That's three games in a row that the Lakers could have won, should have won, but ended up losing. Three games they won't get back. And if not for the lack of some basic fundamentals, three wins they would now have.
They lead this one most of the way and matched the Grizzlies in most statistical categories. But although the Lakers tied them at the free throw line, that was only 68%. Once again a few of the 10 out of 31 free throws they missed could have made all the difference.
Some smart defense would have been nice too. But that broke down late again for the Lakers and they allowed a 12-5 run at the end of regulation. Their 7-point lead was gone and they headed for a OT that should not have occured.
Kobe, as usual, shouldered a big portion of the offense with 45 points. New starter Devean George had 18, Lamar Odom had 15 rebounds to go with his 9 points, and Chris Mihm socred 15 and grabbed 11 boards.
Dec. 26, 2005
Lakers Don't Rebound
LA Lakers 91 Washington 94
The Lakers did things in spurts tonight. Hit shots, play defense, pass, and even some rebounding. The one thing they did consistantly was allow Washington to get multiple shot oportunities. Overall they were only edged by 3 rebounds, 48 to 45. But they gave up 17 offensive boards and were killed on second chance points.
Everything was going along smoothly after 6-0 run gave the Lakers an 8-point lead in the mid-3rd quarter. Then the flood gates opened and the Wizards went on a 21-3 run the rest of the period. The Lakers made a couple of small runs in the 4th, but could never put enough stops together to regain the lead.
Kobe Bryant finished with 31 points and 5 rebounds. Smush had a good shooting game and had 16 with 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
Dec. 25, 2005
LA Lakers 92 Miami 97
Missed Threes
After listening to the game I thought the problem today was the missed free throws. But the stats show they shot a fairly decent 74% from the line. And while they could have used half of the eight they missed, the real problem was shooting from beyond the arc.
Kobe Bryant was 0 for 8 and Lamar Odom 0 for 5, and as a team they shot just 14% on 21 attempts. Why they would take that many when other things seemed to be working for them is a good question. Even though Devean George's two in a row late in the game helped them regain the lead, their 3-point selection didn't seem very good most of the time.
Despite these problems, the Lakers remained in the game to the end. They showed flashes of the defense that has improved so much recently, and even out-rebounded the Heat 49 to 47. Odom grabbed 16.
Dec. 23, 2005
LA Lakers 104 Orlando 88
At Home On The Road
The Lakers have now won 9 of their last 11 games, including 3 of 4 at home and an amazing 6 of 7 on the road. In fact, the road wins have generally been more convincing. And they displayed that tonight in Orlando.
A 17-1 run to finish the first half set the tone for the rest of the game. During that run, Chris Mihm scored 9 of his 20 points. Chris also collected 5 rebounds and 3 blocks in just 23 minutes of play, and so stood out with a big 1.14 prod.
As a team the Lakers shot 49% from the field, but only 65% from the line. Other than that everything went well. Kobe Bryant finished with 21 points and 9 assists. Lamar Odom had 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Smush Parker had a very nice game with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 asissts. And Brian Cook hit a 3-pointer with seconds to go, putting his total at 12 and all five starters in double figures.
It was an uphill battle in the second half for the Magic, and it was a hill they couldn't climb. The Lakers had an answer for each of their runs, and kept up the defensive pressure to hold another opponent under 90 points on just 40% shooting.
Dec. 20, 2005
Dallas 90 LA Lakers 112
Single-Handed
What else can be said. After scoring 15 in the 1st quarter, 17 in the 2nd, and a whopping 30 in the 3rd, Kobe Bryant had alone outscored the Dallas Mavericks 62-61. One could continue the argument about him dominating the offense too much, but this was just one of those special perfomances when a player could do no wrong at the offensive end.
Kobe hit 18 of his 31 shots and an amazing 22 of 25 free throws. The other Lakers did contribute another 50 points and as a team the shot 50% from the field, but they only hit 12 of their 23 free throws. But it's pointless to nitpick this one. You just appreciate the fact you got to see Kobe's career high and leave the worries to the next game.
Dec. 18, 2005
Houston 76 LA Lakers 74
Disappearing Act
One could disect the last few minutes of this game and point fingers. But the Lakers really lost this game when they went to sleep in the 3rd quarter. While not playing with the cripsness they did on their recent road trip, the Lakers played steadily enough to build a 12-point lead early in the third quarter.
The Rockets dominated the period with a 27-5 run and lead by 13 early in the 4th. The Lakers managed to tie the game with 20 seconds left, and then played horrible defense on the final posession to cost them the game. But it shouldn't have come down to that against a depleted opponent at home.
Something was defeinatly not working right tonight. And if you have to pick one thing it was their shooting. After hitting 47% for the first half, the Lakers finished the game at a miserable 38%. And although the hit an OK 70% of their freethrows, they could have used a few of the 8 they missed.
Kobe Bryant did his part on offense hitting 6 of 13 shots for 24 points, and Smush Parker hit 5 of 11 for 11 points. But that means the rest of the team couldn't hit a shot.
Dec. 16, 2005
Washington 91 LA Lakers 97
Two Runs
That's all the Lakers needed tonight. A 15-4 run to start the 2nd quarter and a 15-5 run in the 3rd. The rest of the way they just hung on and survived. It was a puzzlingly flat effort after their brilliant road trip, but just good enough for a win.
Although they did shoot a very nice 49% as a team, the offense didn't look very sharp. Kobe Bryant carried the big load socring 41 on 12 of 24 shooting, along with 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and a block. Lamar Odom contributed 14 and 11 rebounds, while George added 13 off the bench. Kwame Brown, in his first game against his form team scored only 6 but grabbed 9 rebounds.
Chris Mihm also got 10 rebounds and the Lakers had a huge 46-31 edge tonight. This is one of the keys to their improved play of late. Defense has also been key, and they held the Wizards to 34% shooting. In fact the reason Washington was able to stay in the game was their making 90% of their 37 free throws, most of those comming from Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas.
Dec. 14, 2005
LA Lakers 94 Memphis 79
Cruise Control
That's how Lakers announcer Spero Dedes described the team during the 4th period garbage time. They gained a 21-point advantage going into the period and were able rest all the starters except Sasha. They do seem to be cruising these days, playing with the same efficiency and confidence they have shown all during this road trip. And they cruised to a very surprising 5-1 record on this eastern swing.
The Lakers started off steadily, swapping runs with the Grizzlies in the first half. They managed 45 points and an 8-point lead after two periods against a good defensive team. Then they unleashed a 28-6 run and dominated the 3rd quarter, ending the game for intents and purposes. Kobe scored 13 of his game high 27 points in that period.
Kobe's 10-17 shooting lead the way to the Lakers 48% as a team, and they outrebounded Memphis 48-38. The only low point was their 62% from the line.
Lamar Odom and Smush Parker were the other Lakers in double figures (14 and 13). And the Lakers center tandem of Chris Mihm and Kwame Brown combined for 16 points and 14 rebounds. Although the starters had the big +/- figures, the bench did score 30 including 9 from Kwame and 8 from Laron Profit.
In addition to all that, holding an opponent to 79 points is always a good thing. The importance of the improved defense on this team cannot be over stated.
Dec. 12, 2005
LA Lakers 109 Dallas 106
The Little Things
In a close game, the little things matter a lot. A pass here, a rebound there, a tipped ball, defensive position. Those are the kind of things that add up to a win. Tonight the Lakers got a team effort in the little things.
Kwame Brown scored 12 points on 6-6 shooting and grabbed 4 rebounds. But, uncharacteristically, he had 3 assits on key plays to help his team stay in the game. He was second in +/- with a big +14 to Devean George's +16. While Devean didn't put up big numbers, he did make the hustle playes his team needed. And Luke Walton only played 7 minutes but made a key cut down the lane to get one of Kwame's assists and got an offensive rebound on a Laker missed freethrow to help seal the win.
Being his usual helpful self, Lamar Odom did a lot of little things with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. Kobe did a little thing too. After fumbling the ball with the 24-second clock running out, he regathered it and calmly hit a 3-pointer to give the Lakers a 2-point lead with 34 seconds left to play. He finishted with 43.
All these little things added up to the Lakers only big run of the night, 17-7, that gave them the lead for good. A big win on the road for this young team against a good opponent.