Kobe Takes the Bite Out of the Raptors

With the possibility of a 4-game losing streak staring them directly in the face, Kobe Bryant’s baseline, fade-away with 1.9 seconds to play gave the Los Angeles Lakers a 109-107 victory over the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center. Kobe, (32 points on 11-20, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal) got the ball with 9.5 seconds left to play, measured the defense, bumped off Antoine Wright with his chest and drove to the baseline with Andrea Bargnani in pursuit. Neither Raptor defender was able to catch up to Bryant, who lofted his deep, corner jumper that found nothing but the bottom of the net. Toronto, out of time outs, inbounded the ball, and Wright’s desperation heave was tipped by Bryant as the Lakers avoided the near loss with the much needed win. Chris Bosh (22 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 blocked shot) tied the game moments earlier with his second three-pointer of the game, the result of him getting free on the pick-and-pop that tormented the Lakers the entire contest.

Andrew Bynum (22 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocked shots) started the game effectively with good individual defense on both Bosh and Bargnani (22 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocked shots). He was quick on his feet, aggressive on the pick-and-roll, and contested shots early. Pau Gasol (17 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 blocked shot) was equally effective early as the energy from both bigs jump-started the Lakers. DeMar DeRozan, (11 points, 2 rebounds) the 9th pick of this season’s NBA Draft, was the recipient of some early looks, and his quickness and leaping ability garnered him with nine first quarter points. Pau and Bynum combined for 18 points and 8 rebounds in the opening stanza and the Lakers looked to be on their way to a dominant win.

The Lakers led 29-24 after the first period but the Raptors used a 34-21 second quarter to take a 58-50 lead heading into halftime. Although Toronto is tagged primarily as being a perimeter oriented team without a dominant inside presence, they still rank amongst the league leaders in free throw attempts. But in this game, the tables were turned, as noted in their 20-7 first half free throw disparity. But the inability of the Lakers backcourt to keep opposing guards from penetrating and dishing continued to haunt them. Neither Derek Fisher (7 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals) or Jordan Farmar (4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist) seemed capable of slowing down Jarrett Jack (18 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals) or Jose Calderon (10 points, 5 assists, 1 rebound) from driving and kicking to open, uncontested teammates. Help was consistently late and by the time it arrived, both defensive players were out of position, leaving the three remaining defenders scrambling to cover four offensive players. Both Gasol and Lamar Odom need to make the jump-out much quicker but in the second quarter, neither ventured out far enough, leaving Toronto’s deadly sharpshooters open for deep threes. Bargnani and Marco Belinelli (3 points, 3 rebounds) converted back-to-back treys for a 50-45 lead. Fisher countered with a corner three-pointer but Bargnani and Jack hit consecutive treys for a 56-48 advantage as the Staples Center crowd quickly grew silent. As evident throughout the first half, Gasol was anticipating the high screen and ventured back in forth between his man and the ball. But ultimately, he was caught in nowhere land as Jack lobbed the ball for an easy score under the basket. In the first half, Toronto shot 51.1% compared to the Lakers 41%. Only the 16-20 free throws by the Lakers kept them as close as they were.

The Lakers looked back inside to start the third quarter, and Bynum responded. His 11 points in the period powered the Lakers back into the game. And although the Raptors resorted to a zone defense, the Lakers were still able to score inside. But each time the Lakers drew close, Jack countered back with 13 points of his own. Odom’s (10 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) first basket of the game on an offensive rebound put-back, and one, brought the Lakers to within 77-74. Toronto relied on six free throws to stay in front, when Shannon Brown (5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal) nailed a three-pointer to draw the Lakers to within 83-81. Amir Johnson (9 points, 7 rebounds) converted 1-2 free throws and the Lakers looked to gain even more ground. But Gasol missed an easy shot from close range to close out the period. Replays clearly show Johnson with a handful of Gasol’s shorts in his hands as the Spaniard took the shot. Pau’s displeasure with the non-call resulted in a technical foul on both him and Assistant Coach Frank Hamblen.

Leading 86-81 after the two technical free throws, Odom converted a layup off a Farmar feed, Bynum drained a difficult hook shot, then LO delivered a spirited dribble drive bank high off the glass for an 87-86 Lakers lead. Toronto responded with a 6-0 run to regain control and a 92-87 advantage. Kobe checked back into the game and promptly drained a 21-footer to bring the Lakers to within 94-91. Kobe converted two free throws, then hit a 17-footer to knot the score at 96-96 with 6:03 left in the contest. Kobe and Ron Artest (9 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 blocked shot) converted 4-4 from the charity stripe to give them a 100-96 cushion. The two teams traded free throws and with :30 seconds [picappgallerysingle id="7750140"]remaining, Fisher stole an errant pass from Hedo Turkoglu (6 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) and was fouled. His two free throws kept the lead at 4-points, but Calderon got free for an layup to narrow the lead to a deuce. Lamar converted only 1-2 free throws that left the door open for Bosh’s three-pointer with 9.5 seconds to go. The Lakers called time out to set-up the final play, or better, remind everyone who was going to take the last shot. Kobe’s game winner was his sixth of the season. The Lakers now embark on another 3-game road trip with stops in Phoenix, Golden State and Sacramento, this time hopefully, with better results than their last trip.