Gameday: Lakers 91, Nets 87

POSTGAME QUOTESMike Brown:

Lakers coach Mike Brown on Ramon Session’s performance tonight:
“Sessions, in the 38 minutes he played, he was huge for us. With 19 points and 11 assists, a lot of times it’s great to have that luxury when you’re stalled out to play a little pick and roll and have [Sessions] create for his teammates. Big night for Sessions. With his size too and his ability to get to the paint when he has the ball in his hands, he’s also a fearless rebounder. It seems like he’s coming up with 5 or 6 rebounds a game which is pretty big to get from the point guard position.”

Lakers coach Mike Brown on how Kobe Bryant was able to play through the Nets double teaming him tonight:
“All night, New Jersey was bent on not letting Kobe beat them. They ran a second and sometimes a third guy on him time and time again and Kobe was patient. He hit two huge shots for us down the stretch to help put the game away.”

Lakers coach Mike Brown on why teams are able to come back after the Lakers take a big lead:
“We talked about it as a group in there. We feel as a group that when we do get a double digit lead, whether it’s against a good team or a team that doesn’t have a good record, we tend to relax a little bit. The other team in uniform, they’re NBA players and they don’t want to be embarrassed. They may be down 15 but they don’t want to be down 30 so they’re going to amp it up a notch, take chances, get a little more physical, and bring a little bit more energy to the game. We have to amp it up and a lot of times we don’t.”

Pau Gasol:

Lakers’ Pau Gasol on playing in Andrew Bynum’s absence:
“I’m just trying to fill up the role, be aggressive and effective and post up a little more when he’s not in the lineup. So far I’ve had a couple of goo games but obviously we look forward to having him back.”

Lakers’ Pau Gasol on what the team was not doing in the second half:
“We missed a lot of good looks and some easy ones inside. We turned the ball over a little too much and we gave them a little life. They were getting to the 50-50 balls before we were. Just turnovers and missed shots.”

Lakers’ Pau Gasol on letting teams back in:
“It’s definitely something that we want to get better at because it just happens too often. It becomes something usual and it’s not a good thing.”

Ramon Sessions:

Lakers’ Ramon Sessions on his mindset without Bynum playing tonight:
“Bynum is a 20 and 10 guy every night. Guys had to step up and I felt my role was to bring the energy a little bit more and get guys shots. Troy and Josh played well for us on pick and rolls, and it all worked out for us in the end.”

Lakers’ Ramon Sessions on Kobe’s last second shot:
“I’m just glad to have a guy like that on the team. You just throw it to him and say: ‘Hey, do your thing.’ It was big for us and he’s always big for this team. I can’t say enough about him. That’s why he’s Kobe.”

Lakers’ Ramon Sessions on his thoughts regarding the Nets fight tonight:
“That’s why you play the game. New Jersey is not going to the playoffs, but those guys are competitive and they’re in the NBA for a reason. They came out and they played hard in the second half. But we were able to keep the lead and get the win.”

Lakers’ Ramon Sesssions on how the Lakers can hold onto big leads:
“We just have to stay consistent and not have those lags that we have. I’m as guilty as anybody. A couple turnovers here and there gave them easier baskets. But as a whole, we just have to stay consistent. We got the win, but tomorrow against a team like the Clippers, it’s going to be tough.”

Lakers’ Ramon Sesssions on how the Nets defense adjusted in the second half:
“You have to credit their defense as a whole. I think in the fourth quarter, we scored 13 points. To get a win and score 13 points in the fourth quarter is good, but we definitely don’t want to have those lags tomorrow against the Clippers. Their defense came out and addressed what they needed to address and they played hard that second half.”

Lakers’ Ramon Sessions on whether he thinks Bynum will play tomorrow:
“I hope so. We don’t want him to miss too many games because we need him on the floor night in and night out, so hopefully he plays tomorrow.”

Kobe Bryant:

Lakers’ Kobe Bryant on his last shot and whether he felt confident if it’d go in once it left his hands:
“Yeah, yeah I did. It felt good. I could feel the roll and knew I was kind of going to get the bounce. Sometimes you can’t really feel it, but on that particular shot, it fell through.”

Lakers’ Kobe Bryant on playing without Andrew Bynum tonight:
“It was different. We had to play a little differently, but I felt the guys adjusted pretty well. Pau stepped up and had a huge game. I felt like everybody contributed.”

Lakers’ Kobe Bryant on how he feels the Lakers are doing despite blowing big leads to sub-.500 teams:
“I feel like we’re learning. We feel like we’re learning some things throughout these grind it out games about our defensive execution and offensive execution, and I feel we’ll be better as a result.”

Lakers’ Kobe Bryant on whether it’s concerning the Lakers aren’t able to hold big leads:
“No, not really. That’s all attributed to our execution and what we’re going to do in those situations. And that comes from playing together under this new system. The last few years, we knew the offense like the back of our hands. We knew exactly what we wanted to do and how the defense was going to react to it. In those situations, we were able to stretch those leads. Here, we just have to figure it out a little bit, but we’ll get there.”

Lakers’ Kobe Bryant on how the Lakers can figure out how to play better down the stretch:
“It’s always a process. Even last year, we were still kind of figuring out the triangle offense to a certain extent. You’re always looking to learn. In this new system with this being the first year with really no practice time, it’s more important this season more than ever. You learn as you go. You watch film, you figure out certain things you want to do in those situations and what you want to take advantage of...”

Lakers’ Kobe Bryant on the last play and whether New Jersey was trying to double team him:
“They couldn’t. I was by myself there. Pau set a good screen that freed me up. In those instances, once I come off a good screen, catch and shoot, they can’t get to me.”

Avery Johnson:

Nets coach Avery Johnson on the final minutes of tonight’s game:
“I kept telling our guys if we can just get it under 10, under 8, under 6, we’ll have a chance to win. They kept battling and that’s what I’ve been saying about our team, they’re just so tough-minded and resilient. Kobe just got free, everybody in the gym knew who was going to take the shot, we knew who was going to take the shot. We just kind of had a little blown assignment there, but I’m really proud of our guys.”

Nets coach Avery Johnson on what they’ll take away from tonight’s game:
“We’ve got to go in and play well. We’ve got to get off to a better start, we’ve been talking about better starts. We didn’t have a good first quarter. But, look at the defense we played in the second half, and especially in the fourth quarter. Our guys were really on their assignments, we rebounded the ball a little bit better, we did a good job of getting the ball out of Bryant’s hands and trying to force some other guys to score, we kept them off the free throw line, we played good defense without fouling. So, it’s just a tough break for us. Normally those balls like that will bounce out, unfortunately for us it bounced in.”

Nets coach Avery Johnson on the challenges the team has faced this season:
“We’ve had a long year with injuries and a lot of highs and lows. The main thing for us is we’ve just got to keep fighting until the end.”

Deron Williams:

Nets’ Deron Williams on Kobe Bryant’s last shot:
“He’s been making shots like that his whole career so it was no surprise. He had a great look. It all came down to the first half of the game. We didn’t play well. We allowed 58 points and they shot 65% from the field in the first half. That’s ultimately what cost us the game.”

Nets’ Deron Williams on making a comeback in the second half:
“We’ve had a couple comebacks. We’ve struggled in the first half. That’s kind of become a problem for us. We just keep fighting. That’s the thing about us is that we’re learning how to continue to fight. The game is a game of runs. If we hang in there and make a couple of runs then you look up and it’s tied.”

Nets’ Deron Williams on only scoring 10 points through three quarters:
“I was just off in the first half. I had some good looks in the first half and just missed them. Foul trouble pretty much cost me the whole third quarter. I just wanted to bounce back and focus a little bit in the fourth quarter.”

Kris Humphries:

Nets’ Kris Humphries on the Lakers last possession:
“That was a hell of a play they drew up at the end. We probably should have switched out, but it’s Kobe and he hit the shot.”

Nets’ Kris Humphries on the team’s slow start:
“I think we came out a little too loose today. We just weren’t that physical and we weren’t talking on defense. I think we cranked it up in the second half.”

Gerald Green:

Nets’ Gerald Green on being back in the NBA and returning to LA:
“It’s always good to be back in LA, and it’s just really good to be back in the NBA. Of course coming to one of the greatest cities in the world and playing a team like this is always great.”

SEASON & SERIES NOTES; CONNECTIONS
The Lakers swept last season’s series with New Jersey 2-0 for the third consecutive
year and have now won seven straight games overall against the Nets. Since the Nets
entered the league prior to the 1976-77 season, the Lakers have lost just four total
season series to New Jersey, the last coming in 2005-06 (0-2). This will be the 75th
meeting between the Lakers and Nets with Los Angeles leading the all-time series 55-
19. The Lakers are 9-1 in their last 10 meetings with New Jersey overall. At STAPLES
Center, the Lakers are 8-4 all-time against the Nets. In New Jersey, the Lakers are 7-3
in their last 10 games and are winners of their last five straight in the Garden State. In
their first meeting of the year in 2008-09, the Lakers defeated the Nets 120-93
11/25/08 at STAPLES Center, with the 27-point differential surpassing the old mark of
25 points (3/24/97) as the Lakers largest margin of victory ever against the Nets. In 23
games including 19 starts against the Nets, Kobe Bryant is averaging 22.4 points, his
second lowest average against any team in the NBA behind Atlanta (22.1). Four
seasons ago, Pau Gasol made his Lakers debut against the Nets, totaling 24 points on
10-of-15 shooting, 12 rebounds and four assists 2/5/08 at New Jersey. Andrew Bynum
was born in Plainsboro, NJ and attended St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, NJ. At
St. Joseph, Bynum averaged 22.0 points, 16.0 rebounds and 5.0 blocks as a senior
and was named a 2005 McDonald’s High School All-American. Nets guard Jordan
Farmar played for the Lakers from 2006-10, winning two NBA Championships while
with the team. Farmar was drafted by the Lakers with the 26th selection in the 2006
NBA Draft and averaged 6.9 points and 2.1 assists in his four seasons in LA. Nets
guard/forward Gerald Green was on the Lakers training camp roster this preseason
and played for the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League earlier this
season. In 22 games (13 starts) with the D-Fenders, Green averaged 19.1 points (.480
FG%, .458 3FG%) 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists while being named to the 2012 NBA
D-League All-Start team and earning All-Star Game MVP honors. Green was calledup by New Jersey in late February and signed with the Nets for the rest of the season.

BRYANT FOUR STEALS SHY OF MAGIC JOHNSON’S FRANCHISE RECORD
Entering today’s game against the Golden State Warriors, Kobe Bryant (1,720) stands four steals shy of Magic Johnson’s franchise record 1,724 steals. Johnson, who
twice led the league in steals (1980-81, 1981-82) and posted the third highest single-season steals per game average in NBA history during the 1980-81 season (3.43 spg),
ranks 15th on the NBA’s career steals list. Isiah Thomas (14
th
/1,861) and Derek Harper (13
th
/1,957) are next on the all-time list.

MARCHING ON
With 19 points and 10 rebounds in the Lakers victory over the New Orleans Hornets, Andrew Bynum concluded March averaging 22.2 points and 10.9 rebounds in 17
contests during the month. This was the 30
th
time in his NBA career that Bynum has played at least five games in a month, but the first where he has averaged at least 20
points per game;his previous high coming in November of 2009 when he averaged 18.0 points in 12 games.*

SATURDAY SCHEDULING QUIRK
In facing the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday, March 31 at STAPLES Center, the Lakers will be playing for the 10th time at home in the regular season on a Saturday
since the start of the 1998-99 lockout shortened season. The game also marks the first non-holiday regular season home game on a Saturday for the Lakers since
defeating the Los Angeles Clippers back on January 17, 2004. The Lakers two most recent Saturday home games fell on Christmas day, with Los Angeles facing the
Miami Heat on 12/25/04 and again on 12/25/10. In all, the Lakers have gone 4-5 in Saturday home games since the start of the 1998-99 season. (4/3/99 vs. GS (76-81, L),
12/25/99 vs. SA (99-93, W), 1/22/00 vs. POR (91-95, L), 4/8/00 vs. SA (80-98, L), 12/1/01 vs. MIN (102-76, W), 2/1/03 vs. UTAH (99-87, W), 1/17/04 vs. LAC (91-89, W),
12/25/04 vs. MIA (102-104, L), 12/25/10 vs. MIA (80-96, L)).

BYNUM ON A ROLL
With 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 25th, Andrew Bynum recorded his fifth career 30+ point game and fourth of the 2011-12
season. Excluding Kobe Bryant, only Pau Gasol has had more 30+ point games in a single season (6, 2008-09) for the Lakers since the start of the 2004-05 season than
Bynum. Bynum’s other 30+ point games include: 33 points (12-of-14 FG (85.7 percent), 9-of-12 FT) against the Utah Jazz on March 18th; 37 points in a double overtime
victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on March 13th on 15-of-18 shooting from the field (83.3 percent) - marking just the fourth time in Lakers history that a player has scored
at least 37 points on better than 83 percent shooting (last Laker to accomplish this was Shaquille O’Neal, who did so back on November 19, 1999 in a victory over the
Bulls); and 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting March 6th in Detroit against the Pistons.

BRYANT 24 POINTS SHY OF MICHAEL JORDAN FOR 2ND ON NBA FRANCHISE CAREER POINTS LIST
During the 2009-10 season, with his 29th point on February 1, 2010 at Memphis, Kobe Bryant surpassed Jerry West as the Lakers all-time leading scorer. In the history of
the NBA, only two players have scored more points with a single franchise than Bryant (29,253): Karl Malone (1st/36,374) and Michael Jordan (2nd/29,277). Last season,
Bryant moved past Hakeem Olajuwon (26,511) 12/19/10 at Toronto and John Havlicek (26,395) 12/10/10 at Chicago into third on this list.

SESSIONS MAKES GOOD IMPRESSION IN FIRST START WITH LAKERS
In his first start as a Laker, Ramon Sessions posted 20 points (6-10 FG, 2-3 3FG), 11 assists and six rebounds in 36 minutes to help the Lakers to a 103-96 victory over the
Portland Trail Blazers on March 23. In doing so, Sessions became the first Lakers point guard to post a 20-point/10-assist game since Chucky Atkins tallied 26 points and
10 rebounds in a 105-101 victory over Golden State back on January 21, 2005. Furthermore, Sessions is the first mid-season acquisition with a 20-point/10-assist game for
the Lakers since Lucius Allen had three such games after he was traded by Milwaukee to Los Angeles during the 1974-75 season.

ANDREW BYNUM NAMED WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
On March 19, the NBA announced that Andrew Bynum had earned Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, March 12 through Sunday, March
18, giving him the SECOND WC Player of the Week award of his career. Bynum led the Lakers to a 3-1 week, including back-to-back road wins against Memphis and New
Orleans and a home victory against Minnesota. Averaging 27.5 points and 14.8 rebounds, while shooting 66.5% from the field, Bynum led the Western Conference in
rebounding, placed second in the conference in scoring and finished fourth in the West in field-goal percentage on the week. Bynum collected point-rebound doubledoubles in all four of the Lakers games, including 37 points (15-18 FG) and 16 rebounds 3/13 @ Memphis, 25 points and 19 rebounds 3/14 @ New Orleans and 33 points
(12-14 FG) and 11 rebounds 3/18 vs. Utah. Bynum’s first career WC Player of the Week award was earned back on January 26, 2009, when Bynum averaged 23.5 points,
11.5 rebounds and 2.25 blocks in helping lead the Lakers to a 4-0 week from 1/19/09 to 1/25/09.

BYNUM ON A ROLL
With 33 points (12-of-14 FG (85.7 percent), 9-of-12 FT) against the Utah Jazz on March 18th, Andrew Bynum recorded his fourth career 30+ point game, but third in his last
eight contests. Scoring 37 points in the Lakers double overtime victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on March 13th, going 15-of-18 from the field (83.3 percent), Bynum’s
night marked just the fourth time in Lakers history that a player has scored at least 37 points on better than 83 percent shooting. The last Laker to accomplish this was
Shaquille O’Neal, who did so back on November 19, 1999 in a victory over the Bulls. Bynum’s first 30+ point game of the month came on March 6th in Detroit, when he
scored 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting.

WIRE-TO-WIRE
With their 97-92 victory over Minnesota on March 16th, the Lakers recorded their SECOND wire-to-wire victory of the 2011-12 season. Their other wire-to-wire victory
(game in which they never trailed) also came against the Timberwolves (104-85 (2/29)). Last year, the Lakers led the NBA with 10 wire-to-wire victories, all coming during
the regular season. During the team’s two most recent championship runs, they recorded nine wire-to-wire victories in 2009-10 (seven during the regular season and two
during the 2010 Playoffs (4/18 & 4/27 vs. Oklahoma City)) and 11 wire-to-wire victories in 2008-09 (nine during the regular season and two during the 2009 Playoffs (4/29
vs. Utah & 5/17 vs. Houston)). The Lakers have also lost one game this season in wire-to-wire fashion, falling to the Clippers 102-94 on January 14th. Last year, the
Lakers lost two such games: (98-107 1/8/10 at POR & 75-91 3/26/10 at OKC).

GETTING YOUNGER
In acquiring Ramon Sessions (25) and Christian Eyenga (22) from Cleveland for Luke Walton (32) and Jason Kapono (31) and Jordan Hill (24) from Houston for Derek
Fisher (37) prior to the March 15 trade deadline, the Lakers average team age saw two years shaved off of it, going from 29 years, 149 days to 27 years, 133 days.

*Statistical research assistance provided by the Elias Sports Bureau