Los Angeles Lakers Team Report

Just how good is the Lakers' offense? After rolling up 130 points on 51.6 percent field-goal shooting Sunday night against Golden State, the Lakers are averaging 107.3 points on 47.3 percent shooting this season. The scoring average is easily a league high (Golden State is next at 105 points per game). Kobe Bryant has heated up dramatically with his shot as 2008 has neared its end. Bryant has made at least 50 percent of his field-goal attempts in six of the Lakers' past seven games. He is now at 47.3 percent field-goal shooting on the...read full article

Bynum's sporadic play puzzles Jackson

The young center's up-and-down efforts continued with just two rebounds on Friday.

The Lakers have rebounded nicely from last month's back-to-back losses in Miami and Orlando, winning five consecutive games heading into tonight's game against Portland.
They rank first in the league in scoring, are shooting a respectable 47.3 percent from the floor and outrebounding their opponents by more than three boards a game. Seems everything is clicking well. But maybe not everyone. Coach Phil Jackson is puzzled by...read full article

Lakers give a glimpse of unbeatable formula

One by Sasha Vujacic. Two by Lamar Odom. Then one by Kobe Bryant. Only four shots out of 42 that the Lakers took in the first half Friday night against Utah could be categorized as out of rhythm. Bryant being Bryant, he made his off-kilter shot: a contested 3-pointer in the corner after nearly kicking the ball out of bounds. The Lakers were that generous and that in sync in building a 57-43 halftime lead over a solid Jazz team that knows the triangle offense inside and out after facing the Lakers in the playoffs last season (and three times in the past two...read full article

Trevor Ariza comes through for the Lakers

He follows the creed of the team's Bench Mob against the Utah Jazz to 'change the game every time.'

Change the game. That's the mantra from the members of the Lakers' Bench Mob. Trevor Ariza changed the game, doing so with his defense, his hustle, his drive and determination. His two steals late helped the Lakers roll to a 113-100 victory over the Utah Jazz on...read full article

Year begins with much unresolved in the NBA

The Times' NBA columnist takes a look at what some familiar names might want in 2009.

It's getting harder to get a meaningful resolution out of our NBA heroes. Not that it will keep me from persisting, as long as I have a column due that week.

David Stern: I don't hear you pestering me about seeding anymore. We could have the Lakers and Celtics in the Finals again! Did you see that 5.3 rating we got for Christmas? Higher than the average Fox got in prime time for the NLCS?

Me: You're not rooting, are you?

Stern: Moi? Just to show how nonpartisan I am, I put some Army...read full article

Lakers' Andrew Bynum can't quite get in sync

A year after his NBA breakthrough, the Lakers' young center can't find the rhythm he enjoyed last January before his season-ending knee injury.

Andrew Bynum was the toast of the town a year ago, averaging 17.3 points and 12.3 rebounds in the month of January before a knee injury prematurely ended the party. Can he get that feeling back? Bynum has had one double-double in his last seven games. He had eight points and two rebounds in 25 minutes of the Lakers' 113-100 victory Friday over...read full article

Another win falls into Lakers' lapse

They revert to old, lead-blowing habits to help Jazz stay close, then surge late to pull away. Bryant gets 40.

Say this about the Lakers -- they make things interesting. After a stirring victory over Boston Celtics and a stroll past Golden State, they slipped back into a familiar habit that hadn't been seen around here in a while, a large lead getting hacked down to almost nothing. To their credit, they reestablished their edge and won their fifth consecutive game by...read full article

Lakers forward Gasol would love to be an All-Star

Pau Gasol would be honored to be selected to play for the Western Conference All-Star team. It would be nicer if the fans voted him onto the team, but if the coaches do it, he still would be pleased beyond measure. "To be in the game with  all the best players in the league, you always would appreciate it," he said before the Lakers played host to the Utah Jazz on Friday. "It's tough to get voted in, to get all the fans to make a constant effort to get their votes in. I think it has a different value if the fans vote you in." Gasol was selected once...read full article

Bryant scores 40 points in Lakers' win

Kobe Bryant scored 40 points and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 113-100 Friday night for their fifth straight win and 17th in 18 home games. Pau Gasol added 21 points, giving him 10,001 for his career, and had 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who were coming off a four-day break. Mehmet Okur had 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Jazz, who have lost four of their six and three in a row on the road, where they are 7-11. Ronnie Brewer added 20 points, and Deron Williams had 10 points and 12 assists. Paul Millsap extended his streak of...read full article

Bryant leads Lakers past Jazz, to fifth straight win

Kobe Bryant scored 40 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers in a 113-100 victory over the Utah Jazz at Staples Center. Pau Gasol scored 21 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and doled out six assists for the Lakers, who have won five straight. Lamar Odom added 14 points and seven boards in the win. Mehmet Okur had 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Jazz, who have dropped two of three. Ronnie Brewer added 20 points in defeat. Paul Millsap scored 16 and hauled in a career-high 17 boards to record his 17th straight double- double. Brewer's jumper and...read full article

Big Tests Looming For Lakers

The Lakers have fourteen games coming over the next 26 days, including a number of battles against formidable opponents. Friday night's game against the Jazz will only be their second game in eight days, but they'll face the Hornets, Cavaliers, Magic, Rockets, and Spurs in the coming days.
"We have a deep-enough team that we can go through stretches like that without struggling physically," Pau Gasol said. "It's just a matter of playing and coming out...read full article

Gasol making case for All-Star spot

Since the fan vote alone probably won't be enough to make Pau Gasol an All-Star starter, the Lakers big man has started stuffing the ballot box himself. "Yeah, once or twice," he admitted, chuckling. "Just to give me a couple extra votes." Gasol currently is sixth in the balloting for Western Conference forwards, more than 600,000 votes behind leader Tim Duncan, of San Antonio, and more than 200,000 back of second-place Amare Stoudemire, of Phoenix. Voting for the Feb. 15 All-Star game will continue through Jan. 11 for paper balloting and...read full article

Pau Gasol, the best

LA Lakers' Pau Gasol was chosen the best European player in 2008 according to a poll carried by Italian paper La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"It took 30 years for a Spaniard player to be considered the best European player and it could be just Pau Gasol, world champion, two-silver, one-bronze Olympic medal winner winner, and runner-up in NBA 2008 season, the chosen one," Italian paper La Gazzetta dello Sport published. Pau Gasol, 28, waited for seven years in America before moving to LA Lakers and being considered a star. He won with the American votes; in the end, he got...read full article

Lakers' Pau Gasol boxed out in All-Star balloting

The 7-footer is sixth among Western Conference forwards in fan voting for starting spots, though his chances of being selected as a reserve appear good.

All-Star votes continue to be tallied, and, no shocker, Kobe Bryant leads the Western Conference. Pau Gasol, however, lags far behind the top West forwards. He was sixth at last glance, trailing Tim Duncan, Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki and Ron Artest, but comfortably ahead of Bruce Bowen and Shane Battier. "It's tough...read full article

CHRISTMAS DAY GIFT EXCHANGE

The Lakers thrilling win over their rival Boston Celtics was only part of Christmas Day celebration at The STAPLES Center. Before the game, the Lakers brought their annual "A Season of Giving" to a festive close with two very special events. The first event was a holiday reception for a local boys home. The Lakers continued their tradition of hosting 50 guests from Its Time For Kids, at a pre-game holiday reception in the Wachovia Room of the STAPLES Center. Each guest was treated to a catered lunch, and a bag of Lakers...read full article

Assistant Coach Kurt Rambis Honored by Alma Mater

In his four years at Santa Clara from 1976-1980, Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis became the school's all-time leading scorer (1,736) and second-leading rebounder, and went from being the WCC Freshman of the Year to the Conference Player of the Year as a senior. "I'm really excited and honored to be back at Santa Clara," said Rambis at his press conference. "I fully enjoyed my educational and athletic experience here ... It was the right university for me." Rambis was in Santa Clara to have his jersey retired by the Broncos in a halftime...read full article