Bryant, Wade named Players of the Month

The Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade and the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month presented by Kia Motors, respectively, for games played during the month of December. Wade led the NBA in scoring (for the second consecutive month) at 29.2 ppg, tallying double figures in all 13 of Miami's games, including 11 games with 20 or more points, six games with 30 or more points and two 40-point performances. For the month, Wade let the Heat in scoring 11 times, in assists nine...read full article

Millsap — knee brace and all — will start against Lakers tonight

Power forward Paul Millsap will play and start when the Jazz visit the Los Angeles Lakers tonight, coach Jerry Sloan said after shootaround this morning at the Lakers' practice facility here. "He got around pretty good (at practice Thursday)," Sloan said. "(The brace he's wearing) looks pretty cumbersome, but we'll just have to see how he does." Millsap, who indicated Thursday he had hoped to return tonight, has missed the Jazz's last three games due to a sprained posterior left cruciate knee ligament sustained Dec. 23 at...read full article

Lakers welcome Jazz to Staples Center

The Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Lakers resume a four-game homestand Friday when they welcome the Utah Jazz to Staples Center. The Lakers won their 14th straight home game and closed out 2008 on a positive note last Sunday when Kobe Bryant connected on 9-of-15 from the floor and 10- of-10 from the free throw line for a game-high 31 points as LA pounded the hapless Golden State Warriors, 130-113. Both teams were coming off victories over Boston, as Golden State used a big fourth quarter to stun the defending...read full article

Banged Up Utah Visits Top-Ranked Lakers

Off to their best 30-game start since the 1999-2000 championship season, the Los Angeles Lakers have high aspirations for another title. Utah, meanwhile, is just looking for a healthy starting lineup.
Los Angeles looks for its fifth win in a row on Friday night at Staples Center as it faces the injury-riddled Utah Jazz in the teams' first meeting since last year's playoffs. The Lakers (25-5) have won seven straight over Utah at home, including three games in the Western Conference semifinals last year. Los Angeles, which also owns a 14-game overall home...read full article

Lakers fans aren't in the mood to give Luke Walton a break

Today's thoughts: Why is Walton starting (or even playing)? Why aren't the Lakers shopping for small forwards? And why can't every day be like Christmas?

Readers questions for Lakers beat reporter Mike Bresnahan.

Question: Do you ever ask yourself, "Just what is Luke Walton doing starting for the Lakers?" Earlier in the season when the team actually seemed organized and on message, Walton was safely on the bench (buried like some frozen thing from a sci-fi film). Looking at his turnovers and low number of assists shows that he is not the "organizer" playmaker...read full article

Utah Jazz (19-14) at Los Angles Lakers (25-5), 10:30 p.m.

The Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Lakers resume a four-game homestand Friday when they welcome the Utah Jazz to Staples Center. The Lakers won their 14th straight home game and closed out 2008 on a positive note last Sunday when Kobe Bryant connected on 9-of-15 from the floor and 10- of-10 from the free throw line for a game-high 31 points as LA pounded the hapless Golden State Warriors, 130-113. Both teams were coming off victories over Boston, as Golden State used a big fourth quarter to stun the defending...read full article

Rest Period Over For Fisher, Lakers

The Lakers get back to work tonight, the days of resting Derek Fishers 34-year-old legs are over.
Since Jordan Farmar’s injury, Fishers minutes per game have jumped from 28 to 34 a game, more mileage than the Lakers coaching staff wanted to put on the veteran point guard. However, it’s hard to take him out right now because of how he is playing — Fisher shot 41.3% before Farmar went down and 49% afterward. He is getting more assists but not turning the ball over. He has stepped up his game, like you hope a veteran leader would. Since the...read full article

NBA Power Rankings: Lakers leap to the top of the charts

1. Lakers (25-5, last week: 2)
Two reasons they're back on top: They played their 'A' game on Christmas in snapping Boston's 19-game winning streak, and the Celtics lost three of four on the West Coast.
2. Boston (28-5, LW: 1)
They were due to lose in L.A., but getting beat by Golden State (without Jamal Crawford and Corey Maggette) and Portland (minus Brandon Roy) bordered on inexcusable.
3. Cleveland (26-5, LW: 3rd)
LeBron James wanted to go 14-0 in December. The Cavs didn't reach his goal, going 12-2 (with only losses at Atlanta and at Miami), but it still wasn't a bad month...read full article

Caption Contest: Kevin Garnett

What is Kevin Garnett thinking? Write a comment and see if you can beat my caption.

Utah Jazz +9½ to hang close at rusty Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers have had five days off and should be rusty tonight against a Jazz team with revenge on their mind. Take Utah and the points Friday night in Los Angeles.

The Utah Jazz look to take their frustrations out on the Lakers from last year’s postseason exit when Los Angeles sent them packing in 6-games from the 2008 playoffs. Tonight’s game marks the return to the court for the first time in...read full article

Jazz-Lakers Preview

Off to their best 30-game start since the 1999-2000 championship season, the Los Angeles Lakers have high aspirations for another title. Utah Jazz, meanwhile, is just looking for a healthy starting lineup. Los Angeles looks for its fifth win in a row on Friday night at Staples Center as it faces the injury-riddled Utah Jazz in the teams' first meeting since last year's playoffs. The Lakers (25-5) have won seven straight over Utah at home, including...read full article

For Barkley, credibility is no laughing matter

The back story of the bust turned out to be vintage Sir Charles: A late evening of drinking with Michael Strahan and Urkel and a nightcap of a willing woman waiting beyond the bar. Charles Barkley ran a stop sign in Scottsdale, failed a field sobriety test and couldn’t wait to offer his reasoning for such recklessness to the booking officer.

“I was gonna drive around the corner and get a … ”

The rest of Barkley’s boast is available with a simple ’net search, but understand: With his arrest on suspicion of DUI this week, Barkley...read full article

Lakers play host to banged-up Utah

The Jazz, with Carlos Boozer out after knee surgery, might be missing Paul Millsap tonight.

On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 570, 1330.

Where: Staples Center.

Time: 7:30 pst

Records: Lakers 25-5; Jazz 19-14.

Record vs. Jazz (2007-08): 3-1. Update: Utah Jazz has been hit hard by injuries and will be without Carlos Boozer for at least another month because of knee surgery. Reserve power forward Paul Millsap, who has been solid in Boozer's absence, has sat out three games because of a sprained knee and might not play tonight. Utah is in ninth place in the Western Conference.