Laker Nation

Sometimes when you accumulate 24 turnovers, you almost don’t deserve to win, and the Lakers did that today. That Andrew Bynum shot 12-14 for his 33 points and collected 11 rebounds, it doesn’t excuse his five turnovers. The same goes for Pau Gasol who scored 18 points on 8-12, grabbed 10 rebounds but had five giveaways himself. And with the [...]

It was a slightly different Lakers team that took the floor at Staples Center tonight… but that was really the only thing that was different on a night where the Lakers beat the Timberwolves, 97-92. For the turf-defending Lakers, it was their fourth win in as many tries vs. Minnesota, giving them an NBA best 19-2 record at Staples Center. [...]

Don’t look now, but the Lakers have a three game winning streak…ON THE ROAD. It seems like months since those back-to-back losses in Detroit and D.C., yet just a week after, the team has found some gusto to come up from behind (for a change) to win in the end. It hasn’t been pretty, getting behind by as much as [...]

72-55 in favor of the Grizzlies in the third quarter. Oh these wretched road games! Arriving in Memphis, TN yesterday with a 7-14 record away from the Staples Center, the Lakers remain at a loss as to why they’re so dominant at home (18-2) but play so poorly on the road. And if they could lose two games in a [...]

There it was again, that unmistakable ear-to-ear smile coupled with the emphatic bear hug. He seems the happiest Laker when the game ends with a win, and the most excited to greet his teammates when the final buzzer sounds. Maybe it’s because he’s turning out All-Star caliber performances each night. Maybe it’s his double-double dominance that opposing teams don’t seem [...]

The final buzzer sounded and Andrew Bynum, with a towel over his shoulders, elbows bent with fists tightly closed in front of his chest, approached his teammates coming off the floor with that childlike, Christmas morning smile. He greeted each player one by one with, “We got a win. We got a win.” It’s only been two losses since their [...]

Well at least they beat the worst team in the league (Charlotte Bobcats). Then again, that was at home, inside the comforts of Staples Center where the Lakers are 17-2; a record that is almost disposable when placed against the team’s 6-14 record on the road. It’s one thing to lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat, [...]

13-26 – The Detroit Pistons are 13-26, almost the exact opposite of the Lakers’ record to date, and the Lakers STILL could not pull together a game to defeat them. After allowing the Pistons just 17 points in the first quarter on 33% shooting, and then driving up their lead to 12 points in the second quarter, the Lakers lost [...]

The buzzer sounded to signal the end of the third quarter. Frustrated with his last miss, Lebron James shoved the closest player in front of him, innocent bystander, Troy Murphy. Seeing this, Pau Gasol stepped in and pushed Lebron James back, which was followed by Udonis Haslem pushing Gasol. In came Metta to administer some World Peace. Gasol walked away, glaring at James on his way to the bench. Gasol and James were hit with double technicals as a result. Frankly, that was a technical well-spent for the resident Spaniard and the Lakers.

Despite their losing record (12-24 after tonight’s game), the Sacramento Kings are a young, energetic team teamed up with a handful of veterans. It’s a group filled with a lot of talent, and today, they gave the Lakers everything they had, forcing the home team to work until the very end. Seven Kings’ players scored in double figures and they played a clean game, giving away the ball on only five occasions. But it wasn’t enough.

Well, of course Kobe Bryant played tonight. Of course he passed every test to assure his condition post-concussion was game ready. Of course he wore the mask when he was on the floor. And of course he scored 31 points and the Lakers won. Was there any doubt as to the outcome of this game, really? The Minnesota Timberwolves may [...]

A big show – that’s what All-Star Weekend usually is. Yes, there is a game to be played, yes, a collection of the league’s best players are in the same arena to go head-to-head, and yes, it’s a three-day event that entertains. It also signals a break in the NBA schedule – a short hiatus, if you will. But in this abbreviated regular season, mired by the effects of a long lockout, this All-Star Weekend provided something more than entertainment. It provided some hope for the NBA’s millions of fans.

In their last two visits to Oklahoma City, the veteran Lakers defeated the young Thunder and the player formerly known as Ron Artest was Kevin Durant’s worst nightmare. Funny thing about the young, though – they grow up. And these Thunder, they’ve grown up. Like GROWN UP – individually, as a team – they’re the real deal, and after having [...]

Everything is bigger in Texas…especially when Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol are in town. On the first night of a back to back, the Lakers arrived in Dallas fresh off a week’s worth of, “he said, they said, no one said.” Tonight, however, they let their playing do the talking, and in the end, the men in purple got the last word.