Bobcats-Lakers Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Dec 18 2012 10:08AM

Though the Los Angeles Lakers still have their issues, they're starting to find ways to win again.

The same can't be said for the reeling Charlotte Bobcats.

The Lakers look to match a season high with their third straight victory and hand the Bobcats a 12th consecutive defeat Tuesday night at Staples Center.

As injuries continue to sideline stars Steve Nash and Pau Gasol while those who are healthy try to adjust to coach Mike D'Antoni's system, Los Angeles (11-14) won two in a row to split a four-game trip. Two days after snapping a four-game slide with a 102-96 victory at Washington, the Lakers defeated Philadelphia 111-98 on Sunday. They didn't trail in the second half of either game.

"It's guys playing with confidence and guys trusting each other," Kobe Bryant said after going 12 for 21 from the field and scoring 34 points Sunday. "We played well, communicated well, kept attacking and good things happened.

"I know the questions have been coming because we hadn't been winning, but our time will come."

Metta World Peace had 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds while Dwight Howard added 17 and 11 for the Lakers, who won consecutive contests for the first time since a three-game run Nov. 16-20 once D'Antoni took over.

Though the last two wins have come against two of the NBA's lowest-scoring teams, Los Angeles played better defensively after allowing 111.8 points per game over the previous four. The Lakers tied a season high by forcing 19 turnovers against the Wizards and caused 18 against the 76ers while recording a season-best 13 steals.

"Guys are playing well," said point guard Chris Duhon, who matched a season high with 14 points Sunday.

Bryant has at least 30 points in six straight games, averaging 34.3 during that span, and leads the NBA in scoring (29.5 ppg). His 20.4 average against the Bobcats since the start of the 2009-10 season is his second-lowest against any opponent.

The Lakers also haven't done particularly well against a perennially mediocre Bobcats team, losing eight of the past 12 meetings, but they've won the last two.

Charlotte (7-16) allowed 99.6 points per game while starting 7-5 but is giving up 108.5 during its 11-game skid. The Bobcats had two slides of at least 12 games while going 7-59 last season.

They were outrebounded 43-31 and let Orlando shoot a season-high 54.4 percent in Saturday's 107-98 home loss.

"When you give up 54 percent shooting from the floor and they're getting over 100 points regularly we know what the culprit is," said coach Mike Dunlap, whose team has allowed at least 100 points in nine straight games and 12 of 13.

The Bobcats' latest poor defensive effort overshadowed a career-high 32 points from second-year guard Kemba Walker, who went 11 of 20 from the field and recorded seven assists.

"I'm trying to get better," said Walker, who averages team highs of 18.1 points and 6.1 assists. "That's all you do at this point. I'm just doing whatever I can do to help my team win basketball games. No matter how many points I have I really don't care about that stuff. I'm just trying to win."

Walker has averaged 21.1 points and shot 45.9 percent at home, compared to 12.4 points and 35.8 percent on the road. He went 4 of 11 from the field and finished with 12 points in a 106-73 loss at Los Angeles on Jan. 31 in these teams' last meeting.

Lakers hand Bobcats 12th straight loss, 101-100

By JOE RESNICK
Posted Dec 19 2012 2:51AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) Beating the Charlotte Bobcats by one point isn't a true barometer of where the slow-starting Los Angeles Lakers are at the moment.

Neither were the wins they recorded in their previous two games against the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers and NBA-worst Washington Wizards, following a four-game skid that tested new coach Mike D'Antoni's patience - and his up-tempo offense.

All it means is that they can beat the worst of the worst. The real test comes in their next two games against a couple of vastly improved clubs, the Golden State Warriors on Saturday and New York Knicks on Christmas Day.

Kobe Bryant scored four of his 30 points in the final 1:26 and the Lakers had to overcome an 18-point third-quarter deficit to beat Charlotte 101-100 on Tuesday night, handing the Bobcats their 12th straight loss.

"We just tried to grind it out. I think it was a big lesson for us," Bryant said. "We managed to stick together. We could have folded, but we didn't. We stayed together and played hard."

Jodie Meeks and Metta World Peace each had 17 points for the Lakers, who won their third straight to match their longest winning streak of the season. Pau Gasol, back after missing eight games with tendinitis in both knees, had 10 points and nine rebounds in 30 minutes and shot 3 for 10.

"My stamina was good," Gasol said. "I think I kept up with them pretty well and I pushed through those times when I got a little fatigued. I was pretty active and my knees are feeling much better than they were. I just have to be more confident out there."

World Peace, who had a career-high 16 rebounds in the Lakers' 111-98 victory at Philadelphia on Sunday, was not in the starting lineup for the first time after starting the first 25 games.

"I want him to play the 4, and we have to be able to change our team," D'Antoni explained. "I hate it for Jordan Hill right now because he is the odd man out, and he doesn't deserve it. He's played well and he is a good player. But for us to have a different team - a different look - Metta has to play the 4. ... As soon as Metta gets more comfortable with that role, he will be very productive as a 4."

Bryant has scored at least 30 points in seven straight games, equaling his longest such streak since the final nine of the 2005-06 campaign. His longest streak of 30-plus games was 16, in 2002-03. He has 236 points during his current streak. The most he ever had during a seven-game stretch was 344 in 2006-07, including five games with 50 or more.

Kemba Walker led Charlotte with 28 points, reserve Ramon Sessions added 20 and Gerald Henderson had 19. Byron Mullens finished with 17 rebounds and 13 points.

The Bobcats, winless since beating the league-worst Wizards in double overtime on Nov. 24 at Washington, are 14-76 since the start of last season and haven't won back-to-back games since the final two in 2010-11. Their seven wins already have matched their total from last season's lockout-shortened 66-game campaign, when they lost their final 23.

The Lakers, who came in 0-12 when trailing after three quarters, fell behind 80-62 after Walker capped a 14-5 run on a driving layup with 5:38 left in the third. Charlotte took a seven-point margin into the fourth, but that quickly evaporated as Los Angeles opened the quarter with a 13-0 run to grab a 90-84 lead.

"The important thing is that we got six stops, finally got our act together and started playing some defense," Bryant said. "We're just moving the ball. I'm being aggressive and looking for opportunities to get a few guys involved."

Meeks tied it on a 3-pointer from the left corner in front of the Charlotte bench. Bryant's three-point play 25 seconds later gave the Lakers an 87-84 edge with 9:53 remaining, and Darius Morris capped the rally about a minute later with a 3.

The Bobcats got the deficit down to one on a 16-footer by Walker with 6:55 to play. Bryant beat the shot clock with another 3 at the other end before Bismack Biyombo's tip-in tied it at 95 with 3:22 left. Bryant responded with a three-point play to put the Lakers ahead for good with 1:26 on the clock.

The Bobcats had one more chance to pull it out after getting the rebound of Bryant's missed 21-footer and calling timeout. But Howard blocked Walker's 3-foot layup, Henderson failed to convert on his offensive rebound, and Ben Gordon misfired badly on a desperation 3 at the buzzer.

The Bobcats, who haven't shot 50 percent or better from the field in any game this season, finished at 40 percent in the opener of a four-game western road trip. They led 58-53 at intermission after a 21-7 run over the final 5:23 of the half.

Sessions shot 7 for 13 in his return to Staples Center. He played 23 games for the Lakers last season after he was acquired in a trade on March 15 - the same day the Lakers acquired Hill from Houston.

"It was just another game," Sessions said. "I had a short period of time here, and it was great. But it came and went, and I'm looking forward to what I've got going on now in Charlotte."

Sessions had 11 points in the second, including a three-point play, a 3-pointer and two free throws in the final 2:52 of the quarter. The Bobcats signed him as a free agent in July, two days after Los Angeles acquired two-time MVP Steve Nash in a trade from Phoenix.

Nash has missed the last 24 games with a non-displaced fracture in his left leg, but is hoping to return to the lineup against the Knicks in the nationally televised game.

NOTES: Bryant's next 30-point game will make him the fifth player in NBA history with at least 400 of them. ... The Lakers are 7-9 since D'Antoni took over as head coach. He was 5-11 in his first 16 games with Denver, 4-12 with Phoenix and 8-8 with the Knicks. ... Bryant recorded his 600th career block when he rejected Biyombo's shot with 4:55 left in the second quarter. ... The Lakers have beaten Charlotte three straight times - all at home - after losing eight of the previous 10 meetings. ... Bryant was 11 for 24 from the field. The Lakers are 4-10 when he has missed 10 or more shots.

Notebook: Lakers 101, Bobcats 100

Dan Arritt, for NBA.com
Posted Wed Dec 19, 2012 2:10 AM - Updated Wed Dec 19, 2012 2:10 AM

THE FACTS: The Bobcats have never gone down quietly against the Lakers, and that was the case again Tuesday night, as Charlotte couldn't get the basketball to fall through the rim in a wild closing sequence, allowing L.A. to hold on for a 101-100 victory at Staples Center.

THE STAT: The Bobcats fell to 8-8 all-time against the Lakers, but remain one of only two teams in the NBA that doesn't have a losing record against L.A. The other is the Celtics.

QUOTABLE: "We tried to push the tempo at them. They're pretty good at doing that to people."

-- Charlotte coach Mike Dunlap

TURNING POINT: The Lakers erased an 18-point third-quarter deficit with a 28-4 run. Still, the Bobcats didn't go away, climbing back to tie the score at 97 with 2:17 remaining. Kobe Bryant answered with back-to-back baskets, but Dwight Howard was called for goaltending as Jodie Meeks fouled Ramon Sessions, who completed the three-point play to draw Charlotte back within a point. Bryant missed a pull-up jumper on the other end, leaving 21.2 seconds on the clock. Kemba Walker drove to the basket against Bryant but his shot was partially blocked by Howard. Gerald Henderson collected the loose ball but missed a left-handed layup. The ball was then batted out to the 3-point line, where Ben Gordon collected it and missed a desperation shot at the buzzer.

HOT: Bryant finished with 30 points, the seventh straight game he has reached that mark. After losing 10 of the first 11 games in which Bryant scored at least 30 points this season, the Lakers have won the last three.

NOT: Lakers forward Pau Gasol was back in the lineup after missing the previous eight games with tendinitis in his knees. His return figured to reduce the minutes of either Antawn Jamison or Jordan Hill, but it turned out neither played against the Bobcats. Both players had rotated as the starting power forward while Gasol was sidelined.

GOOD MOVE: Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni avoided having his two 7-footers, Gasol and Howard, on the floor at the same time in the fourth quarter. Gasol played the first two minutes, then sat out until the 6:28 mark. Howard then went to the bench until 2:34 remained and Gasol watched the rest of the game from the sideline. The move allowed more room for Bryant to work and he scored 10 points in the final quarter, though he took 10 shots. Howard finished with 16 points and 18 rebounds and Gasol had 10 points and nine rebounds.

QUOTABLE II: "I'm trying to figure out what's the best way to play the team. We will keep looking at film, keep revisiting. We have a couple practices and we'll keep looking at different combinations."

-- D'Antoni

BAD MOVE: D'Antoni decided to start Devin Ebanks at small forward and bring Metta World Peace off the bench, preferably so he could play more power forward. Ebanks only played five minutes and World Peace played 37, taking 18 field-goal attempts on his way to scoring 17 points. At 6-foot-7 and a month after turning 33 years of age, World Peace might be able to get by against the Bobcats, but he'll have a tough go against most of the league's power forwards.

QUOTABLE III: "Metta, going forward, as soon as he gets more comfortable with the 4-role, will be very productive as a 4 and our team will be very productive."

-- D'Antoni

NOTABLE: The three straight wins matches a season high for the Lakers. ... Walker finished with a team-high 28 points and seven assists for the Bobcats, who have lost 12 straight games. ... Meeks scored 17 points for the Lakers, his fourth straight game in double figures, and may have played his way into the starting lineup Saturday at Golden State. ... The Bobcats missed four free throws in the final quarter.

UP NEXT: For the Lakers, Saturday @ Golden State, Tuesday vs. New York, Wednesday @ Denver. For the Bobcats, Wednesday @ Phoenix, Friday @ Golden State, Saturday @ Denver.

• Bobcats: Thomas
• Lakers: Blake, Johnson-Odom, Nash

• Bobcats: --
• Lakers: --

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #33 Sean Corbin, #14 Ed Malloy, #79 Kevin Scott
• Attendance: 18997
• Duration: 2:20