Finale is Just the Beginning for Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 125-112, their final game of the regular season. The Lakers' final record of 65-17 gives them the second best record in the NBA, the best record in the Western Conference, and will now face Utah in the first round of the playoffs. LA shot .558 from the field, including going 8-for-13 from 3-point range. The Lakers out-assisted the Jazz 39-27, while Utah took 47 free-throws. Andrew Bynum had 22 points and 3 blocked shots, and Pau Gasol added 20 points and 9 rebounds. Kobe Bryant added 16 points, and Lamar Odom scored 16 as well. Sasha Vujacic had 15 points off the bench. Deron Williams led the Jazz with 25 points and 13 assists, and Andrei Kirilenko added 20 points off the bench. Carlos Boozer chipped in 16 points and 9 rebounds.

Bench Reawakens To Give Lakers Win

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings 122-104, their 62nd win of the season. The Laker bench came alive against Sacramento, scoring 42 points in the game. LA shot .511 from the field and went to the free-throw line 29 times. Pau Gasol had 26 points and 11 rebounds, and Kobe Bryant scored 22 points. Lamar Odom added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Luke Walton came off the bench to get 11 points and 9 assists. Sasha Vujacic added 12 points. Spencer Hawes led the Kings with 21 points and 15 rebounds, and Francisco Garcia scored 19 points as all five of Sacramento's starters scored in double-figures.

Lakers Buck at 4-3 Outcome

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 104-98, ending their road trip with a 5-2 record. The Lakers awoke from their offensive slumber, shooting .472 from the field and going to the charity stripe 36 times. LA turned the ball over 20 times, but Milwaukee had 16 of their own turnovers, and the Bucks only went to the free-three line 9 times. Kobe Bryant broke out of his own dry-spell, scoring 30 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, and getting 4 steals. Lamar Odom had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Pau Gasol had 15 points. Sasha Vujacic was perfect, shooting 3-for-3 from the field and 6-for-6 at the line, ending the game with 14 points and 5 rebounds. Ramon Sessions stood out for Milwaukee, getting a triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 16 assists. Richard Jefferson scored 29 points.

Lakers Regain Form in Victory

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 114-106, their 54th win of the season. The Lakers seemed poised to repeat their stunning loss from Tuesday, but managed to hang on to a consistent lead after the third quarter. LA held G.S. to just .457 shooting, but committed 22 turnovers. Pau Gasol scored 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, and Kobe Bryant had 21 points as well. Lamar Odom continues to return to form, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, and Trevor Ariza added 13 points as he adjusts to the starting lineup. Sasha Vujacic scored 12 off the bench. Monta Ellis led the Warriors with 27 points, and Kelenna Azubuike added 25 points and 8 rebounds.

Lakers Breeze Past Wizards

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Washington Wizards 117-97, their third straight win. The Lakers scored 72 points in the first half to take a commanding lead, and the Wizards dropped to 9-33, making them next to last place in the NBA. The game gave big minutes to LA's bench, with Chris Mihm, Josh Powell and Sun Yue each having more than 5 minutes. 7 Lakers scored in double-figures, and the team shot a combined .536 from the field. Andrew Bynum had another dominant game, scoring 23 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in just 27:32. Pau Gasol scored 18 points to go with 5 rebounds. Lamar Odom had 16 points and 5 rebounds off the bench, and Derek Fisher had 8 assists and 4 steals. Sasha Vujacic scored 13 points, and Kobe Bryant had a quiet night with just 11. Antawn Jamison led the Wizards with 19 points, and JaVale McGee had a career-high 18 to go with 9 rebounds.

Lakers Take Care of LeBron, Cavs

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-88, snapping a 5-game losing streak against the Cavs. Kobe Bryant almost went down after dislocating his right ring finger in the first quarter, but managed to stick it out and stay in the game. The Lakers held Cleveland to just 16 points in the third quarter, and to 43% shooting during the game. LA shot .524 to take the win. Bryant's sheer will helped him nab 20 points and 12 assists, and Pau Gasol led with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Sasha Vujacic came off the bench to score 14 points with a blocked shot, and Lamar Odom added 8 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots. LeBron James was quieted by the Lakers, shooting 9-for-25 with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Mo Williams followed with 16 points and 6 rebounds.

Lakers Push Past Problems Against Houston

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets 105-100, improving to 31-6. The Lakers had a rough time containing the Rockets in the first half, surrendering a shooting percentage above 60%. Houston finished shooting 53%, while LA shot 50.6%. The Lakers committed only 7 turnovers, and outscored Houston 27-18 in the fourth quarter. Houston was without Ron Artest and Tracy McGrady, but other players picked up the slack. Yao Ming had 19 points with 17 rebounds, and Von Wafer scored 23 points, shooting 13-for-18, including 3-pointers. Carl Landry came off the bench and scored 21 points for the Rockets, a season-high. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 33 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, despite shooting 13-for-32 with 1 3-pointer. Lamar Odom returned, replacing Sasha Vujacic who did not travel to Texas due to back spasms. Odom had 10 points and 1 blocked shot off the bench. Vladimir Radmanovic scored 12 points and snagged 6 rebounds, and hit both of his 3-point attempts. Trevor Ariza came off the bench to score 14 points.

Lakers Stand Through Miami

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat, avenging the loss to the Heat in mid-December and improving to 30-6. The Lakers, still without Lamar Odom, saw six players hit double-figures, including all 5 starters. Andrew Bynum led LA with 24 points, including a clutch tip-in at the end of the fourth quarter to break a 102-all tie. Kobe Bryant had 19 points with 7 assists, and Vladimir Radmanovic scored a season-high 18 points. Pau Gasol had 14 points and 18 rebounds, and Derek Fisher snagged 13 points to with 11 assists. Sasha Vujacic came off the bench to score 10 points. Dwyane Wade scored a game-high 27 points to go with 9 assists for the Heat, and Michael Beasley had 24 points.

Lakers Regain Their Pau-wer

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 114-106, a day after losing to New Orleans at home. The Lakers trailed 80-77 going into the 4th quarter, but they took the lead for good. LA was without Lamar Odom, whose MRI revealed he has a bone bruise that will keep him day-to-day. Coach Phil Jackson played all of his 9 remaining guys, including Josh Powell and Sun Yue. Powell had 4 points and 4 rebounds, and Sun had a blocked shot. The Lakers had a .451 shooting percentage, while G.S. shot .484. Pau Gasol led the game with 33 points and 18 rebounds, and Kobe Bryant scored 21. Trevor Ariza had a season-high 17 points to go with 9 rebounds, and Andrew Bynum had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Sasha Vujacic scored 12 points and had 6 assists. Jamal Crawford led the Warriors with 25 points.

Lakers Look Golden in Victory

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 130-113, improving to 25-5. The Lakers forced 17 turnovers, scoring 31 points off of them. LA had a cool .516 shooting percentage, with 10 3-pointers as well. The Warriors, however, shot .494 while going 9-for-18 from beyond the arc. Kobe Bryant led LA with 31 points, and Derek Fisher scored 19. Sasha Vujacic had a season-high 17 points, and both Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol scored 13, Bynum also with 10 rebounds and Gasol with 9. Jamal Crawford led the Warriors with 22 points, and Ronny Turiaf made his return to LA after leaving via free-agency, with one assist but no points.

'Tis More Than a Season Game

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the rival Boston Celtics 92-83, avenging their defeat at the hands of Boston in the NBA Finals. In what was the most hyped-about game of the season, the Lakers held Beantown to only 8 free-throw attempts, and 28% shooting from the 3-pointer area. LA forced 17 turnovers and 9 blocked shots, and snapped the Celtics' 19 game winning-streak, a franchise record. Coach Phil Jackson also achieved his 1000th career win, the fastest any coach has accomplished this feat. Kobe Bryant scored 27 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists for LA, and Pau Gasol had 20 points with 3 blocks. Luke Walton had another start, with 8 points, 5 assists and 2 blocks. Lamar Odom and Sasha Vujacic both came off the bench with 10 points, including Odom's two 3-pointers. Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 22 points, and Paul Pierce scored 20 points and 10 rebounds, but committed 5 turnovers.

Kobe Can't Do It All For Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers were defeated by the Orlando Magic 106-103, the first time the Lakers have lost back-to-back games, and only the team's fifth loss. The game hinged on a 3-point attempt by Sasha Vujacic for the lead that went in and out, mirroring Kobe Bryant's clunker from Friday. Kobe scored 41 points with 8 rebounds, and Derek Fisher had a season high 27 points. However, Pau Gasol was the only other Laker to score double-figures with 11 points, and Jordan Farmar sat out with a tear in his left knee. Kobe's Team USA partner Dwight Howard scored 18 points with 12 rebounds, and Jameer Nelson led the Magic with 27 points.

Lakers Barely Set Suns

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns 115-110, rebounding from their upset loss in Sacramento. Phoenix, however, was shorthanded with Shaquille O'Neal being injured and a trade that sent Raja Bell and Boris Diaw to Charlotte for Jason Richardson. Pau Gasol took over for Kobe Bryant, leading the Lakers with 28 points, while Kobe had 18 with 7 rebounds. Sasha Vujacic had 15 points off the bench, and Andrew Bynum had a double-double, scoring 17 and rebounding 11. Matt Barnes led the Suns with 23 points, and Amare Stoudemire had 21 points with 11 boards.