Lakers Hit Sweet 60, Look for More

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets 93-81, their 60th win of the season. It was the first time the Lakers hit the 60 win mark since the '99-'00 season. The win also came after Cleveland fell to Orlando, putting LA just one win back of the Cavs in the race for the best record in the NBA. Houston made 18 turnovers, and the Lakers held the Rockets to just 37 points in the second half. LA won despite shooting .395 from the field. Kobe Bryant had 20 points and 7 assists, and Pau Gasol led with 23 points in addition to 10 rebounds. Derek Fisher scored 15 points and grabbed 5 steals. DJ Mbenga led the bench with 8 points and 2 blocked shots. Yao Ming had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Ron Artest led Houston with 21 points. Luis Scola had 16 points and 9 rebounds.

Editor's Note: Lakers Need to Hit Road Back

The Los Angeles Lakers will embark on one of the toughest road trips of their season, and find themselves in a struggle for the best record in the NBA. A big seven-game road trip is just around the corner, in which LA will travel to seven states in 12 days. But for now, the Lakers must focus on getting through their upcoming three-game trip. They schedule will pit them against Portland, Houston, and San Antonio, three top-tier teams in the West. LA cannot hold back, waiting for their next trip on the road. The next three games will be crucial in proving they can handle the Western Conference's best on the road, especially without Andrew Bynum. The bench must play a critical part, especially DJ Mbenga. Mbenga is the automatic backup-center after the Chris Mihm-trade, and must truly fill in for Pau Gasol to make a difference in games. He has the potential to be a stellar center, and can be one with enough playing time. He's got that playing time now, and he, along with the rest of the Lakers, must hit the road running to show the country they can handle anything.

Lakers Reach Nifty 50

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-90, becoming the first team in the NBA to reach 50 wins. Every Laker who suited up got to play, including Shannon Brown and Adam Morrison. The T-Wolves shot just %33 from the field, and LA committed just 4 turnovers and had 14 blocked shots. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 23 points, and Pau Gasol had 21 points with 9 rebounds. Josh Powell had 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots off the bench. DJ Mbenga had a stellar night, scoring a career-high 10 points to go with 4 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Ryan Gomes led Minnesota with 20 points, and former UCLA-star Kevin Love had 18 points and 14 rebounds.

Lakers Crush Suns

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns 132-106, their 48th win of the season. LA finished shooting .574 with a season-high 38 assists, and scored 31 points off turnovers. Every Laker played in the game for at least 5 minutes, including DJ Mbenga, Shannon Brown, and Adam Morrison. Lamar Odom scored 23 points and grabbed 9 rebounds to lead LA, with Kobe Bryant adding 22 points. Pau Gasol finished with 16 points and 9 rebounds, and Mbenga had 8 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, and 2 blocked shots. The Suns were without Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash, and relied on 18 points from Leandro Barbosa and 12 points from Shaquille O'Neal.

Lakers' Lucky # is 14

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Toronto Raptors 112-99 to improve to 14-1, the best record in the NBA. The Lakers shot .511 from inside the arch, and had 10 steals. Pau Gasol nearly had a double-double with 24 points and 9 rebounds, while Kobe had 23 points with 7 assists. DJ Mbenga made his season debut, getting two blocks in just 3:04 playing time. Andrew Bynum accomplished his own D-D with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Bosh gave the Raptors 12 points and 6 boards, while Anthony Parker led Toronto with 19 points.