In what was one of the uglier games you'll see all season, the Los Angeles Lakers got a much needed road win, by the final score of 88-87 in overtime. They achieved victory by sucking slightly less down the stretch. Kobe Bryant was at his brilliant worst, taking terrible shots throughout the 4th quarter and overtime, hitting just enough impossible looks to keep his strong 1st half looking decent, ending the game with 27 points on 11-24 shooting, and Pau Gasol had one of his best games of the season, possibly in response to being left off the All-Star team, going for 25 and 14 boards, and a key block of Ray Allen on the Celtics final possession of overtime. Andrew Bynum struggled with the Celtics physical defense, but made a few very big plays, including an and one buzzer beating offensive rebound just before the half. Off the bench, Matt Barnes provided great energy, Troy Murphy somehow found ways to contribute while he missed nearly every open shot he took, and Steve Blake played big minutes in his return from injury due to Derek Fisher being Derek Fisher.

The Lakers survived because the Celtics couldn't take advantage of another weak offensive output. Ray Allen hit some shots early, and one big three late, but Paul Pierce could only manage 18 points on 18 shots, and Kevin Garnett was repeatedly allowed to miss shots from 20 feet to allow the Lakers to claw their way back into the game and eventually seal the victory. Garnett missed his last 10 shots and ended up 6-23 on the night. It's a victory the Lakers will be happy to take, but not one that provides any level of confidence that a bunch more victories are on the way.

Tonight the Lakers played the Philadelphia 76ers, the team with the 4th best record in the association. Neither team was playing on the second night of a back-to-back, something that is a rarity in this compressed season. In a hostile environment against a very good team with fresh legs, this was a measuring stick game. A chance to see how the Lakers would stack up should the playoffs begin now. The answer: not very well. All the strengths and weaknesses of this Lakers team was on full display tonight. Unfortunately for the Lakers, their weaknesses are simply too many to overcome against a playoff caliber opponent.

The Lakers biggest strength is their big three of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum. The trio of stars is as good as any in the league, even the team from South Beach. Tonight the big three showed just what they can do. Kobe played superb (at least during the first 44 minutes, more on that to come) as he lit up Philadelphia for 24 points in the first half on 8 of 14 shooting. In the second half, the 76ers sent constant double teams at him, forcing the ball out of his hands and asking him to put faith in his teammates. To Kobe's credit, he did not force the action but took what the defense gave him and typically made the right plays.

Andrew Bynum showed why he is the second best center in the league as he had his second 20-20 game of the season. He scored his 20 points on a very efficient 8 of 13 shooting. He demonstrated the foot work and finishing ability that makes him one of the better offensive centers in the league. He also finished with a three assists, two of which were Gasol-esque in ability. In addition to being an offensive load down low, he was the anchor of the defense, finishing with three blocks and holding the 76ers to lower than 50% shooting inside the key.

Pau Gasol managed to score 16 points and pull down 11 rebounds as the Lakers third option, but he struggled to do so efficiently, making only 5 of 16 attempts. Therein lies the first weakness of the Lakers, the need their big three to play great in order to win.

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The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Philadelphia 76ers tonight 95 to 90, dropping to 1-2 on their Grammys road trip. Kobe Bryant played like the "Black Mamba" in the first half as he scored 24 points, passing former teammate Shaquille O'Neal on the all time scoring list in the process. In the 2nd half the 76ers sent a steady diet of double teams to Bryant and he proceeded to pick them apart with his passing as his teammates finished off the possessions. An Andrew Bynum dunk with under 5 minutes to play put the Lakers up 86-79. Then Lou Williams did his best Kobe impression as a closer, scoring 12 of the teams final 16 points in a 16 to 4 run to close the game.

The Lakers offense was powered by Kobe Bryant's 28 points and Andrew Bynum's 20-20 game. They also received solid play from Andrew Goudelock (9 points) and Troy Murphy (7 points) off the bench. Unfortunately for LA it wasn't enough to overcome the well balanced team effort in which eight of the nine Sixers scored at least 8 points, led by Williams' 24. The all too familiar three point shooting woes emerged again as the Lakers made only 7 of 24 attempts (29%). They also were a minus-12 in the turnover department tonight against a very efficient Sixers team. The combination of poor shooting and turnover differential proved too much to make up, even with a 21 rebound effort on the offensive glass.

Welp, that wasn't very pretty was it? The Lakers and Jazz played a fairly decent game in the first half, matching each other well enough to end up with a 2-point differential at the half, Lakers up 49-47.

Then everything changed, for the worse, it turned out.

The Lakers and Jazz both came out in the third quarter like two different teams from the ones who played in the first half. There were missed bunnies on both ends, missed jumpers, missing persons, you name it, they were missing. At one point in the third quarter, the Lakers had scored 9 points, the Jazz just 11. There were just under 4 minutes left to play. Then the scoring picked up on both ends and both teams set out to win the quarter. It ended tied.

For the game, there were 21 lead changes and 12 ties. There were hard fouls on both ends, but as in last night's game, there were also a lot of non-calls. One in particularly fired up Lakers coach Mike Brown. Pau Gasol was pushed to the floor by Earl Watson who blindsided him and stole the ball, taking it to the other end and passing it off for an uncontested "dunk" by Derrick Favors. Mike Brown went ballistic, bumping ref Zach Zarba, in the process, and earned himself two quick technicals and an automatic ejection. Assistant coach John Kuester took over from there.

The rest of the game was a build-up of Jazz momentum with Earl Watson making shot after shot after shot. The Jazz went on a 14-0 run to seal the Lakers fate and hand them another road loss, which leaves them at 3-8 away from home.

More to come. I'm going to get drunk. Ta.

Last night, your Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets, in Denver, by a final score of 93-89. This win was unusual for the Lakers in more ways than one: first off, they actually won a close game - even more unusual considering that it was a close game against a good team; also they won a road game, just their third of the season.

So, what did they do differently? Well, offensively, it almost appeared they combined the best aspects of both their last two games, contribution-wise. Whilst the big three all had decent games, Kobe's bad shooting notwithstanding, the Lakers still managed to gain good contributions from their supporting cast, with the non-big-three members combining for 36 points in total. Pretty mediocre by most team's standards, but hell it's progress for the Lakers.

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It's no mystery that the Lakers struggle mightily against teams on the road. The Florida road trip turned into a disaster with straight blowouts. Starting off a crucial six game road trip, the Lakers needed to get off on the right foot. Coming into this game, the Nuggets had been touted as title contenders because of their potent offense and deep bench. They had just finished dismantling the Clippers the night before with a barrage of threes. The NBA-sphere was buzzing about the Nuggets potential to go all the way. The Lakers' chances looked bleak on the outset, as the Nuggets always play the Lakers tough. Tonight, the Lakers finally came through on the road against a key player in the playoff hunt, with a 93-89 win. It was a tough, gritty, ugly win, which is quickly becoming the Lakers style.

The Lakers started the game off feeding Andrew Bynum. He made the Nuggets pay with 4-4 shots made in the first quarter. The lead stretched to 11 at one point, before the Nuggets closed the gap to 2 to end the quarter. Goudelock was key for the Lakers with Kobe and Gasol on the bench, as the Nuggets began doubling and even triple teaming Bynum. This was key because aside from Goudelock, the bench combined for a total of two field goals the entire game. With Goudelock on the floor, the Lakers went on a 7-0 run in the second. In the fourth quarter, the lead stretched all the way to 8 at one point until Al Harrington put the Nuggets on his back, pulling the Nuggets within 4 coming into the final, dramatic minute.

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The Los Angeles Lakers won 93-89 over the Denver Nuggets after Al Harrington's potential game winning three pointer missed, giving the Lakers a big boost of confidence to start their yearly Grammys road trip. The Lakers played a tough brand of basketball, limiting the offensive powerhouse Nuggets to only 21% shooting from beyond the arc. Andrew Bynum led the way for the Lakers with 22 points and 10 rebounds, a day after being named the starting center for the West's al stars, while Kobe Bryant struggled in the first half to finish with 20 points on just 7-23 shooting.

The game was a big test for the Lakers, given their struggles against teams on the road. It wasn't easy, as the Lakers often times looked exhausted late in the game. The Denver Nuggets, coming off a back to back game themselves, struggled mightily scoring the ball, missing numerous layups and close shots. Lakers coach Mike Brown said, "We just had to control the tempo offensively and go at our pace." The game was close the entire second half, with the Lakers leading most of the way. After a dramatic final minute, which saw Derek Fisher sink a clutch jumper, two controversial calls, video replays, and a missed contested three by Al Harrington, the Lakers came away with a huge victory over the Nuggets.

As the Lakers prepare to go on their annual Grammys road trip, how much should we take out of the Lakers romping over a team as bad as the Charlotte Bobcats? Putting stock in a win like this, due the Lakers' current deficiencies, is no easy task.

One one hand, we should be glad to get the W, especially in such convincing fashion against a piss poor team. Wins are wins, and in a shortened, hectic season that afforded no real preparation, we should take what we can. But does the win give us any hint on real signs of progress heading into a roadie that could shape how the season may ultimately play out? There are some faults with these Lakers that are shown easily and definitively against good teams. Still, they are good enough to win at home, and to beat bad teams like they should. Whooping Michael Jordan's joke of a team doesn't help figure out questions the Lakers are going to have to answer if they truly fancy themselves contenders. They've yet to put it all together in many games that matter, and none away from Staples Center. Can they win on the road and can they do it against good teams?

It's not so easy to predict how the Lakers will play on this trip, but in pawing with the Bobcats, the Lakers showed some promising signs that they could start to resemble an a team with offensive discipline and flow, and shooters that can make double teams pay.

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