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 helps Lakers edge Heat

Andrew Bynum scored a team-best 24 points, including a key putback bucket in the waning moments of the fourth, and the Los Angeles Lakers went on to post a 108-105 victory over the Miami Heat at Staples Center. Kobe Bryant had 19 points on 5-of-14 shooting with seven assists, while Derek Fisher had a game-high 11 helpers and 13 points for LA, which has won three straight and nine of 10 overall. Pau Gasol logged a game-high 18 rebounds and scored 14 for the Lakers, while Vladimir Radmanovic drained four three-pointers en route to 18 points. The...read full article

Bynum lifts Lakers to close win over Heat

Kobe Bryant again misfired against the Miami Heat. This time, Andrew Bynum had his back. Bynum tipped in Bryant's miss with just under 19 seconds remaining Sunday, helping to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 108-105 victory over the Heat in a matchup of two of the NBA's top three leading scorers. Bynum had 24 points and six rebounds for the Lakers, who suffered an 89-87 loss to the Heat on December 19, when Bryant's game-tying attempt rimmed out at the buzzer. With the game tied at 102-102 on Sunday, Bryant drove to Dwyane...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

Quote of the Day

"If they don't come (with a double team)...I can turn and shoot over the top." -Kobe Bryant

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

Around the Association

Don't call him a Wizard Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson has no problem ripping or downright insulting his players. Step forward Sasha Vujacic, who apparently is in Jackson's doghouse for a series of not so intelligent plays recently. "We just had to come to the conclusion that Sasha's just an emotional player that plays by the seat of his pants, and that's about it. He just doesn't have a brain," Jackson told reporters on Friday. "He's just out there whacking away and working really hard. He's not using his head out there at times. We're...read full article

Lakers are good, but we still don't know how good

Here's an interesting question: What would this Lakers team be like if it was really playing well? It has definitely been an amazing season around here. Well, an amazing four weeks anyway. Not that there hasn't been a disappointment or two for hard-core fans, who hoped the Lakers could be unbeaten going into the Christmas game against the Boston Celtics. Now even Vic the Brick understands the Lakers aren't likely to get 80 wins. For one thing, there's that Feb. 5 game in Boston . . . and the one three days later in Cleveland. They also have two...read full article

Josh Powell is latest Laker to get an opportunity

He scores a season-high 10 points Friday against Indiana, taking advantage of the team's injury situation for more playing time. Basically, the Lakers are down to an eight-man rotation because of injuries. The available Lakers all want to play and there are some who have been waiting for the opportunity. One of them is Josh Powell, who stepped up and played big for the Lakers on Friday night at Staples Center against the Indiana Pacers in a 121-119 victory. Powell scored a season-high 10 points on five-for-seven shooting. He had two rebounds. He hustled. He...read full article

New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul is becoming known as one of the biggest trash-talkers in the NBA.

The way Phil Jackson described Sasha Vujacic before Friday night's game, you'd think he might send the Lakers guard to visit the Wizard of Oz. Asked about Vujacic's tendency to engage in soap opera histrionics every time an opposing player mouths off to him or a call goes against him, Jackson said semi-seriously that Vujacic sometimes plays as though "he just doesn't have a brain."
"We've just had to come to the conclusion that Sasha is just an emotional player that plays by the seat of his pants, and that's about it," Jackson said. "He's just whacking away...read full article

Hornets' Chris Paul talks trash

New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul is becoming known as one of the biggest trash-talkers in the NBA. He has this angelic-looking face, the face of a choir boy. But many around the league say he is anything but that. In fact, just ask Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic. When the Lakers played the Hornets recently, Vujacic said Paul called him a name that rhymes with witch.

Heidi Klum And Seal: Lakers Lovers

Treating themselves to a date night away from the kids, Heidi Klum and Seal were spotted enjoying themselves at the Los Angeles Lakers game last night (January 9). The “Project Runway” babe and her “Kiss from a Rose” crooner hubby scored floor seats to cheer their home team on to victory over the Indiana Pacers 121-119 at the Staples Center. Abandoning all of her better judgment, Heidi took the night off from her usual supermodel diet by chowing down on popcorn and nachos and washing it all down with a beer. Klum and Co. recently returned...read full article