Lakers' Win Has Grizzly Consequences

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 115-98, but the victory was tempered by Andrew Bynum's knee injury in the first quarter. As Kobe Bryant drove to the basket to take his shot, he fell back and landed on Bynum's knee. X-rays were negative, and Bynum will undergo an MRI when the team arrives in New York to play the Knicks. The Lakers had to get through the game without their star center, but for the first half it seemed like they could not focus. LA allowed 61 points in the first half, at one point trailing by 13 before the Lakers could cut the deficit down to 6 by halftime. However, LA came out of shock, and outscored Memphis 60-37 in the second half. The Lakers had a .537 shooting percentage, forced 22 Memphis turnovers, and scored 66 points in the paint. Kobe Bryant led all players with 25 points and 7 assists, and Pau Gasol returned to his former home to score 24 points and grab a game-high 8 rebounds against his brother, Marc Gasol. Derek Fisher had 14 points, and Lamar Odom used extra playing time off the bench to add 14 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Trevor Ariza scored 11 points and snagged 5 rebounds. For the Grizzlies, Rudy Gay led with 23 points, and former-USC star O.J. Mayo had 21 points and 5 rebounds. Memphis's three other starters all scored double-figures, including Marc Gasol with 13 points.