the third quarter to move past Dominique Wilkins (26,668) for 10th. Should he continue to score anywhere near his current pace (24.9 ppg), Bryant (26,760) would move to 6th on the all-time list by season's end. Next on the all-time list ahead of Bryant are Hakeem Olajuwon (8th/26,946), Elvin Hayes (7th/27,313) and Moses Malone (6th/27,409). Among the top nine scorers in NBA history, more than half (5) have worn the Lakers uniform (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neal and Bryant).

Bryant has been steadily moving up the list over the past few years. Earlier this season, with 23 points at Chicago (12/10/10), he passed John Havlicek (26,395) for 11th. Last season, he passed Alex English (25,613), Reggie Miller (25,279), Jerry West (25,192), Patrick Ewing (24,815) and Allen Iverson (24,368). In passing West with a slam dunk at the 4:14 mark of the third quarter February 1, 2010 at Memphis, finishing the game with 44 points (West's retired number), Bryant became the leading scorer in Lakers franchise history. In 2008-09, Bryant passed Gary Payton (21,813) and Hall-of-Famers Charles Barkley (23,757), Robert Parish (23,334), Adrian Dantley (23,177), Elgin Baylor (23,149), Clyde Drexler (22,195) and Larry Bird (21,791).

KOBE BRYANT LEADS ALL PLAYERS AFTER 3rd ROUND OF ALL-STAR BALLOTING
On January 6th, the NBA announced its THIRD returns of 2011 NBA All-Star balloting with Kobe Bryant (1,391,597) LEADING all players in All-Star voting, ahead of Dwight Howard (1,205,159) and LeBron James (1,194,091). Pau Gasol (702,859), who made his third All-Star team last season as a reserve, now ranks 3rd among forwards in the West behind Kevin Durant (945,944) and Carmelo Anthony (742,284). Andrew Bynum (493,237) ranks 2nd among West centers behind Yao Ming (754,583), while Chris Paul (724,605) ranks 2nd among West guards behind Bryant. In the East, James and Kevin Garnett (850,687) lead the forward voting, Dwyane Wade (1,167,649) and Rajon Rondo (929,781) are the top two vote-getters at guard and Howard leads all East centers in balloting.
In each of the last three seasons, Bryant has led the Western Conference in all-star balloting. Last season, Bryant received 2,456,224 votes, finishing second overall to Cleveland's LeBron James (2,549,693). In 2008-09, he accumulated 2,805,397 votes, finishing third in overall balloting behind Dwight Howard (3,150,181) and James (2,940,823). In 2007-08, Bryant garnered 2,004,940 votes to finish fourth in overall voting behind Kevin Garnett (2,399,148), James (2,108,831) and Howard (2,066,991). In 2006-07, when he earned his second All-Star MVP, Bryant finished third overall in balloting behind James and Yao Ming. A three-time All-Star MVP (2002 Philadelphia, 2007 Las Vegas, 2009 Phoenix), Bryant is a 12-time All-Star and had started 11 consecutive All-Star games before missing last year's contest due to a sprained left ankle. Bryant, who was the youngest All-Star in NBA history in 1998, led all players in NBA All-Star balloting in 2003. Gasol has made three All-Star appearances (2006, 2009, 2010) and in 2009, became the 27th Laker in franchise history to be named to an All-Star team.

ODOM 9TH FASTEST IN NBA HISTORY TO 11,000 POINTS, 7,000 REBOUNDS AND 3,000 ASSISTS; 23rd PLAYER EVER TO DO SO
With 10 rebounds 1/5/10 at Phoenix, Lamar Odom surpassed 7,000 rebounds for his career, becoming just the 23rd player in NBA history to reach 11,000 points, 7,000 rebounds and 3,000 assists and the 9th fastest to do so in terms of games. Only Larry Bird (680 games), Kevin Garnett (681 games), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (691 games), Wilt Chamberlain (691 games), Chris Webber (695), Elgin Baylor (716 games), Bill Russell (746 games) and Charles Barkley (762 games) reached those totals faster than Odom, who did so in 783 career games.

RARE HOME STRUGGLES
On Christmas Day, the Lakers lost by 16 points to Miami. In their previous game 12/21 vs. Milwaukee, they lost by 19 points. With both losses coming at home, it was only the 3rd time in franchise history that the Lakers lost back-to-back home games by at least 16 points. The team was in Minneapolis for the previous two, once in January 1959 and once in November/December 1959.* The Lakers, however, snapped the two-game skid with a 102-98 victory over Philadelphia on December 31st, avoiding their first three-game home losing streak (by any margin) since March of 2008: 3/23 vs. GS (111-115), 3/26 vs. CHA (95-108), 3/28 vs. MEM (111-114). The last time the Lakers lost three straight home games, each by double-figures, came in January/February of 1993: 1/18 vs. HOU (90-110), 1/20 vs. SEA (101-111), 2/2 vs. ORL (97-110).
Additionally, with an 85-104 loss 1/2/11 vs. Memphis, the Lakers dropped their second home game of the year by at least 19 points, the first time that has happened since the 2000-01 season when Los Angeles lost 1/7/01 vs. LAC (95-118) and 3/28/01 vs. SAC (84-108). The Lakers haven't dropped three home games by a minimum of 19 points since the 1994-95 season (11/16/94 vs. NY (89-110), 12/9/94 vs. LAC (84-109), 3/17/95 vs. BOS (92-118)).

FISHER NAMED 2010 "SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR" BY LOS ANGELES SPORTS COUNCIL
On January 6th, the Los Angeles Sports Council announced that Lakers guard Derek Fisher will receive the prestigious 2010 Sportsman of the Year award at the 6th annual LA Sports Awards to be held Thursday, February 24th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The LA Sports Awards are presented annually by the Los Angeles Sports Council to celebrate the greatest moments of the year in local sports. The Sportsman award is given to the local male athlete whose performance and character best exemplified the ideals of sportsmanship during the calendar year. Past Sportsman of the Year honorees include Matt Leinart (2005), Elton Brand (2006), David Beckam (2007), Kobe Bryant (2008) and Pau Gasol (2009). The awards show will be televised on FS Prime Ticket (initial airing will be February 25th).

FAN VOTING BEGINS FOR LA SPORTS AWARDS
Southern California sports fans can cast their ballot for the 2010 LA Sports Awards, the annual televised awards show celebrating the greatest sports moments of the year in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. Through balloting at www.lasports.org, fans can vote on 14 different award categories. Voting takes place through January 31; winners will be revealed during the sixth annual LA Sports Awards on Thursday, February 24 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. For voting purposes, each of the area's professional sports teams, major universities and associations has nominated its top moments from 2010 for fans to vote on. The top Lakers moments nominated include: Kobe Bryant becoming the Lakers franchise scoring leader, Phil Jackson becoming the Lakers all-time winningest coach, Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss being elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Lakers winning their 16th NBA Championship with a thrilling 83-79 win over the Boston Celtics in game 7 of the NBA Finals at STAPLES Center. To vote, go to www.lasports.org and click on the Greatest Moments icon at the top of the home page. The awards gala will be televised on Prime Ticket, with the initial airing on February 25, and will include special appearances by many of the athletes and coaches whose achievements helped make 2010 such a memorable year in sports. The awards ceremony will also feature a countdown of the year's Top 10 moments in ranked order as selected by a blue-ribbon media panel. Additionally, Derek Fisher will be receiving the prestigious 2010 Sportsman of the Year award, given yearly to the local male athlete whose performance and character best exemplified the ideals of sportsmanship during the calendar year, while the naming of Sportswoman, Coach and Sports Executive of the Year will also take place.

SHOOTER'S TOUCH
In their victory at New Orleans on December 29th, the Lakers posted season-highs for field goal percentage in a quarter (1st quarter/.750), half (1st half/.676) and game (.586) after connecting on only 37.9 percent of their shots in the previous two games combined. Additionally, it was the first time this season that each of the Lakers starters (Artest, Gasol, Bynum, Bryant, Fisher) shot 50 percent or better from the field in the same game.*

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