Kobe Dogs Wade, Lakers Escape The Heat With Win

Kobe Bryant The Doberman, the defensive stopper from Beijing, was unleashed again for one night.
He shadowed Dwyane Wade all over the court, denied him the ball and took him out of the game at key moments, all while leaving his team’s scoring to others. It worked. Wade shot just 1 of 10 in the second half when Kobe was on him and was virtually a non-factor on the Heat’s last few possessions, Andrew Bynum led the Lakers with 24 points including what was essentially winning tip in with 18.5 seconds left and Los Angeles picked up another close win at...read full article

Bynum leads Lakers past Heat 108-105

Andrew Bynum scored a season-high 24 points, including a go-ahead follow shot with 18.5 seconds remaining, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Miami Heat 108-105 Sunday night to become the first Western Conference team to reach 30 victories. After Bryant tipped in Kobe Bryant's miss to give the Lakers a 104-102 lead, Chris Quinn missed a baseline jumper. Vladimir Radmanovic got the rebound and was fouled with 6.6 seconds left. Radmanovic, an 83.3 percent shooter from the foul line, made both shots to give him a season-high 18 points...read full article

Bryant, Wade square off when Lakers host Heat

Miami (19-16) at LA Lakers (29-6) 9:30 p.m. EST

Kobe Bryant appears determined to defend his MVP crown. Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers go for their third straight win on Sunday when they host the Miami Heat. The 30-year-old guard, Bryant earned his first NBA MVP last season when he ranked second in the league in scoring, averaging 28.3 points per game. He also added 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists as the Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals before losing to the Boston Celtics. Bryant is poised to duplicate that success this campaign as he ranks third in scoring at 27.2 points per game and has...read full article

Heat goes for season sweep of Lakers on Sunday

It's turning into an adventurous road trip for the Heat. Saturday's optional practice at UCLA was canceled because students protesting the Israeli-Palestinian violence in Gaza prevented the team bus from getting on campus. This follows the team having to spend the night in Denver on Thursday because of a mechanical problem with its airplane. In between, the Heat defeated Sacramento in a riveting 119-115 overtime game Friday at Arco Arena. Guard Dwyane Wade had 41 points - 10 in overtime - to help Miami end a two-game losing streak. "I was...read full article

Miami Heat looks for season sweep of Lakers

After needing overtime to beat one of the worst teams in the West, the Heat can do something no team has done this season against the conference's best: Beat the Lakers twice. The Heat (19-16) looks to sweep the Lakers (29-6) for the first time since the 2004-05 season when they play Sunday at Staples Center. The Heat won the first of two regular-season games 89-87 on Dec. 19 in Miami. Kobe Bryant's jumper rimmed out as time expired. Coach Erik Spoelstra said the Heat is a more confident defensive team now that it was three weeks ago, when it held the...read full article

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