Laker Nation

That injured shin has prevented Kobe Bryant from putting on his uniform and playing, but it hasn’t stopped him from getting on his feet and cheering on his teammates, which he did a lot tonight and who could blame him? For the third game in a row, the Lakers had to play without one of their captains, but in his [...]

They had once led by nine points, and then they fell behind by nine points. Such is life for the Los Angeles Lakers. After dropping the last two games against teams who are either trying to maintain their playoff position or vying for a place in the Western Conference top eight at all, the Lakers had their third meeting with [...]

Kobe Bryant looked sharp on the bench…in his suit and tie that is. Having to sit out this game due to his bruised left shin that has turned into a swollen tendon (see OCRegister story here). Bryant handed off the reigns to the rest of his team. He’d been huge in their four previous wins (and even in yesterday’s loss), [...]

In the Eastern Conference, the best center in the league is (unsuccessfully) trying to avoid looking like the bad guy. In the Western Conference, arguably the second best center in the league is doing one hell of a job reaching that reputation himself. There is a laundry list of reasons why the Lakers lost tonight – it was their fifth [...]

“We got the W,” Pau Gasol said. “He can have the highlight.” “He” refers to Blake Griffin, and as far as highlights go, he creates several in every game. Unfortunately, posters do not a victory make. Playing to your strengths and playing for and with your teammates – that’s what gets the win. Despite occasional lapses in judgment, the Lakers [...]

If you’re the opposing team, and there are 2.3 seconds left on the shot clock and just over 10 seconds left in the game, and the lead to overcome is a single point, there is ONE player on this Laker team that you absolutely, positively ensure does not get his hands on the ball. ONE PLAYER. He’s number 24, has [...]

Lakers won 120-112, which means the absence of two things – defense and tacos for the Staples Center attendees. Based on how lackluster the Lakers’ play has been of late, however, the fans may not have minded tonight’s game so much, tacos or not. It was an entertaining game, with the Lakers leading by as much as 15 points and [...]

Trevor Ariza smiled then shook his head from the New Orleans bench. Despite being shorthanded, his team had overcome two Laker double-digit leads and led by 10 in the fourth quarter, only to lose their advantage for good late in the game to a 3-21 shooting Kobe Bryant. Ariza knew that was coming, and so did everyone on the floor. [...]

The game clock ran down as the Oklahoma City Thunder put the finishing touches on their Staples Center victory. A friend of mine texted soon after the final buzzer, “I don’t know why I hope.” It’s a sentiment shared by every Laker fan this season, because every time the team appears to have a game, their mindset or their efforts [...]

The Laker lead was 45-29. Alas, it was too early in the game for it to be of any significance to the team. The 16-point advantage was attained just seven minutes into the second quarter, and if there’s anything we’ve learned from the Lakers this season, it’s that no lead is secure unless it comes at the end of the [...]

No energy, no effort, not even the slightest smidge of common sense. When a team is missing all this, they absolutely don’t deserve to win the game and that was the case with the Lakers tonight. After a solid win on Friday against the scrappy Portland Trailblazers, the Lakers had Saturday to prepare for their third meeting against the Grizzlies; [...]

After sharing pleasantries and “good game” sentiments with the Portland Trailblazers, Kobe Bryant walked along the side line and came upon teammate Matt Barnes, whose comment we may never learn, causes Bryant to throw his head back in a hearty laugh. Bryant grabbed each of Barnes’ shoulders from behind, giving his teammate a shake as they laughed on their way [...]

A concerted effort from tip-off to the final buzzer – well waddya know? After losing two games in a row, both in which they had early leads, the Lakers had to come into Dallas and play out of their minds to forget those unnecessary losses. Both the Jazz and Rockets games were winnable, and the team was in the process [...]

New game plan, Mike Brown – fall instantly behind by 15-20 points in the first half, and then surge from behind in the second half to win the game by two or three points. Evidently, the team can’t hang on to a double-digit lead during any part of the game, so best to just play from a deficit to give [...]