As expected, the Lakers recalled rookie forward Devin Ebanks from Bakersfield of the D-League today. Ebanks will be one of Coach Phil Jackson’s options as a replacement for injured backup forward Matt Barnes, who has torn cartilage in his right knee. Ebanks averaged 16.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in six games with Bakersfield.
Matt Barnes suffered torn cartilage in his right knee during the second quarter of Friday’s victory over the New Orleans Hornets and must undergo surgery, the team said today. Surgery has not been scheduled and the team won’t know how long Barnes, a reserve forward, will be sidelined until after the procedure. His injury is similar to those suffered in recent seasons by Andrew Bynum, Theo Ratliff and Jordan Farmar. The team plans to recall rookie forward Devin Ebanks from Bakersfield of the D-League. The Lakers hope he can join them in time for Sunday’s game against the New York Knicks. Meanwhile, Steve Blake’s sprained left ankle was improved enough that he is expected to play Sunday.
Kobe Bryant scored 25 points and passed Oscar Robertson to move into ninth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list during tonight’s victory over the New Orleans Hornets at Staples Center. Bryant has 26,720 points during his career, 10 more than Robertson. Pau Gasol added 21 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists as the Lakers won their third in a row.
Kobe Bryant scored 14 points in the first half tonight against the New Orleans Hornets, one shy of tying Oscar Robertson for ninth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 26,710 points. The Lakers were halfway to their third consecutive victory and their fifth in six games. They led by a modest margin for most of the half after shooting 60.6 percent (20-for-33). Pau Gasol added 11 points and Andrew Bynum had 10. Former Laker Trevor Ariza scored 12 for the Hornets. DJ Mbenga received a standing ovation when Bryant and Derek Fisher presented him with his championship game before the game.
The New York Post takes the Lakers beat reporters to task today for failing to report a bunch of stuff we have reported here and there over the last few seasons about Kobe Bryant’s lack of practice time with the team and about his surgically-repaired right knee. The Post quotes Bryant as saying the knee cartilage is so damaged that it’s almost bone-on-bone. Fair enough, That bit is actually something newsworthy. So full marks for that.
UPDATE: Bryant had this to say after the Lakers’ victory over the New Orleans Hornets tonight, “Do I look worried? Did we win last year? My knee last year was the size of a balloon and we still won, so I’m not concerned about it. We’ve just got to be smart and pace things out. It’s just listening to your body and I do a pretty good job of that.”
Derek Fisher will be honored as the 2010 Sportsman of the Year at the sixth annual L.A. Sports Awards on Feb. 24 at the Beverly Hilton, it was announced Thursday. Fisher was selected for his leadership in helping to guide the Lakers to their second consecutive NBA championship and for his off-court work with charities, including the Lakers Youth Foundation. Prime Ticket will tape the ceremony and show it the next night
Lamar Odom hurt his left shoulder when he fell to the court after making a driving layup in the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ victory Wednesday over the Phoenix Suns. He vowed to play in Friday’s game against the New Orleans Hornets at Staples Center. Officially, Odom is said to have a sore left shoulder. “I’m going to have to play right-handed,” he said when reporters quizzed him about his injury after Thursday’s practice in El Segundo. “It’s going to be kind of crazy. I don’t know how I will pull that one off, but I’ll have to try.”
PHOENIX — So, the Lakers won their second game in as many nights, taking their fourth victory in five games and their seventh win away from Staples Center in eight games. So, Ron Artest hit a key 3-pointer and grabbed a critical rebound away from Vince Carter of the Phoenix Suns. So, Derek Fisher made a big jump shot. So, Kobe Bryant scored 24 points, grabbed seven rebounds and added five assists. So, Shannon Brown scored 13 points in a reserve role. So, they are 4 1/2 games behind the NBA-leading San Antonio Spurs (29-6).
So, what was wrong with the Lakers (25-11) again?
PHOENIX — The Lakers went on a 16-0 run during the first quarter, but couldn’t maintain their lead or their momentum in the second and fell victim to the Suns’ 6-for-13 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc in the first half. The Suns hit 22 3s, one shy of the NBA record, when the teams played last time at Staples Center back in November. Jared Dudley scored 19 points on 7-for-8 shooting to lead the Suns in the first half tonight. Kobe Bryant scored 10 and Shanon Brown added nine points in a reserve role for the Lakers.
PHOENIX — Shannon Brown is officially out of the Slam Dunk Contest; Blake Griffin of the Clippers, Brandon Jennings of the Bucks, Serge Ibaka of the ThunderSonics and JaVale McGee of the Wizards are in the contest during the All-Star Weekend at Staples next month.