Halftime thoughts There was part of me that had hope that the Lakers' two practice days after that almost-infamous Sonics game would have knocked some sense into these guys. Nope. Tonight is the night that all of the doubters finally grasp the worth of Andrew Bynum. The Lakers, without Bynum, are being taken advantage of on both ends of the court. Not having that second option available s allowing the Suns to put more pressure on Kobe, allowing him to only 13 points on 12 shots through the half. Kwame still hasn't waken up, and I would love to see if any of the people who have backed him in the past few days are still around. From missing lay-ups that Andrew would have muscled down, to simply playing in his usual lackadaisical demeanor, it is now clear that the Lakers need to follow through with some type of move to bring a defining presence down low. I'll take C-Webb.
Third Quarter
12:00 - I'm really agitated for some reason.
11:40 - The Lakers had more turn overs than field goals in the second quarter..
11:22 - Kwame dropping the ball YET AGAIN. This is great.
11:01 - Borris Diaw is on fire; 4-4 FG
10:40 - Make that 5-5.
10:32 - Kwame makes a free-throw! Misses the second. 44% on the season.
10:22 - Lamar looks so off.
10:04 - Kwame travels!
9:36 - KWAME MISSES A DUNK!!! this is awesome.
9:09 - Kwame loses the ball. BOOS RAIN ON STAPLES!
8:46 - Kwame touches ball, Kwame gets booed. My kind of crowd.
8:20 - KWAME MISSES A LAY-UP!!
7:50 - KWAME WITH THE TURN OVER!
7:17 - I challenge ANYONE to defend Kwame in the comments.
7:17 - "Nobody named Pookie gettin' in my Fave Five"
7:17 - It really is time to replace Kwame Brown. I almost feel sorry for him... Then, I realize he's getting paid $9,000,000.
6:54 - Kwame is still in. It's a big F-you from Phil!
6:28 - Kobe is getting involved... This needs to continue if the Lakers plan on doing anything.
5:43 - The Suns should be up by about 200 right now... Instead, 66-50.
4:23 - Barbosa nails a heavily contested three. 3-4 from the field with 8 points.
3:50 - Turiaf coming off the bench = THANK YOU!
3:35 - There you go, Turiaf nailing a J. Tonight is really legitimizing my "Start Ronny" campaign.
2:22 - Craig Saeger not disappointing in wardrobe.
2:05 - Pete Sampras at the scorer's table?
1:52 - Kobe nailing the three. He's got 21 on the night. This could be something...
Through three Suns 79, Lakers 60
12:00 - Still agitated.
12:00 - "Chilly 43-degree night."
11:35 - Sasha hooking it up.
11:02 - Lamar misses two straight lay-up on a potentially momentum-shifting possession. Lamar for Marion. Now.
6:37 - Farmar nails the three. Nine point game... All of this without Kobe in the game.
6:01 - Time out. Kobe should be coming back in right here, and trust me, if he's hot, this will get dangerous.
4:43 - Raja Bell with a huge three. 94-80
4:23 - Kobe counters with a three.
3:57 - "Dangerous Encounters; Undercover Hippo"
3:28 - Farmar with the three. It's unreal that the Lakers are still in this game.
2:45 - Kobe with a nice three; 99-86.
1:55 - Farmar with the steal and the deuce. Eight point game.
1:34 - Barbosa with a dagger.
1:27 - Kobe counters with a three.
1:03 - 102-94. It's hammer time.
0:46 - Lamar misses a lay-up, gets the rebound, gets fouled. Makes both!
0:24 - Borris Diaw nails the three on a beautifully executed play. The Suns have an eight point lead... It's just about over.
0:19 - Sasha gets the basket. Six point game with Steve Nash heading to the line... Gets the first... Gets the second.
0:00 - That shaped out to be an admissible loss without Andrew.
0:00 - Lol @ Steve Nash "We suck."
Final Score Suns 106, Lakers 98
Post Mortem I'm almost okay with the fact that the Lakers walked out of this game with just an eight point loss. It makes me feel better about some of the upcoming match-ups over the next couple of months. What I'm not okay with is the fact that the Lakers just might have won this game if it weren't for the sloppy play of Kwame Brown ($9,000,000). Kwame is officially a cancer. I never thought I would stoop to that level of 'hating,' but it's basically impossible to produce down low when Kwame is in the game. I say this as Charles bashes him on the post-game.
Let's take a flashback to remind us why we don't like Kwame:
10:04 - Kwame travels!
9:36 - KWAME MISSES A DUNK!!! this is awesome.
9:09 - Kwame loses the ball. BOOS RAIN ON STAPLES!
8:46 - Kwame touches ball, Kwame gets booed. My kind of crowd.
8:20 - KWAME MISSES A LAY-UP!!
7:50 - KWAME WITH THE TURN OVER!
Oh yeah, did I mention the $9,000,000?
Credit to Kobe and Sasha for bringing the deficit to six points at one point in time. I really don't have much more to say. This style of play is draining to watch.
Leaders | Seven Suns saw playing time in this game, six of which finished in double figures. Leandro Barbosa posted 22 off the bench, Shawn Marion scored 20 points and puled down 18, and Borris Diaw scored 19 on 9-13 from the field. Raja Bell scored 16, including a huge three to basically bag up the game, Amare also scored 16 in addition to his seven boards. Steve Nash scored 13, but picked up the slack in the assists column, dishing out 20.
Kobe scored 30 points after being shut down for much of the first half, Lamar put up some good numbers, with 19 and 19, and Jordan Farmar posted 16. Sasha Vujacic pulled some almost-heroics, scoring 10 points, but it wasn't enough to contain the now Pacific Division leading Suns.
[The Lakers are now 2-3 in game live blogged on VHP]
The Lakers come into tonight's match-up fresh off of a big Christmas Day win, after coming out of the road trip relatively unscathed... as I predicted.
And to all the Andrew Bynum haters out there... I stand gallant in my support, and that isn't changing any time soon.
Kwame's back, and hopefully Phil doesn't give cash money the benefit of the doubt. Bynum belongs in the starting position, yet there is always that lingering Phil Jackson threat to reward Brown the starting spot.
Through one quarter Lakers 38 (yeah, 38!!), Jazz 23
12:00 - On the eve of what is arguably the largest NFL event in the history of regular season football, the Lakes, led by Kobe (of course) are using the momentum from that X-Mas thriller, taking a huge lead over the defensively sound Jazz.
10:41 - Speaking of the holiday, my best wishes to you and yours this holiday season, and I hope you all had pleasant Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Non-religious celebration of winter. Mine was great, highlighted by, of course, the huge win. I'm home for the holidays, in the cozy confines of my home, alongside my dad, doing what we do best; watching basketball.
8:53 - The Lakers are shooting 68% from the field... Now, typically (virtually always) these kind of numbers don't hold up throughout the game, but with the Lakers up 20, It would be nice to see Lakers win BIG leading up to Sunday's contest with the Celtics.
6:22 - Bynum struck early, putting up eight, before grabbing his second foul early, sitting him for the remainder of the first.
5:42 - Kobe has 13 points and 6 assists; Lakers 55, Jazz 34
4:52 - Tech on Jerry Sloan, complaining on a blatant block. Gotta love it!
4:14 - Tech on Kobe for baking his dudes. If anyone saw that play, It looked like some straight-up playground ball.
3:28 - Kobe with the three.
3:08 - KOBE AGAIN! Lakers 67, Jazz 42
0:47 - Kobe's free throws put the Lakers at 73 points; two up on the previous season high of 71 in Phoenix early in the season.
Halftime Score Lakers 75, Jazz 48
The Lakers have done it up HUGE in the first, scoring 75 points. 75 POINTS! They're on pace to score 150 points tonight.
Kobe is leading the charge with 21 points and six rebounds. Odom has 13, Bynum has eight and six, and D-Fish has seven. Kwame Brown made his first appearance in 19 games, and thus far he has three points, two blocks, and four rebounds in just over 11 minutes.
Third Quarter
11:44 - AK47 will be out or the remainder of the game with a shoulder injury. Kirilenko scored nine points un just under 15 minutes.
9:10 - Lakers up by 19. Everything is going the Lakers way. EVERYTHING.
8:07 - D-Fish just toilet bowled one in for three... Did I mention that EVERYTHING is going the Lakers' way?
7:10 - Kobe has 30 points... that's one over his average... with 7 minutes left in the third.
4:11 - We're really starting to like how Ariza is coming out of his shell as his playing time increases. That trade way back when was a good move. That was clear awhile ago, but I'm owning it now.
2:47 - Bynum takes a seat with four fouls. He's got 10 and nine.
0:00 - Farmar stepped it up and nailed a long three to close out the third.
Through three quarters Lakers 109, Jazz 74
10:44 - Ariza is 2-7 from the line tonight. He's drawing fowls, and not following through.
9:33 - 107-83... If the Lakers pull a Sunday v. Knicks and give up this lead, I just might lose my cool... They're lucky they pulled out of that one with a win, because, as we know, a win is a win... BUT, a loss ISN'T a loss when it's to the Knicks... it's worse.
8:37 - Portland got their 12th straight win tonight over the T-Wolves. They face the Sixers on Sunday at 3:30pm PT.
6:21 - Vlad Rad must be sick or something... He's playing like he's intoxicated.
5:59 - Horrific call by the refs just now. They called a shot-clock violation on a play in which the ball CLEARLY hit the rim. It's good to see Phil getting in the face of officials despite the big lead. belichick-esque? I think not. That ball blatantly bounced off the rim, and the lakers lead is down to 20... As Stu said, they are lucky that it's not a close game, because that was a horrible call.
2:42 - Sasha went down awkwardly earlier in the quarter, and it has been confirmed that it is a sprained ankle, and will be re-evaluated later.
2:32 - 117-101 ... There go the tacos. Boos rain on Staples Center.
1:34 - Farmar nailed a three; he's got 13.
0:11 - Vlad Rad just missed a dunk...
Final Score Lakers 123, Jazz 109
Post Mortem: With tonight's win, the Lakers set themselves up perfectly for the hottest ticket in LA; Sunday's showdown with the 24-3 Celtics. Coming off of two wins over two upper-echelon teams, the Lakers couldn't ask for more leading up to their second, and final match-up with the Celtics this season. Their first meeting resulted in a 107-94 win Boston.
As for tonight's contest, Kobe put up 31 points with seven assists despite not playing for the entirety of the fourth quarter. Lamar has 17 points with eight rebounds and seven assists, Jordan Farmar carried the weight in the fourth, scoring 14, and Trevor Ariza managed to score 12 points, despite his awful showing from the line. D-Fish score 10 with eight assists, and Andrew Bynum scored 10 with eight rebounds.
For Utah, Carlos Boozer scored 20 and 11, Ronnie Brewer and C.J. Miles both put up 18, and Ronny Price added 12.
The Lakers improve their record to 19-10 on the season, as Utah's record falls to 16-15.
The Lakers face Boston (24-3) on Sunday at 6:30pmPT.
My main concern going into Sunday's game is Phil Jackson's propensity to start Kwame Brown over Andrew Bynum at center. Though this is unlikely, Jackson had noted that starting Brown once healthy was a possibility. Brown scored seven points in 17 minutes tonight.
The Lakers are now 2-2 in games live-blogged on VHP ...don't call it a comeback!
Halftime Thoughts: It's the Battle of Los Angeles, and thus far the Lakers have the upper hand. The Lakers are 0-2 in games live-blogged on VHP, and from the looks of things, they might take one step closer .500 tonight. Kobe is apparently playing through that strained hamstring we saw on Friday Night, but from the looks of things, he is 100%.
Kobe has 18 through the half, on the wings of some borderline heroics, drawing a foul behind the arch, making all three, then stealing the ensuing inbound pass, and almost netting a half-court three; all with one second on the clock. Lamar has 10, and Bynum has eight points with five blocks.
Chris Kaman leads the Clipps with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Third Quarter
11:15 - This is a beat up Clippers team (heh, what we're used to), we even saw Corey Maggette score on himself.
10:19 - I'm really disappointed that Kaman cut his hair. He's lost the caveman mystique.
9:52 - D-Fish just got his fourth foul. We saw a similar situation with Baron Davis on Friday night, and look what happened...
9:35 - Luke nails a three to bring the lead to 64-49
9:15 - Ah, the first "ambient court noise" expletive of the quarter!
8:52 - Kobe is not human. Went up for a shot, got hacked, basically landed, threw it up, and made the basket. AND ONE.
8:30 - Stu Lantz is a Chargers fan? Speaking of the Chargers... 51 POINTS! Flipping insane.
8:14 - Luke meets his season high; 6-6 from the field for 15 points.
7:02 - Lamar bricks another shot.
5:51 - Dependable Lamar misses again!
5:51 - Again, Luke Walton is 6-6 from the field and 3-3 from three point land. Props to Luke.
5:35 - This game has REALLY slowed down from the pace of the second quarter.
5:30 - Second "ambient court noise" exploitive.
5:09 - Bynum WITH AUTHORITY! 75-58 Lakers.
4:36 - Kaman just looked like rec leaguer. Double dribble.
3:50 - Lamar blows another decent opportunity.
3:47 - Farmar just took Maggette down hard.
3:37 - 33% of Corey Maggette's career points are from the stripe.
3:16 - I still can't believe that Brevin Knight is still in the league
3:16 -The Clipps are on an 8-0 run. 77-66.
2:57 - WOAH! Chris Mihm actually scored!!!!!
2:29 - Kobe is the king of drawing fouls.
2:29 - The D-Fenders won again. Coby Carl posted 22 points. He is benefitting so much from getting so much playing time in the D-League.
2:02 - Lamar almost airballed a free throw, and smiled it off. Great attitude Lamar.
0:59 - Corey Maggette is BUILT.
0:36 - Lamar misses ANOTHER shot.
0:00 - ouhreghibgjrfaj COREY MAGGETTE JUST NAILED A SIDEARM HALF-COURT SHOT! Off the glass to boot. Unreal.
0:00 - Just like that, the Clipper pull within six. This game is eerily similar to Friday night's game. The fourth shall be entertaining.
Fourth Quarter Lakers 82, Clippers 76
10:52 - We see some of Sasha; pull up jumper for two.
9:39 - Sasha for three, bringing the Lakers lead to 13.
AGH. I'm having some "whoops" issues.
5:37 - Lakers 101, Clippers 80 on a huge Sasha three.
5:16 - Ronny Turiaf is belly dancing?
4:50 - Kobe just nailed a DEEP three. He has smiled more tonight than he has all season. 32 points, and this guy is supposed to be injured.
4:13 - Magic is chilling with Denzel Washington. How Lakers game is that?
3:30 - 106-86
2:44 - Sasha again! 14 points. Sasha is one of the most unpredictable players on this team.
2:44 - Coby Karl sighting!
2:32 - Dan Dickau for three. Gonzaga.
1:06 - WE WANT TACOS, WE WANT TACOS.
0:57 - Ronny just took a three? haha.
0:00 - TACOS.
Final Score Lakers 113, Clippers 92
Post Mortem This was a huge win for the Lakes going into a long road trip, facing some mediocre teams. Kobe, who was supposedly suffering from a strained groin, was lights out, posting 32 points, and pulling down eight rebounds. Walton set a season high with 15. Andrew kept the haters at bay, looking good with six blocks, 14 points, and eight rebounds. Sasha put up 14; all of which in the fourth, and Lamar had 12 and eight, on 3-8 from the field.
Corey Maggette did his thing, putting up 27. Chris Kaman kept on pace with the great season he's having, posting 18 points, and 16 rebounds.
This win was the big confidence booster that the Lakers needed going into a four-game road trip leading up to the huge Christmas Day game against the Suns.
Coming tomorrow: A Comprehensive breakdown of the Lakers road trip
[The Lakers are now 1-2 in games live-blogged on VHP]
Halftime Thoughts: Ah yes, yet another nationally televised game. Before I complain about Bill Walton, let me first say that thanks to this thing called geography, I am grateful for nationally televised Lakers road games. If this game wasn't on the four-letter, I would have my ear glued to my laptop listening to the NBA.com audio feed. With that said, I really can't stan Bill Walton. He doesn't have anything particularly insightful to say, plus, honestly, how could Golden State and Toronto be more exciting to watch than Boston? Woa woa woa. Off topic blurb: JASON KAPONO put up 29 tonight!
Anyhow, Andrew Bynum haters, put on the ear muffs. Okay, ready... 11 and 11 through the half. Yeah boy. Kobe and D-Fish have 10 a piece. For the Warriors, Al Harrington has 11 and Stephen Jackson has 10.
Kobe is WIRED tonight, and as much as I hate the idea of a player wearing a freaking microphone, it is pretty interesting to see Kobe dish out commands.
Live from San Diego, lets get it on!
[warning: homer sometimes comes out in live blogs]
Third Quarter
11:22 - I didn't mention that this crowd is off the chain. I've got to give props to Oakland for keeping the momentum from last season's run.
10:47 - Well, just like that, It's a three-point game. 56-53.
10:13 - Barron Davis just tied the game up with a huge three. COUNTERED by an Odom three. COUNTERED by a Davis three. ahhg.
9:24 - This is unreal. Two minutes into the half, and nobody in the Oracle is sitting down.
8:42 - Maybe Walton was right. Maybe I cursed it, but jeez, the Warriors have a chance to take the lead.
8:30 - Golden State takes the lead. 60-59. Wow, what an onslaught.
7:45 - Luke took the lead back with a break-away slam. BUT. foul on the other end. First shot? good. Second shot? good. 62-61, Golden State.
7:16 - Harrington nets a three to take a two point lead; Bynum counters with a delicious hook, Warriors come back to take the two point lead.
6:34 - Ahh, Baron David had FIVE fouls.Walton makes both frees. 67-67.
5:15 - Kobe scores; Lakers up by two. WHAT A GAME.
4:54 - Quick Bynum update before the re-up: 15 and 14.
4:52 - LARGEST CROWD TO EVER WATCH A BASKETBALL GAME IN CALIFORNIA. EVER.
4:22 - Kurt Rambis is bringing back the push broom stache.
3:57 - Ellis ties it up; Biedrins with a steal. All leads up to an and one for Kobe. AND, an automatic technical fal for Mr. Harrington for throwing the ball at the basket post. Kobe gets them both. 73-70, Lakers.
3:01 - Kobe brings his total to 19 with a sweet basket.
2:27 - BYNUM WITH AUTHORITY.
2:02 - Harrington ties it up with three; COUNTERED by a D-Fish three. Have I mentioned that this is an AWESOME game??
1:29 - Well, Bill and Luke came through with something; the ABC
Christmas Day commercial. I actually got a laugh out of that one.
1:02 - Farmar makes plays for Odom to blow them.
0:30 - Farmar netting a beautiful three to get the lead back. Jackson ties it back up 83.
0:00 - Odom just nailed a covered two at the buzzer. Not bad.
Through Three Lakers 85, Warriors 83 Fourth Quarter
11:40 - The Warriors sure know how to come out swinging.
11:21 - Turiaf to Farmar: The Bench Mob is in the house.
10:38 - Sasha nailed a three to bring the Lakers lead to five.
9:45 - Barron Davis just checked back in. Remember, five fouls.
9:17 - 10 points for Farmar; BENNCH MOBBB.
9:17 - Wow, Portland won tonight. They are actually one game under .500...
8:20 - Austin Croshere just netted a three to bring it to 92-90, Lakers on top.
7:56 - It looks like Kobe took a nut shot... or "groin" shot to be politically correct.
7:37 - Turiaf just bit the dust on a DIRTY DIRTY Matt Barnes push. That was DIRTY.
7:37 - Kobe looks hurt, and Turiaf missed both free throws. Both still in.
7:29 - Turiaf for two more. Made the first. Kobe "grabbed down by that area." Great analysis. Turiaf misses the second. 93-92 Lakers.
6:39 - Baron Davis takes a technical. Kobe looks about 75%
5:51 - Fisher just got a key steal on a 3-on-1 coming in on a fast break. Fisher converts to Odom for a lay-up. lakers 92-89. What a game.
4:22 - Bynum just pulled down his 16th rebound! That's right 16 rebounds and 17 points to boot. Bynum is showing his stuff tonight.
3:57 - Odom is stepping it up. 100-94, Lakers.
3:19 - Kobe is jacked up. The Lakers face the Clippers in the cross-town on Sunday night. It will be interesting to see what happens with, what now looks like a groin issue.
2:59 - 102-98, Lakers. Buckle up.
2:17 - Baron Davis just nailed a three to bring it to two. DAVIS TO JACKSON with the bank. TIED GAME. The Oracle is on fire.
1:27 - Fisher bricks a free throw. 94% on the season thus far. Kobe out or Ariza. Fisher get the secon.
1:22 - Bucher reports of a strained left groin for Kobe.
0:58 - KOBE is out Lakers down by one. ODOM BLOWS IT.
0:16 - Davis nails the three. 108-104 Golden State. The Warriors biggest lead of the game comes with 16 seconds left on the clock.
0:16 - Kobe back in. Misses the three.
0:08 - ODOM AND ONE. What is going on here? MAKE THIS LAMAR.. Unless the intentional miss??
0:00 - ODOM MISSES (unintentional) he had his hands on the rebound with enough time to call a timeout, he loses it. GAME OVER. Lakers lose.
Final Score Golden State 108, Lakers 106
Post Mortem The Warriors finally broke their nine game losing streak against the Lakers, in a freaking thriller. I've said "what a game" about 90,000 times in the last hour. The Lakers got sloppy in the final minute, and Kobe's absence seems to attribute to that. What was reported as a "strained left groin" just might have been the Lakers demise tonight. The is an argument, however, for the four or five minutes that Kobe is IN the game and somewhat immobilized.
Regardless, the crowd in Oakland brought the noise. In (literally) the biggest NBA game in the history of California, the Warriors faithful showed their support, and seemingly willed them to a win in the final minute.
Al Harrington had 22 points, Barron Davis also had 22 with 5 fouls and a tech to boot, Stephen Jackson posted 20, Monta Ellis added 19, and Biedrins put up 10, and pulled down 11.
For the purple and gold, Kobe scored 21, Lamar scored 18 and pulled down 15, Fisher had 16, and Farmar added 10. Bynum haters? 17 points and 16 rebounds on 8-10 from the field.
I make my triumphant (okay, maybe not triumphant) return to the world of live blogging tonight, as cats and dogs fall from the sky in Southern California. I might be a little rusty. I used to do this quite a bit at my old blog, but the last instance was the Lakers, Clippers preseason game last season.
Lets get this party started from the half.
Halftime score: Jazz 70, Lakers 51
Halftime thoughts: Kobe is basically the lifeline for the Lakers right now. Through the half, Kobe has 22, with the next leading scorer; Andrew Bynum, at eight. It's no surprise that Kobe is taking control of the offense for the Lakers. Kobe is averaging just over 40 points a game in his last three contests in Utah. The Jazz are playing extremely well with Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur out. AK 47 has 13 with six assists.
Third Quarter
11:31 - The Lakers come out of the gate with an uncontested Kobe slam, bringing his point total to 24.
10:59 - Odom is getting back on track, nailing a clean shot, adding to his five on the night.
10:08 - Kirilenko is playing awesome ball tonight. 15 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.
8:55 - Deron Williams is on fire, turning a steal into a bucket, bringing his total to 22 on the night.
8:55 - Woo. Special interest piece on Deron Williams about how HE feels he is underrated.
7:46 - Lamar Odom just tackled Ronny Brewer. This game is getting out of hand. 83-57. Where's the Lakers offense? Kirilenko is splitting it. Where's the Lakers defense? Deron Williams is exploiting it.
7:14 - Jordan Farmar is a little spark plug. Huge three, smart foul.
6:40 - Some of you might not have heard of Jazz forward, Paul Milsap. The guy has 16.
6:07 - Farmar nets another three!
5:27 - Farmar outran Kirilenko on a sweet pass from Kobe. 8-0 run Lakers; all eight from Farmar Jazz 87, Lakers 68.
5:26 - I've been meaning to mention Kyrylo Fresneko. He was called up from the D-League earlier today, and has since posted six points, six rebounds and showed a huge presence for a guy in his first NBA game.
4:38 - The game is now on mute. I've endured three and a half quarters of the person ringing a cowbell after every Jazz basket. If you are watching this game on ESPN, you know what I mean.
4:00 - Kobe just posterized Fresneko, but the Lakers simply can't shut down the Jazz in transition.
3:12 - Farmar ANOTHER THREE!! 15 points off the bench so far.
1:17 - Kieilenko is running the offense, playing what essentially is a point guard, and utilizing his height, dishing out beautiful assists down low.
0:56 - It's still pouring rain here. It has literally been consistently raining since I woke up this morning.
0:22 - REF DOWN!
Fourth Quarter Jazz 102, Lakers 82
11:46 - Farmar is taking control of the Lakers offense (that isn't saying much). Pretty sweet alley-oop layup with the dish from Walton.
11:01 - Kirilenko gets his 10th assist on the night on a Deron Williams three. Williams has matched his career high at 33.
10:04 - Have I ever expressed my dislike for Chris Mihm? I STILL can't believe he got re-signed. I say that as he knocks nearly knocks Fresneko's dome off.
7:40 - Evel Knievel died?
7:22 - Kirilenko is two rebounds from a triple-double. It's been really fin to watch him tonight.
7:04 - Dang, Matt Harpring has 12 and eight tonight.
6:40 - Yes! J-Crit is in!
6:27 - Was that a "Kobe sucks" chant?
5:56 - The Clippers are getting clowned in Denver, 102-86. Remember 4-0?
5:56 - Jeez, Jerry Sloan has coached the Jazz for 20 years. Thats a legacy... and according to ESPN, he loves TRACTORS!! and just for fun, he "goes out back and sits on them." Priceless analysis brought to you by the worldwide leader.
4:45 - Kirilenko is one block from a 5x5! Five or more in : points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks!
4:08 - Jazz 112, Lakers 90.
3:42 - Crittenton just dished out an amazing pass to Odom who, of course, missed the three. That would have been a SportsCenter top 10.
3:34 - Hey look. Ariza is in. He's really making an impact. Not.
2:56 - It looks like Kirilenko is taking a seat. What a night for AK. 20 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, six steals, and four blocks. Awesome outing to say the least.
2:31 - Paul Milsap tied his career high with 20 points and eight rebounds.
0:43 - Kyrylo Fresneko is a 'G'. He just gave up an open layup and assisted C.J. Miles with a sweet dunk.
0:00 - Boo. Game over. Horrible defense Lakers.
Final Score Jazz 120, Lakers 96
Post mortem: There's not much to say here. The Lakers simply couldn't contain AK 47 who was one block short from the coveted 5x5. It didn't help that Deron Williams dropped a career high with 35. The icing on the cake? The Lakers let Kyrylo Fresneko step all over them in his first career NBA appearance.
I'm a realistic observer of the vast world that surrounds the Los Angeles Lakers. You can thank Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Elden Campbell, Cedric Ceballos, and Vlade Divac for making that possible. The greatest person of all time is Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn. There's no getting around that. Me? I'm eighteen years old and working my way to a journalism degree.
