Lakers hand Cavs first home defeat of season
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AFP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 10, 2009 00:00
CLEVELAND, Ohio - In a meeting of possible NBA finalists, Los Angeles Lakers beat Cleveland Cavaliers thanks to their staying power, solid defending and valuable contribution off the bench.
Los Angeles Lakers dealt the Cleveland Cavaliers their first home defeat of the National Basketball Association season Sunday in a clash of two of the league's top teams.
With Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant slowed by the flu, Lamar Odom stepped up for the Lakers, scoring a season-high 28 points with 17 rebounds in a 101-91 triumph. The ailing Bryant still scored 19 points for the Lakers, who wrapped up an undefeated six-game road trip.
Sunday's win came three days after Los Angeles held off the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics 110-109 in overtime.
"Hopefully, we'll keep this up," Lakers center Paul Gasol said. "It's nice, a good statement for us." Added the game's star player Odom: "We're playing for perfection."
Cavaliers superstar LeBron James had 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists but shot just 5-of-20 from the field as Cleveland lost for the first time in 24 games at home this season.
Cleveland's 23-game home winning streak was the fifth-longest such run in NBA history, but the Lakers have made a habit of snapping significant streaks this season. On Christmas day they ended Boston's club-record 19-game winning streak, and their triumph in Boston on Thursday ended a 12-game winning streak for the Celtics.
This win owed a lot to Odom's third-quarter performance. He collected 15 points and 10 rebounds in the period as Los Angeles outscored Cleveland 29-16. "Lamar impacted the game on both ends of the floor, especially with his ability to offensive rebound and his ability to slash," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "His athleticism, his length, his skills - he was a handful for us tonight, especially on the backside as the game went along in the third quarter."
Bryant, who spent the halftime break throwing up in the locker room, took an extended rest at the start of the fourth.
He stepped on the floor for the first time in the final period at the 5:43 mark and did not score until there was 2:48 remaining.
’Not himself’
"He had chills at halftime and was struggling," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "But he said he was going to go out there anyway and play. He was definitely not himself today."
"It was the ultimate form of leadership on his part," Los Angeles guard Derek Fisher said. "He laid what he had out there. He's probably going to pay for it for a couple of days."
Meanwhile, Turkish forward Hidayet "Hedo" Türkoğlu produced 15 points, eight assists and five rebounds in the Orlando Magic’s 101-84 victory over the New Jersey Nets.
Dwight Howard had 30 points and 16 rebounds to lift the Orlando to a victory over New Jersey, who demolished the Denver Nuggets by 44 points the night before.
Another Turkish player, Mehmet Okur, was on the losing end as the Utah Jazz was defeated by the Golden State Warriors 116-96.
Okur had 21 points and nine rebounds, while point guard Deron Williams led the Jazz with 31 points and 10 assists. Corey Maggette had 24 points for the Warriors.
With Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant slowed by the flu, Lamar Odom stepped up for the Lakers, scoring a season-high 28 points with 17 rebounds in a 101-91 triumph. The ailing Bryant still scored 19 points for the Lakers, who wrapped up an undefeated six-game road trip.
Sunday's win came three days after Los Angeles held off the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics 110-109 in overtime.
"Hopefully, we'll keep this up," Lakers center Paul Gasol said. "It's nice, a good statement for us." Added the game's star player Odom: "We're playing for perfection."
Cavaliers superstar LeBron James had 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists but shot just 5-of-20 from the field as Cleveland lost for the first time in 24 games at home this season.
Cleveland's 23-game home winning streak was the fifth-longest such run in NBA history, but the Lakers have made a habit of snapping significant streaks this season. On Christmas day they ended Boston's club-record 19-game winning streak, and their triumph in Boston on Thursday ended a 12-game winning streak for the Celtics.
This win owed a lot to Odom's third-quarter performance. He collected 15 points and 10 rebounds in the period as Los Angeles outscored Cleveland 29-16. "Lamar impacted the game on both ends of the floor, especially with his ability to offensive rebound and his ability to slash," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "His athleticism, his length, his skills - he was a handful for us tonight, especially on the backside as the game went along in the third quarter."
Bryant, who spent the halftime break throwing up in the locker room, took an extended rest at the start of the fourth.
He stepped on the floor for the first time in the final period at the 5:43 mark and did not score until there was 2:48 remaining.
’Not himself’
"He had chills at halftime and was struggling," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "But he said he was going to go out there anyway and play. He was definitely not himself today."
"It was the ultimate form of leadership on his part," Los Angeles guard Derek Fisher said. "He laid what he had out there. He's probably going to pay for it for a couple of days."
Meanwhile, Turkish forward Hidayet "Hedo" Türkoğlu produced 15 points, eight assists and five rebounds in the Orlando Magic’s 101-84 victory over the New Jersey Nets.
Dwight Howard had 30 points and 16 rebounds to lift the Orlando to a victory over New Jersey, who demolished the Denver Nuggets by 44 points the night before.
Another Turkish player, Mehmet Okur, was on the losing end as the Utah Jazz was defeated by the Golden State Warriors 116-96.
Okur had 21 points and nine rebounds, while point guard Deron Williams led the Jazz with 31 points and 10 assists. Corey Maggette had 24 points for the Warriors.