Lakers breeze to 12-1 with 120-93 romp over Nets

LOS ANGELES(AP) Pau Gasol had 26 points and eight rebounds before sitting out the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame a poor shooting performance by Kobe Bryant to rout the New Jersey Nets 120-93 on Tuesday night and improve the NBA's best record to 12-1.

Bryant had difficulty most of the game with Vince Carter's defense, going 5-for-17 from the field in 28 minutes and finishing with 12 points in the Lakers' fifth straight victory. He shot 1-for-9 in the first half and didn't get to the free-throw line until 1:11 remained in the second quarter.

The reigning MVP and two-time scoring champion had a similar game at New Jersey on Feb. 5, scoring a season-low six points on 3-for-13 shooting with no free-throw attempts.

Devin Harris had 21 points and six assists for the Nets, who again played without Stromile Swift (back), Josh Boone (bruised left ankle) and Chris Douglas-Roberts (right knee strain). Eduardo Najera, who has an injured back, did not make the trip.

Yi Jianlian had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Nets, who shot only 34.5 percent and were 3-for-19 in the fourth quarter while getting outscored 30-17. Carter scored 14 points before sitting out the final 6:51. Rookie center Brook Lopez made four of his first five shots, but went 2-for-10 the rest of the way and finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Big man Andrew Bynum picked up his fourth foul midway through the third quarter with the Lakers ahead 70-66, but his teammates responded with an 11-4 spurt and took a 90-76 lead into the fourth. The second unit opened the period with a 15-2 run, including 3-pointers by Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar and Lamar Odom and capped it on an 18-footer by Trevor Ariza that gave Los Angeles a 105-78 cushion with 8:19 left.

The Nets missed their first eight shots of the fourth before ending the drought on a 20-footer by Trenton Hassell with 5:24 remaining. By then, the Lakers led 113-88.

Gasol, who had 24 points and 12 rebounds against the Nets last February in his Lakers debut following his acquisition from the Memphis Grizzlies, paced Los Angeles to a 56-54 halftime lead with 16 points.

Notes: The Nets won their first 13 games after Lawrence Frank replaced Byron Scott as head coach on Jan. 26, 2004. Since that streak, they are 184-184 in the regular season and 18-20 in the playoffs. ... The Nets had allowed 30 or more points by an opposing player in each of their previous five games and seven of eight. ... Yi, the Nets' 7-foot forward, made a 3-pointer in the first quarter and is 23-for-56 from behind the arc in 79 NBA games. The other four 7-footers who were in uniform - Gasol, Bynum, Lopez and Lakers reserve center Chris Mihm - have yet to attempt a 3-point shot this season. ... The Nets did not attempt a free throw until 6:56 remained in the first half. ... The Lakers are 7-6 against the Nets since sweeping them in the 2002 NBA finals. ... The Nets continue their trip Wednesday night at Sacramento, where they have lost nine in a row. ... Bryant and Carter were among three players to average at least 21 points, six rebounds and five assists last season. The other was LeBron James.

Great New Jersey Nets basketball mind Mathew McQueeny - who used to write for nets.com and now writes for NJ.com’s “Nothin’ But Nets” blog – spent some time with us on the phone to discuss the 6-6 Nets. Listen up to hear discussions about Devin Harris, Yi Jianlian and Vinsanity as we preview Tuesday’s contest.

Lakers - Nets Preview

Despite a subpar defensive effort in their last game, the Los Angeles Lakers picked up another win.

Another poor defensive performance at home Tuesday night against the high-scoring New Jersey Nets, however, could spell trouble for the team with the NBA's best record.

The Lakers (11-1) go for their fifth straight victory when they take on the Nets, who have become a dangerous offensive team of late.

Los Angeles committed a season high-tying 18 turnovers that led to 33 points in Sunday's 118-108 victory over Sacramento. The Kings shot 53.4 percent from the field despite going 4-of-20 from 3-point range.

"I thought we were poor, defensively," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

After allowing 86.7 points per game and not permitting an opponent to reach 100 during their 7-0 start, the Lakers have given up an average of 101.0 points over their past five, with three opponents scoring 106 or more.

"I'm not happy with this win. We could have played much more solid defensively,'' said Kobe Bryant, who had 24 points and six assists. "They did a good job getting out in transition. So from that aspect, we might have been a little worn down."

Los Angeles is fifth in the NBA in scoring defense at 92.7 points per game, but faces a New Jersey team that's averaging 111.4 points and shooting 48.3 percent from the field during its current 4-1 stretch. The Nets averaged 91.7 points during their 2-5 start.

While their defense has slipped recently, the Lakers might again be able to rely on their offense to carry them past the Nets. After its season-high 118-point outing against the Kings, Los Angeles is averaging 110.8 points and shooting 48.5 percent from the floor during its four-game winning streak - 7.3 points and 4.3 shooting percentage points better than in its first eight games.

In Bryant's last three home games against the Nets, he's averaging 32.0 points, 6.7 assists and 2.0 steals, and New Jersey allows 103.2 points per game - fifth-worst in the NBA.

Center Andrew Bynum is among the Lakers that's been hot on the offensive end. Bynum posted his second straight double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds against the Kings, and is shooting 62.9 percent while averaging 14.0 points and 9.8 boards during the win streak.

The Plainsboro, N.J. native's best game against the Nets came Nov. 25, 2007, when he had 12 points and 13 rebounds in a 102-100 road loss.

Each of Los Angeles' starters scored in double figures for the first time this season Sunday, and the same happened for New Jersey (6-6) on Saturday in a 112-95 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Yi Jianlian scored a season-high 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting for the Nets. In his previous four games, Yi shot a combined 9-of-30 while scoring 23 points.

"Yi really came to play tonight," said Vince Carter, who added 26 points as the Nets won their second in a row.

Carter, the league's sixth-leading scorer at 24.3 points per game, is averaging 26.5 points and shooting 50 percent (10-of-20) from 3-point range in the last four games.

The Nets went 11-for-19 on 3s against the Clippers, and are shooting 43.8 percent from beyond the arc since losing three in a row from Nov. 8-12.

Since sweeping the Nets in the 2002 NBA finals, the Lakers have lost four of six home games against New Jersey.

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The Lakers split last season’s series with New Jersey after sweeping the 2006-07 series with the Nets 2-0. The Lakers have lost just four total season series to New Jersey since the Nets first season in the NBA (76-77), most recently dropping the 2005-06 series 0-2. This will be the 69th meeting between the Lakers and Nets with Los Angeles leading the all-time series 49-19. The Lakers are 6-4 in their last 10 overall games but have won three of the last four meetings with New Jersey overall. The Lakers are 5-4 at STAPLES Center all-time against the Nets while in New Jersey, the Lakers are 7-3 in their last 10 games. Under head coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers are 10-6 against New Jersey. In 17 games including 13 starts against the Nets, Kobe Bryant is averaging 21.9 points while Lamar Odom (17.1 points, 8.2 rebounds), Pau Gasol (16.3 points, 8.0 rebounds) and Derek Fisher (11.2 points) all average doublefigures for their careers against the Nets. Andrew Bynum, who was born in Plainsboro, New Jersey and attended St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey, is averaging 6.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.80 blocked shots in 20.0 minutes. Additionally, Nets forward Yi Jianlian and Lakers guard Sun Yue played on the Chinese National Team together in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

LAKERS UPDATES

STRONG STARTS
At 10-1, the Lakers are off to their best start to a season through 11 games since 2001-02 when Los Angeles started the year 10-1 and ultimately extended their one-loss record to 16-1, the most wins ever accrued by the Lakers before their second loss. The Lakers best undefeated start to a season came in 1997-98 when they opened the year a franchise record 11-0 and ran their record to 12-1 before losing their second game. In all, the Lakers have been 10-1 through 11 games FIVE times - 2008-09: 10-1, 2001-02: 16-1, 1997-98: 12-1, 1989-90: 10-1, 1985-86: 11-1. Phil Jackson led teams have won at least nine games before their second loss on four occasions, twice with the Chicago Bulls and now twice with the Lakers – 2008-09: 9-1, 2001-02: 16-1, 1996-97: 17-1, 1995-96: 10-1. With their 95-106 loss to Detroit November 14, the Lakers suffered their first defeat of the 2008-09 season. The loss snapped a seven-game win streak that was the team’s longest to start a season since opening the 2001-02 season 7-0. Only twice in franchise history had the Lakers started the season with a better mark, going a franchisebest 11-0 to open the 1997-98 campaign and 8-0 to start the 1987-88 season. This was the second time under head coach Phil Jackson that the Lakers have opened the season 7-0 (2008-09, 2001-02). Only once has a Jackson-led team opened the season with a better record, with the 1996-97 Bulls going 12-0 to begin the season.

POINTS ABOUT POINTS
The Lakers are currently ranked 2nd in the NBA in points scored (140.8) and 3rd in the NBA in points allowed (91.3) through 11 games this season. Since the NBA went to a four-division format prior to the 1970-71 season and expanded to six divisions prior to the 2004-05 season, no team has ever led the league in scoring while also leading the league in fewest points allowed.
Since the Lakers moved to Los Angeles, they have led the NBA in scoring four times (1965-66, 1971-72, 1985-86, 1997-98) but have never led the NBA in fewest points allowed. Additionally, the Lakers are winning by an average margin of 13.5 points per game through 11 games this season. The next closest team in point differential to date is Cleveland at +7.7 points per game. While still early in the season, it may be worth noting that the franchise record for point differential in a season is +12.3 established by the 1971-72 Lakers. The next highest mark in franchise history was +9.3 by the 1986-87 Lakers, making the ‘71-72 season the only year in which a Lakers team has ever averaged victory by double-figures. Phil Jackson’s 1999-00 Lakers rank third on this list with a +8.5 average margin of victory.

LAKERS DEFENSE
Through 12 games this season, the Lakers have allowed three opponents to reach the 100-point plateau, limiting teams to an average of 92.7 points per game. Since the inception of the shot clock prior to the 1954-55 season, no Lakers team has ever held its opponent under 90 points. Only 12 Lakers teams have ever held their opponents to fewer than 100 points per game, with Phil Jackson’s 1999-00 (92.3), 2001-02 (94.1) and 2003-04 (94.3) teams ranking as the first, second and third stingiest defenses in franchise history to date. Additionally, this was the first time since the inception of the shot clock that a Lakers team had held its opponents to fewer than 100 points in seven consecutive games to start a season. The Lakers last held their opponents to fewer than 100 points in seven consecutive games, at any point during a season, from March 15, 2006 to April 2, 2006 when they limited their opponents to double-digits in 10-straight games, going 7-3 over that stretch.