Lakers Prayer Is Finally Answered

Heading up the coast, the Los Angeles Lakers made a brief stop in the Bay Area and outlasted the host Golden State Warriors 124-121 at Oracle Arena. If the score is any indication, the game was a back-and-forth affair the entire 48 minutes. Golden State had two tries at tying up the score at the end of regulation but both three-point attempts missed as the Lakers were able to withstand the Warriors furious rally. Kobe Bryant (29 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 9 turnovers) led a balanced Laker attack although the team amassed an awful 24 turnovers to only 5 by the Warriors. The stat lines indicate a relatively easy victory but this contest was anything but easy. Although the Lakers dominated the boards 56-25, shot 34-42 free throws compared to 12-13, and recorded 8 blocked shots, the Warriors countered by scoring 29 points off the Lakers turnovers. Rookie of the Year candidate, Stephen Curry, did not disappoint. He almost single-handedly brought the Warriors all the way back. He scored 29 points (11-19, 5-9 from behind the arc), dished out 9 assists and added 5 rebounds. He mesmerized the Lakers with his penetration drives, finding wide open cutters for easy baskets. And when he wasn’t passing off, he dazzled the Oracle Arena crowd with a long distance shooting display that was worthy of a seasoned veteran, let alone a rookie point guard.

Pau Gasol (26 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot) and Andrew Bynum (19 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocked shots, 1 assist, 8 turnovers) controlled the paint on offense but the pesky Warriors attacked in waves as the Laker bigs were often left with their heads spinning on defense. Chris Hunter (22 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot) and Corey Maggette (18 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal) battled the taller Laker frontline to practically a draw. Lamar Odom (17 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 blocked shot) was an effective force off the bench as he was able to maneuver around the smaller Warrior defenders. Monta Ellis (13 points on 5-23, 11 assists, 5 steals) had a miserable shooting performance as he was preoccupied with trying to slow down Kobe. And for every time Kobe scored on Ellis as he exploited his size advantage, he lost the ball just as often. Ron Artest (12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 blocked shot) had his hands full trying to slow down former NBDL player, Anthony Tolliver (14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists) as the NBA newcomer hit three, three-pointers in the early going. The Lakers led 39-34 after the first period, but the Warriors scorched the Lakers in the second quarter, outscoring the defending champions, 33-20 to take a 65-59 halftime lead. The Lakers would turn the tables on the Warriors in the third, amassing a 35-22 advantage and a 94-87 lead heading into the final period.

The Warriors used a 10-1 run midway in the 4th quarter to trim the lead down to 101-100. But the Lakers would rattle off a 10-3 run of their own to extend their lead back to 111-103 with 4:50 left in the contest. A pair of three-pointers, one by Shannon Brown (9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocked shots), and the other by Kobe, plus a lob pass from Derek Fisher (9 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) to Gasol for the jam gave the Lakers a 11-point cushion and the apparent win. The Warriors scrambled and quickly closed the deficit with a 14-5 run to draw within three points, and with 8 seconds remaining, all the Lakers could do was hope and pray that the Warriors three-point attempts would fall short. Curry got off an uncontested look off the inbounds play, but the ball was a couple of inches short. The rebound caromed into Ellis’ hands and he wisely dribbled back out to the top of the key. His turnaround three-point attempt bounced three tantalizing times on the rim before falling out as time expired. Chalk one up for prayer as the Lakers survived against the 18-48 Warriors. The Lakers embark on a short 2-hr. bus ride to Sacramento where they face the Kings tomorrow night to conclude their NorCal back-to-back.