January 2010 Archives

BOSTON -- Phil Jackson tied Pat Riley for the Lakers' record for coaching victories with 533. Kobe Bryant hit the go-ahead shot over Ray Allen with 7.3 seconds remaining. Allen missed a jumper at the buzzer. Bryant and Andrew Bynum scored 19 points each. Bynum also had 11 rebounds. Pau Gasol had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Ron Artest had 11 points. Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with 21 points, five rebounds and 12 assists.

BOSTON -- The Lakers are 36-11, lead the Western Conference and have won three consecutive games going into today's contest against Boston. The Celtics are 29-15, lead the Atlantic Division and have lost two in a row and five of seven. The Lakers won both games against Boston last season after falling to the Celtics in the 2008 Finals. Phil Jackson can tie Pat Riley's franchise record for coaching victories with 533 with a win today. Kobe Bryant needs 47 points to match Jerry West's team record of 25,192 points in a career. This is the seventh game on the Lakers' eight-game trip, which concludes Monday in Memphis with a matchup between the Gasol brothers, Pau and Marc. It's also the two-year anniversary of the trade that brought Pau to the Lakers and sent Marc to Memphis.

BOSTON -- Kobe Bryant gave reporters their first up-close look at his broken right index finger today before the Lakers practice. He usually keeps it hidden from view while speaking to the assembled mob. He often wears a splint while off the court in order to keep from banging it on things during the normal course of the day. But today he showed how the swelling has subsided. It's still puffy, though. He also showed how he can't bend it without pushing it into position. It was kind of gross, although no one turned away.

PHILADELPHIA -- Pau Gasol scored 11 points and Ron Artest had 10 as the Lakers held a small lead at halftime tonight. Gasol also had five rebounds and five assists. Kobe Bryant, in his return to Philadelphia, scored only two points in the first half. Lamar Odom added eight points in a reserve role. Elton Brand led Philadelphia with 11 points.

The trade rumor mill is cranked up to full intensity. The Lakers are rumored to be ready to swap Andrew Bynum for Toronto's Chris Bosh. They are talking to Chicago about taking Kirk Hinrich off their hands for Adam Morrison and Sasha Vujacic. None of these stories is accurate, according to Lakers executive VP Jeanie Buss, who wrote on Twitter last night: "I'm not listening to any Lakers trade rumors. Its typical this time of year to have trade rumors flying around 2/18/10 is deadline keep calm."

PHILADELPHIA -- Pau Gasol was picked to be a reserve on the Western Conference All-Star team today. It's his second consecutive selection and his third overall. Gasol is averaging 17.4 points points, 11 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 29 games. He sat out 11 because of a strained right hamstring and six games with a strained left hammy. The Lakers are 24-5 with him on the active roster and 11-6 without him.

Other reserves from the Western Conference:
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
Chris Paul, New Orleans
Brandon Roy, Portland
Zach Randolph, Memphis
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City
Deron Williams, Utah

Eastern Conference reserves
Al Horford, Atlanta
Joe Johnson, Atlanta
Paul Pierce, Boston
Rajon Rondo, Boston
Gerald Wallace, Charlotte
Derrick Rose, Chicago
Chris Bosh, Toronto

INDY -- The big three went off again and the Lakers re-discovered their defensive intensity tonight in the second half en route to a lopsided victory over the overmatched Indiana Pacers. Kobe Bryant had 29 points, Andrew Bynum scored a season-high 27 and Pau Gasol added 21 points. Bryant had nine rebounds, Bynum had 12 and Gasol had 13. Lamar Odom scored 12 points and grabbed a team-best 14 rebounds. The Lakers outrebounded the Pacers, 62-42. The Lakers also had 20 offensive rebounds. They outscored Indiana, 59-40, in the second half after leading by three at halftime.

Here's some postgame reaction from Lakers coach Phil Jackson: "I express (the need for improved defense) to the players nightly. Our middle is really soft. We're giving up a lot of penetration. If we give up that much penetration, we're going to get hurt both inside and outside."

Here's Bynum on whether he's played well enough to be picked for the All-Star team: "I think I'm definitely able to play at that (All-Star) caliber when the ball comes my way."

Here's Gasol on the same subject: "I'm hopeful. It's something to be part of that great game. It's a great recognition to be among the best in the league. Obviously, you hope you're going to be selected. Hopefully, you play your best and the coaches will give you that credit."

Next stop on the Lakers' eight-game trip: Philadelphia.
The All-Star backups will be announced Thursday on TNT.

WASHINGTON -- Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant scored 26 points apiece tonight against the Washington Wizards, and Lamar Odom added 15 points as the Lakers rebounded from Sunday's last-second loss against the Toronto Raptors. The Lakers led by as many as 19 points in the second half and were never threatened. Antawn Jamison led the Wizards with 27 points. The Lakers shot 58.7 percent; the Wizards shot 51.2 percent.

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama honored the Lakers for winning the NBA championship today, inviting the players, coaches, staff and assorted family and friends to the White House. He praised Kobe Bryant, quoted Lamar Odom, talked smack to Magic Johnson and encouraged Shannon Brown in the upcoming Slam Dunk contest.

Obama hosted the Lakers in the East Room at the White House. Bryant and Derek Fisher presented the President with a Lakers jersey with his name on the back. They also gave him a signed basketball. Obama said, "I am especially excited to meet Coach Phil Jackson, the Zen-Master, who won his record 10th NBA championship."

Obama then added, "I want to point out six of them came with the Bulls (Obama's favorite team)." Obama pantomimed Michael Jordan's classic layup in which he switched the ball from one hand to another in midair during the Bulls' victory over the Lakers in the 1991 Finals. "You remember that, Magic."

Johnson, now a Lakers executive, cracked up laughing.

"Magic did pretty well," Obama added, smiling. "He wasn't bad."

Johnson later told reporters: "I got a kick out of that. You know, what can you say when the President of the United States can trash-talk you? Normally, I have a pretty good comeback, but this time I had to let him slide. I had to let him slide, because he was right, Michael did do an incredible move."

Of Bryant, he said, "Of course, I have to recognize Kobe Bryant, one of the most competitive players I have ever seen. If I had a broken finger (as Bryant does), I would have trouble getting out of bed in the morning."

Of Brown, he said, "One last thing, I was told Mr. Brown intends to win the dunk contest."

Then the Lakers presented Obama with a jersey and a ball. He went around to shake the hands of the players, coaches and team executives, who had stood behind him on risers as he addressed Lakers staff and family members, plus 100 or so media members from behind a podium. Obama also met Bryant's daughters, Natalia and Gianna.

TORONTO -- The Lakers' funk continued today with a one-point loss to the Toronto Raptors. Hedo Turkoglu made two free throws to put the Raptors ahead, 106-105, with 1.2 seconds remaining. Kobe Bryant missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer at the other end after boggling the inbounds pass from Luke Walton. The loss was the Lakers' second in three games to start their eight-game trip. Bryant had 27 points, a career-high 16 rebounds and nine assists as the Lakers fell to 33-11. Pau Gasol had 22 points and nine rebounds and Andrew Bynum scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

NEW YORK -- Here are a few of the best comments following the Lakers' 115-105 victory tonight over the New York Knicks, one night after they faded in the stretch while losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers:

Kobe Bryant on the Lakers' play after scoring 27 points: "We did OK. We just have to stay focused and do better on this trip. We started playing with more energy (in the fourth quarter). We started playing with more intensity. We focused more on the task at hand instead of dropping our heads and going through the motions. We got ourselves going."

Bryant on Pau Gasol (20 points) and Andrew Bynum (19 points): "When they are on point and they are playing well it makes us a very tough team because of their length, because of their size and their versatility. They can cover a lot of ground defensively."

Ron Artest: "We didn't do a good job on anything tonight. That's basketball. That's the game. It's just unfortunate we didn't play 100 percent tonight. ... We gave ourselves a chance to win the other night (during Thursday's loss to Cleveland) and we gave ourselves a chance to win tonight."

New York coach Mike D'Antoni: "I thought we played them pretty good. And then Kobe and Pau (got hot) at the end of the game (and it was) a little too much."

Here comes word from Denver-based reporter Chris Tomasson that Clippers center Chris Kaman doesn't believe Lakers power forward/center Pau Gasol doesn't deserve to be selected as a reserve to the Western Conference All-Star team. The picks will be announced next Thursday before TNT's doubleheader.

"I don't think Gasol should be in it at all,'' Kaman said Thursday night when asked if he would be disappointed if Gasol, who starts at power forward for the Lakers, is moved over to be the backup center. "He's only played like 20 games (he played Thursday in his 25th out of 42 Lakers games) this year. I think there should be a number of games you should play. I think you should have to play like 80 percent of the games.

"It shouldn't be 50 percent (of games a player has logged) over a guy who plays 90 percent and who has better numbers. Not just me. Zach Randolph, a power forward, he has better numbers (than Gasol). But he's not on the Lakers.''

For what it's worth, Gasol is averaging 16.8 points and 11.1 rebounds to 20.4 points and 9.2 rebounds for Kaman, who has played in 38 of 42 games. Randolph is averaging 20.8 points and 11.5 rebounds while having played in all 41 games.

What's more, Kaman also said he should be picked over Andrew Bynum who is averaging 15.4 points and 8.4 rebounds.

"I think I'm more deserving than Andrew Bynum,'' Kaman said. "I'd be disappointed if they put Pau Gasol in front of me. If they put Bynum (ahead of me), it would be disappointing but it would be easier to accept.''

CLEVELAND -- The Cavaliers rallied for a victory tonight that moved them within percentage points of the Lakers in the overall standings. So, it's only January. So, the Lakers could regain the lead with a victory Friday over the New York Knicks. The Cavaliers seemed to want the game more down the stretch, with LeBron James leading them by scoring 12 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter. Kobe Bryant scored 31 for the Lakers.

Here's what James said after the Cavs swept the two-game series: "I don't look too far into it. You don't want to look too far into beating one team twice. The championship still goes through L.A. If doesn't matter if you beat a team four times, you still have to beat them in the Finals to take that trophy away from them."

CLEVELAND -- Kobe Bryant reached the 25,000-point milestone tonight with a free throw with 3 minutes remaining in the first half. He had 19 points to help the Lakers to a 40-36 lead. He scored his 17th and 18th points of the game on a jump shot, then drew a foul on Cleveland's Anthony Parker while driving along the baseline moments later. He sank the first of two free throws to become only the 15th player in league history to hit 25,000 points.

UPDATE: The Lakers led the Cavs, 46-44, at halftime as Bryant scored 20 points. LeBron James led the Cavs with 18 points. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol each drew three fouls.

Kobe Bryant was voted to start for the Western Conference All-Star team. LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers was the leading vote-getter with 2,549,693 to overtake Bryant, who received 2,456,224 votes. James will start for the East.

Bryant was selected for the 12th time in his career. He was the MVP of the game in 2002 and 2007 and was the co-MVP with former teammate Shaquille O'Neal (then of the Phoenix Suns) last season. O'Neal now plays with James in Cleveland.

Reserves for both teams will be announced next before TNT's doubleheader next Thursday. The All-Star Game is set for Feb. 14 at the Dallas Cowboys new stadium in Arlington, Tex., with a crowd of 80,000 expected.

CLEVELAND -- The news out of the Cavaliers' shootaround this morning is that guard Mo Williams won't play tonight against the Lakers because of a separated left shoulder. From The Associated Press story: "The Cavaliers did not say how long they could be without Williams, their second-leading scorer. The team said Williams, who scored 28 points against the Lakers on Christmas Day, was being evaluated at the Cleveland Clinic. ... Cavs coach Mike Brown said Delonte West will start in place of Williams."

UPDATE: Williams will miss at least one month with a sprained left shoulder.

The NBA's trade deadline is four weeks from today, which means the silly season has started. ESPN has reported that the Lakers have asked about the availability of New Jersey guard Devin Harris. Now, the thing to remember is general managers talk all the time, so just because ESPN has reported something doesn't mean it's going to happen. Also, you might recall that ESPN reported breathlessly that "Kobe Bryant has played his last game with the Lakers" in the summer of 2007. Now, that didn't happen either.

Certainly, acquiring a player like Harris makes sense for the Lakers. Derek Fisher is 35 and his contract is up at season's end. He's not as fast as some of the faster point guards around the league (see: Aaron Brooks of Houston). But even the fastest guards have trouble staying in front of other fast guards. Can Brooks really stay in front of Tony Parker of San Antonio on every single possession? Not likely.

Secondly, what would it take for the Lakers to trade for Harris, who makes $8.4 million this season? They would have to send New Jersey a package of players to make the salaries line up under the league's trade rules. You can't swap a player making $8.4 million for a guy making $4.4 million, for instance. So, who do the Lakers part with to get Harris? No chance they would give up Shannon Brown, who looks more and more like he will become Fisher's replacement some day. Jordan Farmar continues to prove his worth as a backup and probably will stick with the team through the end of his contract.

Lastly, the Lakers don't appear likely to make a move before the deadline. However, they have done deals in each of the last two seasons. Last season, they dumped Vladimir Radmanovic and picked up Brown and Adam Morrison from the Charlotte Bobcats. Brown is a valuable player, but Morrison could be dealt if the Lakers find a dance partner. Two years ago, the Lakers swindled the Memphis Grizzlies out of Pau Gasol, trading them Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and the rights to Marc Gasol. In the end, the Grizzlies didn't suffer too much. Marc Gasol is terrific and the team is winning.

So ... stay ... tuned. More rumors are sure to follow.

The starters for the All-Star teams are scheduled to be announced before the Lakers-Cleveland Cavaliers game is shown Thursday night on TNT. A special one-hour pregame show starts at 4 p.m. (PST), with the Lakers and Cavs following at 5 p.m. Kobe Bryant has been the overall leader in voting from the beginning and he's expected to be named as a starter for the Western Conference team for the 12th time in his career.

This story slipped under the radar. Here are the top lines from the news release:

"Lakers star Pau Gasol will receive the prestigious 2009 Sportsman of the Year award at the fifth annual LA Sports Awards, which will be held Feb. 19 at the new JW Marriott at L.A. Live. The LA Sports Awards are presented annually by the Los Angeles Sports Council to celebrate the greatest moments of the year in sports in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. The Sportsman award is given to the local male athlete whose performance and character best exemplified the ideals of sportsmanship during the calendar year."

Here are a few fun facts from the NBA's news release today:

"The Lakers' Kobe Bryant has retained the top spot on the NBA's Most Popular Jerseys list, the ranking he has held since the start of the 2008-09 season. The rankings are based on sales at the NBA Store in New York City and NBAStore.com since the start of the 2009-10 NBA season.

"The Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James maintains the No. 2 spot, while the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard and the Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose appear in the Top 5 for the first time. Howard makes a dramatic jump, moving from No.10 to No. 3 on this year's list. Rose's popularity continues to grow and moves into the No.4 spot from No.11 last season. The Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade rounds out the Top 5."

Additionally, Pau Gasol was 10th on the list and the Lakers were No. 1 as a team, beating out the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavalilers.

They were up, then they were down before they went up ahead. Finally, the Lakers got ahead of the Orlando Magic and stayed there, winning thanks in part to a 15-0 run to start the fourth quarter tonight. The Lakers reached the midway point of their season with a three-game winning streak and a 32-9 record, best in the NBA. Now, the big question is: Are they ready for their eight-game trip, which starts Thursday in Cleveland?

Said Lakers coach Phil Jackson: "I'm not totally sure about that. I'm not so happy about the way we're playing. We've had some inconsistent games right now. I think we need to play a stronger game. Defensively there are some lapses out there that I'm not happy about."

Getting Kobe Bryant back to something resembling good health certainly would aid the Lakers as they travel to Cleveland, New York, Toronto, Washington, Indiana, Philadelphia, Boston and Memphis over the next two weeks. Bryant got smacked on his fractured right index finger tonight and scored only 11 points on 4-for-19 shooting.

The Lakers jumped ahead of Orlando right from the start tonight, leading by as many as 13 points in the first half. They never trailed and maintained a double-digit lead for most of the half. Shannon Brown led the Lakers with 11 points in a reserve role. Ron Artest added 10 and Derek Fisher had eight. Kobe Bryant, who went into the game needing 30 points to reach 25,000 for his career, scored only four points in the half. Dwight Howard led Orlando with 18 points and six rebounds. He was the only Magic player in double figures.

Shannon Brown was picked today to compete in the dunk contest during the NBA All-Star Saturday Night on Feb. 13 in Dallas. He joins Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks, who will try for a record third title, and Gerald Wallace of the Charlotte Bobcats. The Clippers' Eric Gordon and the Toronto Raptors' DeMar DeRozan (USC) will complete in the dunk-in during halftime of the Rookie Challenge on Feb. 12 to decide the fourth entrant.

Said Brown on his dunking plans: "I'm at the drawing board now. I've got a couple of ideas in my head. I won't give them away. It's going to be a great time. It's going to be competitive also. From the time people started saying I should be in the dunk contest, my brain got to working with what I should do. I've been thinking about it a little bit."

He also said: "Thank you to everybody who campaigned for me, everybody who voted for me, everybody who had my back this whole time."

Pau Gasol said he intends to play Friday night against the Clippers, ending his six-game layoff because of a strained left hamstring. He said he's ready to play. He also said it was difficult to sit out and watch the Lakers go 3-3 in his absence. "No issues, no pain," he said. "I trust that I can be out there playing at my best right now without any danger (of a setback). There's no concern. I'm ready to go out there to have some fun with my teammates. ... I feel confident I can be out there with no risk, no danger."

DALLAS -- Here are some of the best and brightest postgame comments after the Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks, 100-95, tonight for the franchise's 3,000th victory:

Coach Phil Jackson: "You know, we have had other really good wins. When you have 30 it is hard to recall all of those, especially when you suffer from Alzheimer's. I shouldn't make fun of that, that was not appropriate. But, anyway, it was good to have Luke (Walton) in there. ... He changed the game for us because we had an answer when he was in there."

Derek Fisher: "With the injuries we seemed to play with a pace and composure and understanding of what we wanted to accomplish against the (Mavericks). We played a little more chess tonight because of Kobe's injuries (Bryant had back spasms). ... Obviously, we didn't feel like the season was on the line in any way, but we did take these guys very seriously. ... We weren't going to allow ourselves to use any type of excuse (for) why we couldn't put ourselves in a position to win."

Ron Artest: "Our mindset was the same, just go out there and play hard. I asked Kobe before the game, 'Are you all right?' He said, 'No, I might not make it.' So, everybody said we've got to step it up. In the second half, I said, 'Are you OK?' He said, 'Yeah, I'm good now.' But Dallas didn't know that, so they played him 1-on-1 and he hit that big shot (a tie-breaking jumper that gave the Lakers a 97-95 lead with 28.9 seconds left)."

SAN ANTONIO -- Kobe Bryant did not play in the fourth quarter of the Lakers' loss tonight to the San Antonio Spurs. He suffered back spams in the second quarter, tried to play through them in the third and finally called it a night in the fourth. He scored 16 points, all in the first half. He said "I think so," when asked if believed he would play Wednesday against Dallas. Lakers coach Phil Jackson used the word "probably."

But wait there was more ....

Small forward Ron Artest sprained his right index finger in the first half. Later, after scoring 13 points and grabbing eight rebounds in almost 33 minutes, he denied he was hurt. He also said he expected to play Wednesday against the Mavericks.

Backup guard Sasha Vujacic strained his right hamstring in the first half and could not play in the second. He wasn't immediately certain how it happened, just that it did and he couldn't play at full speed. He wasn't sure if he could play against Dallas.

Backup forward Adam Morrison didn't play because of a sore throat. His status for Wednesday was unclear. Morrison was the only one of the 12 players who suited up for tonight's game who did not play.

Power forward/center Pau Gasol isn't likely to pushed into service for Wednesday's game. He plans to make his return from a strained left hamstring Friday against the Clippers, according to Jackson.

SAN ANTONIO -- Luke Walton was set to dress and perhaps to play tonight against the San Antonio Spurs. He had been sidelined for almost two months because of a pinched nerve in his back. "I told him I feel good," Walton said, referring to Lakers coach Phil Jackson. "Friday was the target date (against the Clippers). ... I told him I would be ready if he called me. I feel good enough to play basketball. It feels a lot better right now than it did before this whole thing (started in training camp)."

UPDATE: Walton scored four points and grabbed one rebound in six minutes in the Lakers' loss tonight to the Spurs. He took four shots and made two. Later, he said he tried to talk a little trash but was breathing too heavily to be understood. He said an unnamed Spur laughed at him, asking, "Why are you breathing so hard?"

Pau Gasol went for a 10-minute run on a treadmill before tonight's victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, and if he wakes up without any significant pain or soreness in his strained left hamstring, he said he could practice with his teammates Monday. He plans to accompany the Lakers on their two-game trip to play the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday and the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. There's a chance he could play in Texas, but Friday against the Clippers seems more likely.

"I'm very hopeful I'll be back soon," he said before heading to the Staples Center weight room to begin his treadmill workout before the Lakers faced the Milwaukee Bucks. "How soon, I can't really tell. That's the messed up part about it."

Meanwhile, Lakers coach Phil Jackson blamed Kobe Bryant's shooting woes in the last three games to an absence of a protective splint on his fractured right index finger. He said Bryant would wear a sturdy one starting Tuesday. He had been wearing only tape in recent games, including tonight, when he went 4-for-21 and scored 12 points. He was 14-for-37 in the Lakers' loss Friday to Portland and 10-for-30 in Wednesday's loss to the Clippers.

Yes, that really was the halftime score tonight. Yes, Kobe Bryant really did miss 13 of 14 shots in the first half. Yes, the Lakers did lead by as many as 18 points despite shooting a woeful 12-for-39 (30.8 percent). Yes, the Bucks really did shoot more bricks than the Lakers, however. They were 12 of 42 (28.6 percent). Milwaukee's Michael Redd left the game in the second quarter because of a sore left knee. Oh, and Andrew Bynum scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Lakers managed to win the battles down low. The Lakers held the Bucks to eight points in the first quarter.

Luke Walton had a couple of interesting observations about the Lakers' play today after practice. He has had a good view of things while sitting out because of a back injury. He is getting closer to a return to the active roster, by the way. He could be back in the rotation late next week. Or perhaps by the time the team leaves for an eight-game trip at the end of the month. Anyway, here are a couple of his musings:

"It's so hard (to sit out because of an injury). It's always hard. When a team loses, it's even tougher. The way our system (the triangle offense) works, we've got to have everyone playing together. It's not like a pick-and-roll offense other teams use. If a guy gets hurt, they just stick another guy in there. It's about timing and passing.

"We've got to start playing better basketball.... It's not just one thing. We've got to figure it out because we want to hold onto the best record in the league. I need to keep the offense flowing (when he returns from his injury). When it flows, it's a beautiful thing."

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The streak reached nine in a row tonight. The Lakers haven't won here since 2004-05. Kobe Bryant scored 32 points on 14-for-37 shooting. Brandon Roy led Portland with 32 points on 9-for-11 shooting. That sums it up. The Lakers never led and never threatened in the late going. Next: Milwaukee visits Staples Center on Sunday.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Kobe Bryant scored 16 points and grabbed five rebounds in the first half tonight, but he was a solo act. No one else in purple-and-gold had more than seven points. The Lakers shot 40.9 percent and were outrebounded, 22-17. Jerryd Bayless scored 16 points in a reserve role. Brandon Roy added 13 points and Andre Miller, fresh off a 30-minute shouting match with Blazers coach Nate McMillan, scored 10. The Lakers went into the game with eight consecutive losses in Portland. No. 9 didn't seem far away.

Despite averaging only seven points per game and despite coming off a game in which he scored only three points on 1-for-3 shooting while playing 20 minutes, 23 seconds in the Lakers' loss Wednesday to the Clippers, veteran guard Derek Fisher said today he's not worried that he's mired in a slump. Said Fisher: "I'm not overly concerned about my individual game. With the type of team we have, there will be different guys doing different things every night. I'm comfortable with that. I realize what my role is on this team."

The Clippers ended their nine-game losing streak to the Lakers with a solid victory tonight at Staples Center. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers (28-7) with 33 points and eight assists. Baron Davis led the Clippers (16-18) with 25 points and 10 rebounds.

Andrew Bynum on the Lakers' performance: "We played like boneheads. We didn't play like we should have. I was out there missing buckets. It was a tough shooting night for everyone, but we can't let that stop us from winning."

Davis on the Clippers' victory: "I think our best is yet to come. We need to take a victory like this and build on it. The best thing about it was that the Lakers made that push and carved into that 15-point lead quick, put the pressure back on us. But we responded. We held our composure and made some big shots."

The Clippers led by as many as 10 points in the first half tonight. Eric Gordon led the Clippers with 11 points, and Rasual Butler added nine. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 12 points, and Andrew Bynum had eight. Lamar Odom added seven points and nine rebounds. The Lakers shot 15 for 44 in the first half (34.1 percent), which explained their small deficit. The Clippers shot 22 for 47 (46.8 percent). So far, there's been nothing to get anyone excited about. It looks like a game the Lakers can take if they put their minds to it.

The Lakers hardly missed a beat without injured power forward/center Pau Gasol. Andrew Bynum scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Kobe Bryant added 22 points and Lamar Odom had 17 points, 19 rebounds and nine assists. The Lakers never trailed but they never led by more than 12 points. Carl Landry led Houston with 19 points, and Aaron Brooks scored 18. Houston beat the Lakers the last time the teams played, Nov. 14.

The Lakers had their best defensive first half of the season tonight. limiting the Houston Rockets to 33 points on 35.9 percent shooting. Their previous best was Nov. 28, when they held the New Jersey Nets to 34 points. This was a better effort since the Rockets are a credible team and the Nets are not. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting. Lamar Odom had a team-leading 13 points despite playing with a stomach ailment. Former Lakers forward Trevor Ariza had another rough homecoming, scoring only five points on 2-for-8 shooting. Carl Landry led Houston with 13 points.

Ron Artest received medical clearance to play tonight against the Houston Rockets. He sat out five games in a row after suffering a concussion in a fall at home Christmas Night. Pau Gasol could not play because of a strained left hamstring suffered before Sunday's victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he doubted Gasol could play Wednesday night against the Clippers. He said Gasol's status was "game-to-game."

Pau Gasol suffered a mild to moderate left hamstring strain, the results of ultrasound and MRI exams revealed today. Dr. Steve Lombardo examined Gasol, whose status for Tuesday's game against the Houston Rockets was termed doubtful. He will be listed as day-to-day for future games and practices. He was injured during the first quarter of the Lakers' 35-point victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. The 7-foot power forward/center sat out the season's first 11 games because of a strained right hamstring.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson on Pau Gasol's strained left hamstring: "Any time Pau has an injury we're very concerned. Obviously, we thought the initial one (a strained right hamstring) in the preseason was very slight because there was no activity and there was no significant impression that he'd had a pull. So, obviously, it's something we have to take seriously."

Jackson on the significance of the Lakers' rout of the Mavericks: "They had a game last night. It's hard to judge. I think it's their fourth consecutive road game. ... Obviously, we'll see them in eight or 10 days and we'll find out what it's like to play on their home court."

Jordan Farmar on whether it was a case of the Lakers playing great or the Mavs playing poorly: "I think it had to be a little bit of both. We played pretty well. You could tell that they were tired from the night before (beating the Kings in Sacramento). It was over early. We just had to make sure we kept it up. We've gotten big leads before and let down and played lackadaisical, so it was good to see us play, for the most part, the whole night like that."

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle: "It's the first time all year we really didn't put up the kind of fight we really needed t. That's disappointing. Again, it's on all of us: coaches, players, everybody. It's on all of us. It's very disappointing."

Postgame notes:
--The Lakers' 35-point win was their widest margin of victory this season.
--They set season highs for points (131) and shooting percentage (63.4 percent).
--Their reserves set a season high with 66 points.
--Kobe Bryant tied Patrick Ewing for 15th on the all-time scoring list (24,815 points).
--Jordan Farmar tied his career high with 24 points.
--Lamar Odom tied his season high with 15 rebounds.
--Sasha Vujacic tied his season high with 11 points.

So much for the showdown between the top two teams in the Western Conference. The Lakers hammered the Dallas Mavericks tonight, leading by as many as 43 points en route to a 35-point victory. Jordan Farmar matched his career high by scoring 24 points. Andrew Bynum added 19 points, Kobe Bryant had 15 points, Lamar Odom had 15 points and 15 rebounds and Sasha Vujacic and Josh Powell had 11 each. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 22 points and eight rebounds. Jason Kidd was scoreless on 0-for-6 shooting. The Lakers shot 63.4 percent and the Mavericks shot 37.8 points.

Kobe Bryant scored 15 points in the first half tonight to tie Patrick Ewing for 15th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 24,815 points. Bryant made 6 of 11 shots and also had two rebounds and five assists as the Lakers built a big lead. Jordan Farmar added 12 points in a reserve role. The Lakers played most of the half without Pau Gasol, who strained his left hamstring. Dirk Nowitzki scored 13 points for Dallas, which shot 4 for 25 in the first quarter (16 percent) and 12 for 43 for the half (27.9 percent).

Power forward/center Pau Gasol left tonight's game against the Dallas Mavericks because of a strained left hamstring. It wasn't immediately certain whether he would return to the game or not. He left for the locker room late in the first quarter. It also wasn't immediately clear how he was hurt or whether this was something that had been troubling him for a while. He sat out of the season's first 11 games because of a strained right hamstring.

UPDATE: Gasol will not return tonight and will be re-evaluated Monday.

Kobe Bryant made his third buzzer-beater this season, a 3-pointer from the left wing that enabled the Lakers to complete a rally from a 20-point deficit tonight. Bryant finished with 39 points on 13-for-27 shooting. He was 5 of 7 from 3-point range. He also had five rebounds and five assists in 47 minutes, 15 seconds. Lamar Odom added 20 points, Pau Gasol had 17 points and 16 rebounds and Andrew Bynum had 16 points. Spencer Hawes led the Kings with a career-high 30 points. Bryant also has beaten Miami and Milwaukee at the buzzer this season. He scored 27 points in the second half tonight.

"Crazy," Bynum said of Bryant's game-winner. "That was unbelievable. They keep leaving him wide open. That's what he does. That's why he's the best."

Sacramento shot lights-out in the first half tonight, making 61.4 percent while holding the Lakers to 37 percent shooting. Omri Casspi, Beno Udrih and Spencer Hawes each scored 13 points for the Kings. Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 14 points, Kobe Bryant had 12 and Andrew Bynum scored 10 for the Lakers, who trailed by as many as 20 points.