After hard foul by Amundson, Gasol goes down and doesn't get up
LOS ANGELES, CA - Injuries have been the one thing the Lakers have been blessed not to have messed with outside of Andrew Bynum over the past three years, but tonight they were not protected by anything. After losing Steve Blake to a lower back strain in the first quarter, the Lakers were dealt an even more serious blow when forward Pau Gasol while attacking the basket, was fouled hard by Warriors forward Louis Amundson. Gasol fell hard and stayed down for a brief moment and tried to get up on his own power when he suddenly grabbed the back of his right foot. Early diagnosis is that Gasol suffered a strained achilles and has been ruled out indefinitely. Gasol has had hamstring problems over the past few years that forced him to miss up to at least ten games, but trainer Gary Vitti said an injury like this is "season ending" if not treated correctly. We will have more following the conclusion of the game.
Bryant leads Lakers over Warriors, but lose Blake, Gasol to injuries
LOS ANGELES, CA - Halloween night in Los Angeles can be a very scary time. Non more scarier then the horror that went on inside STAPLES Center infront of a sellout crowd as they witnessed guard Steve Blake and forward Pau Gasol go down to injuries in the Lakers 113-96 win over the Golden State Warriors. Blake strained his lower back in the first quarter after hitting a three pointer that put the Lakers up 28-27. He would not return and is said to be out 1-2 weeks. Gasol on the other hand had the worst injury of the two. Going up for a layup late in the second quarter, Gasol was fouled by Warriors forward Louis Amundson and landed very awkwardly on the floor. After spending several minutes on his back Gasol attempted to stand, but clutched the back of his right foot in pain. Helped off by his teammates and taken into the locker room it was then determined that Gasol had strained his achilles and was ruled out at the most 2-4 weeks. "To see two of our teammates go down to injuries in the same game is very worrisome. That is when guys have to step up and take on added responsibility for the overall benefit of the team," said Lakers guard Derek Fisher. Lamar Odom took those words to heart replacing Gasol and putting up 21 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 27 points, but was plagued with foul trouble for most of the first three quarters. The Lakers had a 57-56 lead going into halftime thanks to Odom's buzzer beater, but the Warriors were able to force the Lakers into several turnovers during the third and took the lead 63-62. Kobe Bryant re-entered the game in the fourth quarter and took control scoring 11 of his 27 in the fourth.
The Warriors were making the game a very winable game, but then came the fourth quarter for them and all the shots that fell earlier, were coming up short or to long. After a hot 22-42 shooting in the first half, the Warriors went 17-48 in the second half including 0-6 from three point range. Monta Ellis led the Warriors with 24 points and 4 steals while David Lee added 13 points. Stephen Curry had an awful shooting night (4-14) putting up only 11 points and a team leading 13 assists. Down 85-77 going into the fourth quarter the Warriors failed to stop Kobe Bryant as he scored eight straight points to push the lead to 93-77 and the Lakers never looked back. The Warriors, one of the league's highest scoring offenses could only put up 96 points after putting up 77 thru three quarters.
Game notes: With the injury to Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom will step into the starting lineup meaning that the Lakers bench will lose it's top scorer and with Steve Blake out the Lakers will have to decide whether Shannon Brown will be the temporary backup to Derek Fisher. The Lakers are expected to place Gasol on the inactive list as well as Blake and move Trey Johnson and Derrick Caracter to the active roster leaving rookie forward Devin Ebanks still the only player not to be on the active roster yet this season.
Spoiler
Golden State Warriors (1-2) @ Los Angeles Lakers (3-0)
I would say a pleasent surprise to find the Magic at the top of the list, but worthy to be mentioned.
2 (2)
Spurs
2-0
Perhaps a reduction in minutes to their big three will mean that the role players have alot to say how the season goes.
3 (5)
Lakers
2-0
First Ron Artest, then Matt Barnes? I guess if you go toe-to-toe with Kobe you earn the right to stand side-by-side with him for a ring.
4 (13)
Grizzlies
3-0
This shouldn't be a big surprise given that the Grizzlies gelled pretty well towards the end of last year. Just continue to improve.
5 (4)
Celtics
2-1
The Celtics opening day victory over the Heat showed where LeBron and company are against the elite.
6 (7)
Trail Blazers
2-1
Portland is looking to make some noise this year in the Western Conference. Brandon Roy and his knees have been moved to the bench for Wesley Matthews.
7 (18)
Kings
2-1
Gotta hand it to Paul Westphal getting DeMarcus Cousins to take his pro career seriously. Question is, when does he blow up?
8 (21)
Knicks
2-1
The addition of Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups makes the Knicks players once again in the East. Defense has to be preached and practiced to stay consistant with the offense.
9 (25)
Bucks
2-1
After that seven game series against Atlanta last year the Bucks can look to go deeper this time with a healthy Andrew Bogut.
10 (30)
Pistons
2-1
A good start for the Pistons. The emergence of Greg Monroe shows great potential for an advantage upfront.
11 (3)
Bulls
1-1
So much expectations put on these young Bulls shoulders. New players (Boozer, Korver, Brewer) and coach Tom Thibadeau can only help Rose reach the next step.
12 (9)
Thunder
1-1
The Thunder could be the Wests new version of the Phoenix Suns. Durant, Westbrook with the addition of Perkins could overthrow the Lakers.
13 (11)
Mavericks
1-1
What will it take for the Mavericks to get over the top? Since their lone NBA Finals appearance, its been a series of disappointments and second guessing.
14 (17)
Clippers
1-1
Let's face it, it's only because of Blake Griffin that the Clippers are ranked this high. They'll get ranked higher if it means more victories.
15 (22)
Warriors
1-1
New ownership, along with consultant Jerry West (The Logo) could prove to be just what the Warriors needed to capture lightning in the bottle twice.
16 (27)
Raptors
1-1
The Raptors lost Chris Bosh, lost the final playoff spot on the last day of the regular season. If you've hit rock bottom, only place to go is up.
17 (29)
Nets
1-1
Not getting Anthony was even better for New Jersey. They got possible the face of their franchise when they head to Brooklyn in 2 years. Will Deron Williams be inclined to stay that long?
18 (1)
Heat
1-2
Is the Bulls 72 victories in trouble? The Lakers 33 consecutive winning streak? I'll be the first to say they are both far from being broken. The rate the Heat have played so far "The Decision" might be one to reconsider.
19 (8)
Hornets
1-2
With the help of Ariza can the Hornets make it back to the playoffs or does Paul have a legit reason to ask for a trade?
20 (10)
Nuggets
1-2
They made out like bandits in the Carmelo Anthony deal. Now they can turn their focus to Nene's contract and consider Martin and Smith deals to shed salary.
21 (12)
76ers
1-2
Doug Collins was the obvious choice to encourage and teach these young players. Now he just has to keep the Iguodala trade talk down to a minimum.
22 (16)
Suns
1-2
The Suns made some major additions to their roster in the offseason. Losing Stoudemire for nothing could end up playing against them. Not sure that an aging Vince Carter is the viable solution.
23 (19)
Pacers
1-2
The Pacers outlook this year in Larry Bird's words are "playoffs". We'll see if Granger and Collison can lead a young squad in the rugged East.
24 (20)
Cavaliers
1-2
The pain of "The Decision" still lies deep in the hearts of Cavs fans. They all have circled the date LeBron makes his return to Cleveland. It just won't be as interesting as both teams are going in opposite directions.
25 (15)
Rockets
1-2
Peace has returned to the lockerroom after the trade of Aaron Brooks and now Kyle Lowry is the full-time point guard for the Rockets. Adelman needs to find out how to use Ming and Martin together or another season thrown away.
26 (23)
Hawks
1-2
Was Joe Johnson worth the money? We can find out that answer come playoff time. Marvin Williams, 3 years and $24 million dollars? Production goes down so does value.
27 (24)
Bobcats
1-2
Michael couldn't see talent in Washington, now he is the head guy in Charlotte. Yes, they made the playoffs, but does qualifying not motivate you to aim higher?
28 (28)
Timberwolves
1-2
Will Rubio ever play in the NBA? Better yet in Minnesota? Does Rambis get the axe this year or do you give the guy a sporting chance?
29 (14)
Jazz
0-2
Losing Jerry Sloan then trading Deron Williams means Utah is in rebuilding mode. Playoffs are beyond the horizon, the lottery is around the corner.
30 (26)
Wizards
0-2
Every team will try to avoid being ranked here, but this week it's the Wizards. A single victory over anyone would move them up to at least 1.
Bryant, Bynum and Lakers hand Grizzlies first loss of the season
LOS ANGELES, CA - A week into the new season and the Lakers have maintained their perfect start, the latest handing the Memphis Grizzlies their first loss of the year, 105-92 infront of a sellout crowd at STAPLES Center. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 25 points, but still was unable to have a favorable shooting night going 10-28 from the field. Andrew Bynum added 19 points, 12 rebounds and 7 block shots for the Lakers who were without Pau Gasol and Steve Blake, both missing their first games after suffering separate injuries Sunday night against the Warriors. The Lakers took a 52-45 lead into the second half the Grizzlies kept close and eventually took the lead 74-72. The Lakers responded and took the lead back and from their used another fourth quarter lock down on the defensive end to pull away.
The Grizzlies were led by Rudy Gay with 29 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals and Tony Allen putting up 16 points and grabbing 7 rebounds despite a poor shooting night 4-13 from the field. Point guard Mike Conley was one assist shy of a triple double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists, but also had a poor shooting night hitting only 5-17 shots and going 0-6 from three point range. The Grizzlies as a team were 3-17 from the three point line, but attempted 14 more free throws then the Lakers did and out rebounded them 54-47. So the question begs to be asked, how did the Grizzlies lose this game? "I think towards the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth the Lakers just buckled down defensively and made the plays that they needed to make to get the upper hand. I am proud of the way our team played out there, we didn't see any lost opportunities out there from an effort standpoint, but when it came time to knock down shots, they hit them tonight and we didn't," said forward Rudy Gay. "They are the defending champions and they know how to turn that switch on when they want to get aggressive and put pressure on you. You have to be able to push back and be just as aggressive to stay within striking distance and tonight we just didn't push back hard enough," was Zach Randolph's thoughts. These two teams still have three more meetings this year to look forward to, the next one being at the end of the month in Memphis.
Spoiler
Memphis Grizzlies (3-1) @ Los Angeles Lakers (4-0)
Lakers forward Artest experiencing back spasms during game
SACRAMENTO, CA - We've just learned that following a hard foul, Lakers forward Ron Artest pulled up very slow however was still able to shoot two free throws before being taken back into the locker room for what we are told is back spasms. Apparently, Artest started to feel the spasms after a collision at the basket with Kings center Samuel Dalembert. Early reports are that Artest is available to return if necessary, but is in quite alot of pain.
Lakers hit with yet another injury, pull through with victory
SACRAMENTO, CA - Despite losing starting forward Pau Gasol (strained achilles) and backup guard Steve Blake (strained lower back) and having guard Shannon Brown (sprained wrist) injured but able to play, the Lakers have not been able to rid themselves of the one thing that made it possible for them to not only repeat as NBA champions, but make three straight NBA Final appearances. Injuries derail a team in the blink of an eye. The Lakers know this firsthand because center Andrew Bynum has been the only player in the heart of the lineup that has experienced injuries to his knees for the past three seasons. After the first five games of the 2010-11 season the Lakers medical bills probably have far passed their team salary for the season. They were landed yet another blow tonight against the Sacramento Kings, but remain positive that this injury will not mean another suit at the end of the bench. Starting small forward Ron Artest left the game midway through the third quarter after a collision with Kings center Samuel Dalembert that resulted in Artest going to the free throw line, but then heading back to the locker room and stayed for the remainder of the game because of experiencing back spasms. The Lakers trainer Gary Vitti relayed the injury to head coach Phil Jackson. "Right now Ron is in a lot of pain. He can not seem to arch his back or twist without experiencing a spasm. However, after getting some treatment while the game was concluding, I spoke to him after our post game team meeting and he said that he felt better then he did an hour ago." Whether or not Artest will miss anytime is still to be determined, but with both Gasol and Blake expected to not return for at least another two weeks, the Lakers already find themselves short handed. "We do have a full roster which is why we chose to carry 15 players to start the season," said general manager Mitch Kupchak. "We felt that other than (Andrew) we had a great deal of positive health from our players over the last three years and that you can never be prepared for when an injury is going to happen, but we do our best in making sure we have the personnel to sustain any type of injury for however long it might be." So that means that Matt Barnes, Luke Walton and possibly rookie Devin Ebanks will have to take on some added responsibility while Artest heals up.
The injury to Artest didn't crack the Lakers armor when it came to the game at hand. Yes, tonight the Lakers did something rather odd for them this early in the season...they had to play to the very end. The Kings took the lead with under two minutes to go 84-83, but the Lakers still had Kobe Bryant on the floor and healthy and he was able to find a way to not only give the Lakers back the lead, but on the defensive end make sure they kept it. Derek Fisher and Matt Barnes were able to hit free throws down the stretch and keep the lead to three points evading any chance for the Kings to pull off an upset. Kobe led the Lakers with a game high 26 points on 12-22 shooting (his first game shooting better than 50 percent from the field) and Lamar Odom (replacing Pau Gasol) added 12 points and 15 rebounds with Andrew Bynum recording a double double with 10 points and 10 rebounds improving the Lakers to a 5-0 start for the season and a 92-88 win over the Kings. Matt Barnes off the bench and playing a majority of the second half after the Artest injury finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds while veteran Joe Smith gave the Lakers 8 points and 3 rebounds in 15 minutes.
Sacramento had their opportunities to steal the game, but were not able to hit the shots down the stretch to capitalize. Center Samuel Dalembert led the Kings with 25 points and 10 rebounds on 10-14 shooting while second year guard Tyreke Evans put up 24 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists going 12-19 from the free throw line and rookie forward DeMarcus Cousins putting up 10 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. The Kings were able to get to the free throw line with regularity attempting 39 free throws to the Lakers 15, but were unable to hit from the perimeter going 0-15 in three point field goal attempts including reserve Marcus Thornton going 0-7. The Kings trailed 29-22 after the first quarter and pulled to within two points at halftime 47-45. The Lakers were able to put some distance between the Kings outscoring them by five in the third quarter to take a seven point lead 70-63 into the fourth. The Lakers looked like they were on their way to routing the Kings at the beginning of the fourth, but the Laker reserves were unable to withstand the Kings late run and were in danger of suffering their first loss of the season until Phil Jackson brought back his starters to finish the final three minutes of the game and the Lakers trailing 84-83 went on a 9-4 run to finish it off.
The Lakers will host the Toronto Raptors on Friday night before finishing up their brief three game home stand with Portland on Sunday and Minnesota on Tuesday. Hopefully the short home stand will provide some much needed rest for Gasol, Blake, Brown and Artest.
Game notes: Shannon Brown who has been playing with a broken/sprained wrist is expected to be available for Friday's game. Ron Artest is listed as day-to-day, but Phil Jackson expects him to be available, but not sure if Artest would start. That means that free agent forward Matt Barnes might get his first start as a Laker with Walton and rookie Ebanks to back him up. No word on if Artest would be inactive for Friday's game, but it is a gametime decision.
07-02-2011, 09:38 AM
