The (18-3) Los Angeles Lakers, currently on an 11-game winning streak embark on a 5-game 9-day road trip starting tonight facing the (13-9) Utah Jazz in the first of three back-to-back games.
All five Lakers’ starters scored in double figures, but it wasn’t enough. Kobe Bryant had 16 points, but he was just seven-for-24 shooting from the field. Bryant tried to play through a stomach ache, but it was clear that it bothered him.
In the third, the Lakers tightened up the defense, holding Utah to 21 points, but then the offense went cold. 18 points in the third, 23 in the fourth. That wasn’t enough to make up the deficit. Kobe Bryant, fighting a bug and his first night playing with a splint on his right index finger to protect the avulsion fracture he suffered last night against the Wolves, struggled on both ends. Offensively, he was limited to 16 points on 7-24 shooting. Meanwhile, he was a step slow defensively, getting burned by the Jazz when he played off his man to do the “center field” thing.
Ron Artest played a pretty strong game (16 points, putting him over 10,000 for his career). Derek Fisher was 6-8 from the floor, but had to sit in the second half with foul trouble. Pau Gasol had his second straight 20 rebound game, but Andrew Bynum only had four in thirty minutes of burn. Overall, not a robust performance from the purple and gold.
The game against the Jazz in Salt Lake was the first of a five-game trip for the Lakers. The Lakers will return home tonight, practice Monday and head to Chicago that afternoon.
- LA Times
- Lakers.com
December 13, 2009
2:17 am
Mark Khevin Austria
Fuck……….
December 13, 2009
9:07 am
Dins
Dont worry Kobe!
December 13, 2009
10:47 am
R3NST3R
hey it was a good game overall =)
December 13, 2009
12:39 pm
jmauro
Kobe is tough and a warrior, but this is one that he should have taken off…hindsight 20/20 but with the finger and stomach problem…Phil should have insisted that he sit this one out.
December 13, 2009
5:20 pm
papis
don’t worry kobe, you’ll be fine soon !
December 13, 2009
8:21 pm
Waunie Wilson
Get Well Soon Kobe
December 14, 2009
12:06 am
J. Johnson
Talk about a turn-around!!
December 14, 2009
2:43 am
Air Apparent
Get well soon Kob
December 14, 2009
3:34 pm
yanebok
aw, poor kobe..get well soon and beat the bulls!!! go kobe, go lakers!! =)
December 14, 2009
6:02 pm
NiNaRoSs
Hey there Kobe!!! Just pop’n in to wish you guys the best for 2morrows game against THE BULLS!! Kick ass & have a safe trip!!!
~NiNaRoSs
December 14, 2009
6:04 pm
NiNaRoSs
The Jazzr’s might have taken that game but that aint S@%$! We got this!!! WE GOT THIS!!! !~GO LAKERS~!!
December 14, 2009
10:25 pm
Eric
hey everything runs threw kobe on the laker squad. but kobe is the best and will look like a monster vs bulls no doubt. i messed this game because i was in vegas but on sunday i wear my lakers jersey and i ran into some utah guys and of course they were talking but i was bout to kick some ass haha but my girlfriends mom pulled me away haha. am a laker for life and would hurt someone for talking bad bout my team
December 15, 2009
12:35 pm
len1427
should def have a career day against the bulls im from the chi and damn do the bulls suck.
December 15, 2009
5:36 pm
jackson
get well son kobe and good luck next game
December 15, 2009
5:58 pm
jackson
ALSO KOBE YOU ARE AWESOME
December 16, 2009
9:59 pm
Steven
Not to mention our boy had flu symptoms…Let’s get that RING!!!
December 18, 2009
2:14 am
Tibetan champatenzen
I am a Tibetan, I have family in Tibet, now in Beijing, universities, unfortunately, did not last Olympic Games the opportunity to Wukesong to see you play. Hope that the Turkish Men’s Basketball Championships, the United States – your country will be NO.1