March 2011 Archives

Sure, the news coverage will focus on Jason Terry's knockdown of the Lakers' Steve Blake and the fracas that followed with the game all but decided in the early minutes of the fourth quarter tonight at Staples Center. But what shouldn't be overlooked in the Lakers' eighth consecutive victory and their 16th in 17 games since the All-Star break is how they thumped the Mavericks. They did it with a stifling defense that limited Dallas to 11-for-41 shooting (26.8 percent) in the second half. They did it by outscoring the Mavericks, 56-31. It remains to be seen if they will be at full strength for Friday's game against the Utah Jazz. Blake and teammate Matt Barnes were ejected as were Terry and teammate Brendan Haywood. Terry drew a flagrant-2 foul for shoving Blake to the court with both hands. The league will review the video before the Lakers tip off against the Jazz.

There wasn't much difference between the Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks in the first half of their showdown tonight at Staples Center. The Lakers, winners of seven in a row, led by as many as seven points. The Mavericks, winners of five in a row, led by as many as four. The Lakers' best players were their best players. The same could be said for the Mavericks. Pau Gasol scored 13 points, Kobe Bryant had 12 and Andrew Bynum added 11 for the Lakers. Dirk Nowitzki scored 14 for Dalals, which outrebounded the Lakers, 25-18.

Ron Artest wasn't sure what to make of his selection by the basketball writers' association as a finalist for the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his "tireless advocacy for mental health issues." Said Artest: "I'm not sure what everybody else is doing, but congratulations to everybody who got mentioned. I'm not sure what everybody is doing in the community, but it's cool. ... I think I know the award. ... I'm going to find out more tonight after the game or tomorrow and I'll have more (to say)." The other finalists: Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, Kyle Korver of the Chicago Bulls and Marcus Camby of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Lamar Odom used to play for the Clippers, so it's a little strange for him to be rooting for his old team to beat the Dallas Mavericks tonight at Staples Center. But there's a lot at stake for the Lakers, who were hoping for a Clippers upset. The second-place Lakers led the third-place Mavericks by one game in the Western Conference standings as this was written this afternoon. A loss for Dallas would make it 1 1/2 games going into Thursday's matchup between the Lakers and the Mavericks. A win for the Mavericks would cut it to a half-game. Said Odom: "Hopefully, the Clippers get to beat them up a little bit. Hopefully, the game goes two or three overtimes, a couple of guys foul out, get nicked up."

There was some significant news today about the Lakers' rookie forwards. Devin Ebanks will be sidelined for another three weeks when an MRI taken of the stress fracture in his left leg was healing but not as quickly as hoped. It could mean he's unavailable for the first round of the playoffs, not that the Lakers were counting on him to average 20 points. Derrick Caracter was assigned to the Bakersfield Jam of the developmental league.

If he wins the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award, Lamar Odom said today he would leave the trophy on the scorer's table as a tribute to the fans who cheer for him every time he gets off the Lakers' bench and heads to midcourt to check into the game. Here's more: "Every time I get going into the game I hear the crowd pick me up a little bit. It's for them. If I do win it, the night I win it, I'll probably leave it on the scorer's table just to kind of let the fans know it's for them. I think that's how I would show my appreciation."

As expected, the NBA took another look at the confrontation between Derek Fisher and the Clippers' Chris Kaman in the closing seconds of the Lakers' victory Friday and upgraded Fisher's foul to a flagrant foul 2. Kaman set a tough pick on Fisher on the perimeter and Fisher shoved Kaman. Fisher got a technical foul and Kaman got two and was ejected.

Also, Kobe Bryant was named the Western Conference player of the week after averaging 36.3 points in victories over the Phoenix Suns, the Clippers and the New Orleans Hornets. He had a season-best 42 points in a triple-overtime win over the Suns last Tuesday. He also had 12 rebounds and nine assists in 48 minutes against the Suns.

Today was a day off for the Lakers, who go back to work Tuesday.

The Lakers handled the New Orleans Hornets for the fourth and final time in the regular season, winning tonight at Staples Center. Kobe Bryant scored 30 points, Pau Gasol had 23 points and 16 rebounds, Andrew Bynum scored 13 (including seven in a key 9-2 run in the fourth quarter) and Ron Artest had 11 points. "Size," Bynum said when asked why the Lakers swept the season series with the Hornets, a possible first-round playoff opponent. Carl Landry scored 24 points and Emeka Okafor added 14 for the Hornets. The Lakers have won seven in a row and are 15-1 since the All-Star break last month.

The second-place Lakers (53-20) moved within four games of the Western Conference-leading San Antonio Spurs (57-16), who lost tonight to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers also remained one game ahead of the third-place Dallas Mavericks (52-21), who beat the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers play host to the Mavericks on Thursday with second place possibly on the line.

The Lakers worked over the New Orleans Hornets from the outside and the inside in the first half tonight at Staples Center. Kobe Bryant scored 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting and Pau gasol added 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting and nine rebounds. Carl Landry had a team-leading 13 points for New Orleans. The Lakers led by as many as 18 points just before halftime. There was even a Joe Smith sighting, which meant the Lakers were way ahead and/or Andrew Bynum was in foul trouble. They were way ahead and Bynum had three fouls and went to the bench late in the second quarter.

Coach Phil Jackson said today he admires some of the elite point guards around the NBA, including Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets and Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls. He said he believes they have great gifts in their ability to control the pace of the game and still manage to score as well as they do. He said all that as a preface to defending Lakers point guard Derek Fisher, whose role is a good deal different in directing the triangle offense.

"All these guys are dynamic point guards who can speed up the game and also score," Jackson said. "This offense (the triangle) doesn't require that, it requires the point guard to be a quarterback of sorts, but he doesn't have to score the touchdowns."

That's Kobe Bryant's job and that's why Jackson sticks with Fisher.

Kobe Bryant scored 12 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter tonight, leading the Lakers to their third victory in four games this season over the Clippers. Pau Gasol added 26 points, Ron Artest scored 15 points and had a key steal late in the game and Andrew Bynum scored 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Mo Williams scored 30 for the Clippers, a season high by two points. Blake Griffin had 22 points.

Kobe Bryant played like there was absolutely nothing wrong with his sprained left ankle, scoring 17 points in the first half of the Lakers' Hallway Series game tonight against the Clippers. Pau Gasol added 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting, which meant he was on the hook for $14,000 in his charity relief effort for victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Blake Griffin had 14 points, including a dunk off a lob from Al-Farouq Aminu. Mo Williams added 12 points for the Clippers, but Eric Gordon was scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting.

Andrew Bynum said today of his two-game suspension for cracking Michael Beasley in the chest and knocking him to the floor last Friday: "I don't think what I did was deserving of it. I really don't think I did anything too wrong. It was unfortunate the guy fell the way he did and got hurt. If he didn't fall down or get hurt, it would have been different."

And if this was 1981 he probably wouldn't have been suspended, but it's 2011 and he did get a two-game vacation for failing to make a play on the ball. Luckily for Bynum, the Lakers won both games while he was barred. If not, if his absence cost them two wins and they finished third instead of second in the West, then it was an even sillier play.

Pau Gasol will donate $1,000 for every point he scores in Friday's game against the Clippers to a charity providing relief to victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Gasol is one of 20 NBA players, including his younger brother, Marc of the Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, who are participating in the relief effort. If you want to help the effort, you can donate to the Japan Relief and Recovery Fund at www.directrelief.org/Japanrelief or text Give10 to 20222 to give $10.

Andrew Bynum promised to talk today, but he and the rest of the Lakers got a day off after their triple-overtime thriller of a victory Tuesday night over the Phoenix Suns. Bynum hasn't spoken publicly since he was suspended for Tuesday's game and Sunday's victory over the Portland Trail Blazers for his flagrant foul against Minnesota's Michael Beasley. We'll do our best to corner him and make him explain himself after Thursday's practice. Bynum is eligible to play Friday against the Clippers, the fourth and final game of the Hallway Series this season. The Lakers lead so far, 2-1.

Many of the numbers were staggering. The Lakers needed three overtimes and 3 hours, 9 minutes to defeat the Phoenix Suns tonight at Staples Center for their fifth consecutive victory and their 13th in 14 games since the All-Star Break. Kobe Bryant scored a season-high 42 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and added nine assists in 48 minutes. It was his third game with 41 points or more this season. Lamar Odom scored a season-high 29 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and added five assists in a team-leading 55:13. Pau Gasol had 24 points and 13 rebounds in 52:22. Channing Frye scored 32 points in 56:59 for Phoenix. Marcin Gortat added 24 points in 53:05 in a reserve role for the Suns, and Steve Nash scored 19 points with five rebounds and 20 assists.

Said Odom: "I'm tired. I want to go home. I'm hungry for pancakes."

Said Bryant: "We rallied, stuck with it and won the game."

Said Lakers coach Phil Jackson: "I was hoping to be home by 11 o'clock."

It was the Lakers' first triple OT game since a Dec. 29, 2006 loss to Charlotte.

The Lakers streak of 11 consecutive games of holding the opposition to less than 100 points was doomed by a high scoring first half tonight against the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center. The Portland Trail Blazers, who had 101 points in the Lakers' overtime win Feb. 23, are the last team to top 100. The Suns are also assured of 100 or more tnoght, though. The Lakers took a modest lead just before halftime. Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant each scored 14 points for the Lakers. Vince Carter had 13 for Phoenix.

The Lakers are going to need a new coach when Phil Jackson rides off into the sunset at the end of the season. Brian Shaw, a longtime Lakers assistant, figures to be the most logical internal candidate. But what about from outside the organization? Marc Stein of ESPN.com offers a few lines about one possible replacement: "I heard again this week that the Lakers remain intrigued by the prospect of hiring Jeff Van Gundy -- and you have to presume that the reigning champs are in the select club of teams with the wherewithal to finally lure Van Gundy away from ESPN's courtside announcing table -- but I've had the same question every year when someone says he's a candidate in L.A.: Can Van Gundy really deliver the sort of entertainment that Lakers owner Jerry Buss craves?"

Ummm, my answer would be, no.

After he showed as much on-court emotion as he has all season after hitting a key jump shot during the Lakers' victory Sunday over the Portland Trail Blazers, Kobe Bryant was back to providing painfully short answers for reporters after today's practice.

"Yeah, it was intense," he said of the Lakers' come-from-behind victory.

"He's being doing it from Day 1," he said of Derek Fisher's fine fourth quarter play.

"We know how to get it done," he said of rallying to win.

"Yeah," he said when asked if was a little more emotional than usual Sunday.

"I don't know why. I just was," he added.

The playoffs must be right around the corner.

The Lakers won their fourth in a row and their 12th in their last 13 games when they rallied to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers tonight at Staples Center. They also clinched the Pacific Division title and the playoff berth that goes with it. Kobe Bryant scored 22 points on 9-for-20 shooting, Lamar Odom had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Pau Gasol added 14 points and 13 rebounds. Andrew Bynum served the first game of a two-game suspension. Nicolas Batum had 25 points for the Trail Blazers, a possible first-round playoff opponent. LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points. The Lakers (50-20) won with defense, holding the Trail Blazers to 14 points on 5-for-18 shooting (27.8 percent) in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers played without suspended center Andrew Bynum and seemed to be doing just fine until the Portland Trail Blazers ended the first half tonight at Staples Center with a 10-0 run to take a halftime lead. Pau Gasol shifted from power forward to center to replace Bynum and scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds. Lamar Odom moved from a backup's role to Gasol's spot and had eight points and five rebounds. Kobe Bryant scored a team-leading 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting. Nicolas Batum had 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting for Portland.

The league handed down its verdict this morning, suspending center Andrew Bynum for two games without pay for thumping Michael Beasley to the court during the fourth quarter of the Lakers' victory Friday night over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Bynum will sit out tonight's game against the Portland Trail Blazers and Tuesday's contest against the Phoenix Suns. Beasley suffered a bruised left hip when he hit the floor.

Bynum wasn't available for comment.

"There's a thin line nowadays between a hard foul and a flagrant foul," Lamar Odom said tonight. "I guess you've got to make a play on the ball. ... You've got play hard and play physical, but you've got to make sure no one gets hurt."

"I suppose there is discretion that goes into (committing) a hard foul," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "I haven't seen Andrew do that. Maybe one other time. Even in practice, he doesn't get involved in that kind of stuff. That's a little out of character for him."

It's uncertain what he could bring to the table at this late date, but it appears backup center/forward Theo Ratliff is nearing a return to the active roster. Ratliff practiced today for the second time this week and if all goes well during three scheduled practices this week, he could be sound enough to play for the first time since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Nov. 17. Ratliff played only eight games before he had surgery. More depth is better than less depth.

The Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight for their 11th victory in 12 games since the All-Star break. It remains to be seen whether Kobe Bryant or Andrew Bynum will be available to play when they try for their 12th win in 13 games on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers. Bryant, who already had a sprained left ankle, got an accidental head-butt from Minnesota's Martell Webster late in the game. Bynum got ejected after thumping the Timberwolves' Michael Beasley to the floor midway through the fourth quarter. Beasley suffered a bruised left hip in the fall.

Bryant could sit out to rest and recover. Bynum could be given a suspension.

"It was my jaw," Bryant said, "but my jaw is fine. I can take a hit. It was just that my neck snapped back. My neck is pretty stiff right now. (The ankle) was OK. It was a little stiff, so I had to stretch it out a little bit. It was all right. ... I'll be ready to go on Sunday."

Bynum left Staples Center without speaking to reporters.

"He committed a hard foul," Bryant said of Bynum. "He did what a big guy is supposed to do, protect the paint."

Pau Gasol scored 25 points for the Lakers, including the go-ahead jump shot that made it 95-94. Bryant scored 18 points, Shannon Brown had 14 and Bynum scored10 points and grabbed a team-leading 14 rebounds. He has scored 10 or more points in five consecutive games and taken 12 or more rebounds in seven in a row.

Wesley Johnson scored 29 for Minnesota.

Kobe Bryant played (of course) tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he seemed to be moving just fine on his sprained left ankle. His shooting looked out of whack, however. He missed six of his first eight shots and had only six points (on a pair of 3-pointers late in the half). Pau Gasol scored 15 points and Andrew Bynum had 10 points and eight rebounds. Wes Johnson had 17 points and Kevin Love had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Timberwolves. The Lakers won 14 in a row over Minnesota.

Coach Phil Jackson clarified Andrew Bynum's knee condition before the Lakers played host to the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight. Bynum said Thursday he continues to have swelling in his surgically-repaired right knee and also takes medication. Said Jackson:

"Yes, we watch it. He has swelling that develops. But we try to stay in touch with it. He's not out there getting numbers by playing extra minutes at the end of a game. The other night he came out with three minutes to go. It wasn't a done deal, but it was time for him to come off the floor. It's not the same thing. It's not quite that same level of irritation."

Despite scoring 10 or more points in four consecutive games and despite grabbed 12 or more rebounds in six in a row, Andrew Bynum said today he's still not 100 percent after undergoing offseason right knee surgery. "I have a little bit of fluid and I'm still taking medication," he said. He sat out the season's first 24 games after having surgery July 28. He has looked sharp since the All-Star break, one of the reasons the Lakers are 10-1 since the break. Bynum is averaging 11.6 points and 8.8 rebounds this season.

Kobe Bryant did not practice with his teammates again today, but he's likely to play in the Lakers' game Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Bryant has been nursing a sprained left ankle since Saturday. The Lakers can clinch a playoff berth with a victory, so you can expect Bryant to play. He hasn't missed a game this season. Bryant didn't talk to reporters for a second consecutive day, but here's what Lakers coach Phil Jackson said:

"We'll just see. We'll see how it is tomorrow and we'll go from there. He says he's got good strength in his ankle. It's still swollen quite a bit, but he's got strength in it and feels he can play."

Kobe Bryant didn't practice with his teammates today, sitting out to have treatment on his sprained left ankle. But Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he hopes Bryant will get on the court Thursday if only to work on his shooting. Said Jackson: It's still an ankle that was badly sprained.He's still going to be doing therapy a lot. Today, he stayed off it. Tomorrow, he may come on the court. I asked him if he could shoot to get some shots in. But we'll see about that." Bryant was hurt during the Lakers' victory Saturday over the Dallas Mavericks.

I realize the standings say the Dallas Mavericks are still percentage points ahead of the Lakers for second place in the Western Conference standings. I say the Lakers are ahead of the Mavericks, 48 victories to 47. Until the Mavericks get their 48th win, I say the Lakers are ahead of the Mavericks. Follow my logic: if both teams play the rest of their games and they lose all of them, the Lakers would still be ahead, right? Of course, the teams play against March 31, so somebody definitely will not lose 'em all.

The problem is that the teams haven't played the same number of games, so the AP (which keeps track of the standings for newspapers and Websites) relies on winning percentage to determine places. It can create some absurdities. Several seasons ago, the Lakers were placed first in the conference standings because they were percentage points ahead of (I forget the team), but they also were listed as a half-game behind (team X), which was the height of craziness. So ... discuss.

The Lakers rallied from nine-points down in the first half to win by double-digits tonight, rallying past the Orlando Magic at Staples Center for their 10th victory in 11 games since the All-Star break. They passed the Dallas Mavericks for second place in the Western Conference standings. Pau Gasol scored 23 points, Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom each had 16, Derek Fisher scored 15 and Andrew Bynum scored 10 points and tied his career high with 18 rebounds. Dwight Howard had 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Magic.

Fans have been waiting for big things from Andrew Bynum and he's starting to deliver on those expectations. Tonight's first half against the Orlando Magic at Staples Center was another case in point. Bynum scored six points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked four shots to help keep the Lakers in contention. Dwight Howard, Bynum's Orlando counterpart at center, had 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. The Lakers were within striking distance despite only four points on 2-for-10 shooting from Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant started, as usual, for the Lakers in tonight's game against the Orlando Magic at Staples Center. There had been two days of speculation that he might not be fit to play after spraining his left ankle in Saturday's victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Kobe Bryant didn't join the Lakers today for their video session and light workout, and after he arrived for treatment on his sprained left ankle, he declined to speak to reporters. Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he expected Bryant's participation in Monday's game against the Orlando Magic wouldn't be made until right before the opening tip. Bryant hurt his ankle late in the third quarter of Saturday's victory over the Dallas Mavericks. He hasn't missed a game this season.

DALLAS -- The Lakers' make-or-break trip is history, and they might have made up enough ground on the Dallas Mavericks to catch them in the Western Conference standings before the end of the regular season. The third-place Lakers (47-20) have 15 games remaining in order to overtake the second-place Mavericks (47-19). There's no chance the Lakers can catch the conference- and league-leading San Antonio Spurs (54-12). The Spurs defeated the Houston Rockets tonight.

Andrew Bynum sparked the Lakers' third win on their four-game trip by scoring a season-high 22 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Kobe Bryant scored only 16 points and suffered what Lakers coach Phil Jackson called a "severe" sprain to his left ankle. Jackson said he hoped Bryant could play Monday against the Orlando Magic. Lamar Odom got cut on his left eyelid and had to have it glued shut. The cut was in a sensitive place and could not be stitched. Pau Gasol added 18 points and Ron Artest had 12. Shawn Marion and Dirk Nowitzki each scored 25 for Dallas.

The Lakers and the Mavericks play one more time, on March 31 at Staples Center.

Bryant on his sprained left ankle: "All jokes aside, I thought I was done. I was just praying that when I stood up that my foot was lined up straight. All jokes aside, that really scared me. It looked horrible and it felt worse. I thought I dislocated it. I wasn't really sure how it was going to respond, jogging around back here (in the locker room) and then going back out to the floor and playing was a little different. It felt OK."

DALLAS -- Kobe Bryant landed awkwardly on his left ankle, had to leave tonight's game against the Dallas Mavericks late in the third quarter and went to the locker room to seek treatment. Bryant leaped to battle Dallas' Shawn Marion for a loose ball, but crumpled to the court. There was no immediate word on the severity of the injury. The Lakers led the Mavericks, 73-65, going into the fourth quarter. Bryant had 12 points. He returned to the bench just as the fourth started. He was walking much better, and faster.

DALLAS -- The Lakers were halfway to their third victory in four games on their last trip of significance this season. Andrew Bynum had 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting plus seven rebounds to lead the Lakers in the first half tonight against the Dallas Mavericks. Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant each scored 10. Bryant made only 4 of 11 shots. Shawn Marion scored 15 for Dallas, which led the Lakers by 1 1/2 games in the Western Conference standings and had won 20 of 23 games going into tonight. Dallas shot only 17 of 44 (38.6 percent).

DALLAS -- In case you missed it during TNT's telecast of the Lakers' loss to Miami on Thursday, here's Charles Barkley's message to the struggling Heat:

"Listen, I like Dwyane (Wade) a lot and I like LeBron (James) a lot. They are really starting to get on my last damn nerve. I've heard Dwyane say it twice and I've heard LeBron say it twice, that America is happy now that the Miami Heat are losing. Dwyane, let me break it to you, you know I love you, but nobody cares about the Miami Heat. The only people who hate the Miami Heat are the Cleveland fans. No one else cares about you. We just want you to play better, stop whining, stop sitting at every press conference like someone killed the family pet. It's annoying. You guys came out there jumping on stage like idiots, said, 'We are going to win five championships.' You brought all this stuff on yourself. So don't get on TV and act like the world owes you anything. You guys had your parade, you guys said that. Nobody said, 'Come on stage and dance around.' Nobody said, 'You're going to win five championships.' You guys did. So quit whining and bitching like a little girl."

DALLAS -- When asked today if he had ever stayed late after a game to work on his shooting, Pau Gasol said with a straight face, "Usually, I'm hungry after a game." Kobe Bryant shot baskets for almost 90 minutes after the Lakers' loss Thursday night to the Miami Heat, finishing a little after midnight local time. Bryant said it wasn't the first time he had gone to a court to shoot, but it's usually one near his home in Orange County.

MIAMI -- The game ended at 9:51 p.m. local time, and after doing a round of interviews, Kobe Bryant headed back onto the court to shoot baskets. The arena was empty except for a few TV reporters getting ready to do their live shots plus a couple of Lakers beat reporters. Even the party people in the arena club were long gone. Bryant shot 3-pointers and free throws mostly for well over an hour, finally finishing a little after midnight. His T-shirt and sweat pants were soaked with sweat. The two ball boys were exhausted from rebounding and passing him the ball. A third came to join them.

MIAMI -- The Lakers crumbled down the stretch and their eight-game winning streak came to an end tonight against the Miami Heat. Kobe Bryant's 3-pointer, one of only two baskets for him in the second half, tied the score at 88 with 2 minutes, 26 seconds remaining. But the Lakers never scored again. The Heat ended a five-game losing streak. Bryant scored 24 points on 8-for-21 shooting. Pau Gasol had 20 points and Andrew Bynum had 13 points and 12 rebounds. LeBron James had 19 points, including the go-ahead dunk with 1:27 left. Chris Bosh scored 24 and Dwyane Wade added 20 for Miami.

MIAMI -- The Lakers and the Miami Heat went toe-to-toe in the first half tonight at the American Airlines Arena, with little difference between them. Actually, there was a slight difference in that Chris Bosh had 16 points for the Heat and Pau Gasol countered with 14 for the Lakers. Kobe Bryant scored the Lakers' first 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting. He had 17 points by halftime on 6-for-10 shooting. Mike Miller had 11 in a reserve role for Miami.

MIAMI -- With a Lakers victory tonight over the Miami Heat, Phil Jackson will get his 600th win with the franchise. He won his 599th when the Lakers defeated the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday. Only four other coaches have won 600 games with one franchise. He would join Jerry Sloan (1,127 with the Utah Jazz), Red Auerbach (795 with the Boston Celtics), Gregg Popovich (787 with the San Antonio Spurs) and Red Holzman (613 with the New York Knicks). For what it's worth, Jackson played for Holzman.

MIAMI -- Here's some of what Kobe Bryant had to say today about the struggling Miami Heat, losers of five in a row going into Thursday's game against the Lakers: "It's always tough, it's always tough to go through those kinds of streaks, especially when you're under a microscope. ... The difference between us (the Lakers and the Heat), is that we all know what our roles are. Everything is cemented for us, you know what I mean? For them, they're still trying to figure that out. It makes it a little tougher."

ATLANTA -- Kobe Bryant scored 26 points and moved into sixth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list, and Andrew Bynum added 16 points and 16 rebounds to guide the Lakers to a one-sided victory tonight over the Atlanta Hawks. They have won eight in a row since the All-Star break, matching their eight-game streak to start the season. Pau Gasol had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers (46-19). Al Horford scored 17 for Atlanta.

ATLANTA -- Kobe Bryant needed 12 points to catch Moses Malone and move into sixth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. He scored 15 in the first half tonight against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Lakers made 25 of 43 shots (58.1 percent) in the first half and led by as many as 13 points. Pau Gasol added eight points and six rebounds and Andrew Bynum had six points and five assists. Three Hawks had 11 points.

ATLANTA -- The Lakers' renewed commitment to defense during their seven-game winning streak had reporters clustered around assistant coach Chuck Person today at practice at Philips Arena. Person inherited the job as defensive guru that was essentially left open after Kurt Rambis departed to coach the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2009. Person called center Andrew Bynum "the captain of the defense."

Here's something to think about in the wake of Sunday's blowout victory over the Spurs: the Lakers have road victories this season at San Antonio, at Oklahoma City, at Denver, at Boston, at New York, at New Orleans, at Portland and at Memphis. That's not bad.

Here's something else to chew on: the Lakers need to go 12-6 in their final 18 regular-season games in order to match last season's record of 57-25. That's good, too.

Kobe Bryant is 12 points shy of tying Moses Malone for sixth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 27,409. ... The Lakers have lost three in a row against the Hawks in Atlanta. ... The Lakers beat the Hawks by 24 points Feb. 22 at Staples Center.

SAN ANTONIO -- The Lakers held the San Antonio Spurs to 31-for-86 shooting (36 percent) today and won their seventh consecutive game. Kobe Bryant scored 26 points, Pau Gasol added 21 points and Andrew Bynum grabbed 17 rebounds. The Lakers won with a superb opening quarter, when they scored on 12 consecutive possessions. The next three quarters were simply exercise. The Lakers' biggest lead was 32 points.

SAN ANTONIO -- The Lakers looked like a team that needed a victory over the league-leading San Antonio Spurs today. The Spurs played like a team that wasn't ready for what hit them. The Lakers opened the game by making 15 of 25 shots (60 percent), taking a 34-13 lead by the end of the first quarter. Kobe Bryant scored 17 points, Pau Gasol had 15 and Andrew Bynum grabbed eight rebounds by halftime. Tony Parker scored 12 points for the Spurs. Tim Duncan had two.

SAN ANTONIO -- Derek Fisher, who suffered a sprained left elbow, and Matt Barnes, who had right knee surgery Jan. 11, will play in today's game against the San Antonio Spurs. Fisher will playing in his 477th consecutive game, the league's longest streak. Barnes flashed two thumbs up when asked if he would play. He was fitted with a compression sleeve designed to provide support for his knee.

Derek Fisher suffered an injured left elbow when he got tangled up with Kwame Brown of the Charlotte Bobcats late in the third quarter tonight. He did not return to play in the fourth quarter and his status was said to be day to day. Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he believed Fisher could play Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs. Fisher declined to speak with reporters after the game. Barnes suffered from nerve irritation that he believes was unrelated to his right knee surgery. He was set to play tonight, but decided against it after his right leg got hot and then fuzzy, as he described it. He's not sure if he can play Sunday.

Kobe Bryant scored 27 points, Pau Gasol had 20 and Andrew Bynum grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked six shots to guide the Lakers to a payback victory over the Charlotte Bobcats tonight at Staples Center. The Lakers leave Saturday for a four-game trip with a six-game winning streak and some added momentum after avenging a 20-point loss Feb. 14 to the Bobcats in Charlotte. D.J. Augustin scored 22 for the Bobcats, who had won eight of 10 against the Lakers.

The Lakers took the Charlotte Bobcats seriously this time, no question. They led by as many as 13 points in the first half tonight at Staples Center. Kobe Bryant scored 16 points and Andrew Bynum had 13 rebounds. The Lakers scored 28 out 45 points from the paint, including 12 of their first 14. D.J. Augustin had 11 points for the Bobcats, who beat the Lakers by 20 points in a Feb. 14 game at Charlotte.

Matt Barnes was dressed and ready to play tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats, but he aggravated his right knee during warmups and decided to sit out. He has been sidelined since undergoing surgery Jan. 11. He is said to be day to day.

Devin Ebanks, a rookie forward from West Virginia, was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left tibia and will be sidelined for at least three weeks, the Lakers announced today. Ebanks averaged 3.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 20 games. Said Ebanks before tonight's game against the Charlotte Bobcats: "I was playing through it, but i got bad yesterday. I couldn't run and jump like I wanted to. I was limping (while) running down the court. It wasn't noticeable, not when I played, but I could feel it and then yesterday in practice it got worse." Ebanks vowed to return in 2 1/2 weeks, beating the team's estimate.

Matt Barnes did everything his teammates did in practice today. Now everyone will wait to see if he recovers sufficiently Friday to play in the Lakers' game against the Charlotte Bobcats. Barnes looked fine while playing in a scrimmage at the end of the workout, hitting a 3-pointer in the closing moments for the second unit. The starters ended up winning, however. Barnes has been out since having right knee surgery Jan. 11.

The Lakers didn't practice today after flying home in the small hours of the morning after their victory Tuesday night over the Timberwolves in Minneapolis. Matt Barnes said he plans to go full-tilt Thursday in practice. If that goes well, he'll play Friday against the Charlotte Bobcats for the first time since undergoing right knee surgery Jan. 11. The Lakers will be trying for their sixth consecutive victory, their longest since a seven-game streak in January.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Lakers overecame a poor-shooting night and the youthful Minnesota Timberwolves to win their fifth in a row since the All-Star break. They played some pretty ugly ball, but still beat the Timberwolves for the 14th consecutive time. Kobe Bryant scored 24 points and Pau Gasol had 12 points and 17 rebounds. The Lakers shot 37.5 percent (30-for-80) and had 16 turnovers. Kevin Love scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for his 47th straight double-double for Minnesota. Next: Charlotte at Staples Center on Friday.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Lakers missed their first six shots, committed three turnovers in the opening minutes and made a mess of the first half tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They shot 14-for-46 (30.4 percent) and had nine turnovers by halftime. They didn't score until there was 7 minutes, 45 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Andrew Bynum scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds and Pau Gasol had four points and 11 rebounds. Kevin Love, a former UCLA standout, was trying to record his 47th consecutive double-double. He had eight points and six rebounds for Minnesota.