Lakers Enjoy 61 Reasons to Ignore Bynum...For Now

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New York Knicks 126-117, their first game without Andrew Bynum. Kobe Bryant did his best to make everyone forget about his prognosis, scoring a Madison Square Garden-record 61 points, eclipsing Michael Jordans' visiting-record 55 points and Bernard King's 60. Kobe finished shooting 19-for-31. The Lakers had a combined .524 shooting percentage, and out-rebounded New York 52-41. The Knicks were held to 7-for-27 from 3-point range. Pau Gasol played his first full game of center, scoring 31 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Trevor Ariza was the only other Laker to score in double-figures, finishing with 13 points and 8 rebounds. Al Harrington led the Knicks with 24 points, and David Lee had 22 points and 14 rebounds.