Lakers Fall to Nuggets to Cap Off Back to Back Road Trip

No surprise here, the Nuggets have been playing terrific at home all season long. Kobe Bryant lead the Lakers with another remarkable game scoring 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists, but it wasn't enough to pull off a comeback as they fall back two games under .500 with a loss against Denver 108-119 Monday night. All starters minus Earl Clark were in double figures as Steve Nash tallied 16 points, 15 points and 14 rebounds from Dwight Howard, and 15 points also from MWP. Antawn Jamison played as the leading scorer off the bench as he lead them with 14 points.

Final Score: @ Denver 108-119 [L]
Full recap: http://www.nba.com/games/20130225/LALDEN/gameinfo.html

Highlights

Next Game: vs. Minnesota (02/28/13)

Lakers Down Mavs in Critical Playoff Race Matchup

Both teams put it all on the line this game, playing like there's no tomorrow, but it was the Lakers who gained the upper hand. Kobe Bryant, fueled by Mark Cuban's amnesty comments, gave him some crow to eat this game as he lead the Lakers with 38 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists to help the Lakers overcome Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs 103-99 to hold on to the 9th spot and keep their bid for a playoff spot alive. Steve Nash had his best game as a Laker scoring wise, as he finished with 20 points and made big buckets when it counted besides Kobe and he was coming off from a bad shooting night against Portland too. The bench stepped up as well with the usual rotation of Antawn Jamison, Jodie Meeks, and Steve Blake as Jamison lead the bench with 13 points and Meeks scored 11. It's going to be a tough matchup in Denver as the Lakers head towards a back to back collision with the Nuggets, who have been red hot at home all season long.

Final Score: @ Dallas 103-99 [W]
Full recap: http://www.nba.com/games/20130224/LALDAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights

Next Game: @ Denver (02/25/13)

Lakers Rally vs. Blazers Behind Kobe's 40

Did the Lakers dodge ever a big bullet on this one. Kobe Bryant started to find his shooting touch again and rebooted his scoring ability leading the Lakers with 40 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists to help the Lakers make a home stand against the Blazers 107-111 to hold on to the 9th seed while still trailing Houston behind 4 games. Dwight Howard racked up 19 points and 16 rebounds and both MWP and Earl Clark hit their stride late when they needed to as they both tallied with 11 points. The bench also helped fortify the team mustering enough scoring as Antawn Jamison lead the bench with 16 points and Jodie Meeks from behind for 10 points. The Lakers face a crucial showdown on the road Sunday as they head to Dallas to face the Mavericks, also in a bid for the last spot for the playoffs

Final Score: vs. Portland
Full recap: http://www.nba.com/games/20130222/PORLAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights

Next Game: @ Dallas (02/24/13)

Lakers Honor Dr. Jerry Buss With Win Over Celtics

Can't think of any other team to win against to honor Dr. Buss, other than our arch-rivals in the east, Boston Celtics. Ever since Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers, his number 1 goal was to beat the Celtics and tie them for the most NBA Championships. The Lakers honored his memory right Wednesday. Dwight Howard, maybe his most active game as a Laker defensively and offensively, lead the team with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 1 assist to lead the Lakers to an emotional win on an emotional night over the Celtics 99-113. Not only was it a night of mourning, but a night of recognition as Steve Nash tallied 14 points and 7 assists to surpass no question the greatest Laker of all time, Magic Johnson for 4th place in all time assists. All starters were in double figures as Kobe Bryant returned to his aggressive form scoring 16 points also tallying 7 assists when he needed to, Earl Clark, tallied 14 points and 16 rebounds, and MWP tallied 12 points. The bench also did its job, providing offense for the Lakers as Antawn Jamison came off the bench with 15 points and Steve Blake followed close behind with 10 points.

Final Score: vs. Boston 99-113 [W] 
Full Recap: http://www.nba.com/lakers/gameday/130220_gameday_celtics

Highlights

Next Game: vs. Portland (02/22/13) #Win4JerryBuss

Dr. Jerry Buss 1933-2013

After being hospitalized with a long fight with cancer, legendary Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss passes away today at the age of 80. Dr. Buss has been an owner of the Lakers since 1979 after purchasing the team from its predecessor, Jack Kent Cooke. Since Buss' ownership, the Lakers have become the winningest team and one of the greatest franchise in sports, the most consistent playoff powerhouse in the West with only 2 seasons of missing the playoffs. Under his ownership, the Lakers have won 10 championships, 5 in the "Showtime" era with Magic and Kareem, 3 under the Kobe-Shaq era, and 2 with the duo of Kobe and Gasol, also making almost half of the Lakers' total NBA Finals apperances with 16, and capping it off with 19 division titles during his ownership with the Lakers.

My Thoughts: One of the greatest sports owners of all time enough said. Dr. Buss has done it all as an owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, making them a perennial Western Conference juggernaut and a championship-bound team. As a Laker fan since the first 3-peat with Shaq and Kobe, it was a pleasure seeing Jerry Buss build this team with a winning attitude, surrounding star players with great role players and a great coach to compete every year for a championship, the same can be said from fans who've witnessed the Lakers winning ways since Magic Johnson was drafted into the league in 1979. All I can say is RIP Dr. Buss, you've done a wonderful job in bringing glorious prosperity to the Laker organization and us fans with your winning attitude for almost 3 decades.

Clippers Send Lakers Exclamation Point With Valentine's Day Rout

Pathetic display really. Likely to win their first season series against the Lakers and their first division title, the Clippers took it to the Lakers as little brother gave big brother a big uppercut to the chin in a a 125-101 rout. To make things worse, the Lakers did not score the first 5 minutes of the game that sent the Clippers to a 15-0 lead start before picking up the pace too late. Kobe Bryant lead the Lakers with a double-double of 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 11 assists, but even that kind of performance wasn't enough when Kobe committed 6 turnovers. Dwight Howard tallied 18 points and MWP finished with 11 points. The only positives is Antawn Jamison off the bench as his 17 point performance somewhat kept the Lakers afloat and Jodie Meeks, who tallied 13 points off the bench including a 4 point play that kept the crowd into the game for a brief moment. Luckily it's the all-star break, will the Lakers find chemistry and get hot at the right time?

Final Score: @ LA Clippers 125-101
Full recap: http://www.nba.com/games/20130214/LACLAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights

Next Game: vs. Boston (02/20/13)

Lakers Top Suns Despite Kobe's Off Night

Wow only 4 points from Kobe Bryant this game, something us Laker fans are not accustomed to seeing from the Black Mamba. The Lakers managed to pull off a bounce back win against the Suns 85-91 with Dwight Howard as the Lakers' top performer with 19 points and 18 rebounds. MWP added 17 points and looked like the strong, scrappy Ron Artest of old with his defensive hustles in between the game chipping in 4 steals. Earl Clark added 11 points, Steve Nash tallied 10 points including the last deuce he scored to seal the game, and Antawn Jamison had a big game off the bench recording 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Final Score: vs. Phoenix 85-91 [W]
Full recap: http://www.nba.com/games/20130212/PHXLAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights

Next Game: vs. LA Clippers (02/14/13)