Lakers Hit The Road
Houston, TX – The Los Angeles Lakers showed in their last game that they don’t need Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol to shoot well to get a win.
Big games from their leading scorers, however, couldn’t hurt against a Houston Rockets team that appears to have rebounded from a recent slump.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the NA point spread favorites for Tuesday’s game against the NA. Current NBA Public Betting Information shows that NA% of more than NA bets for this game have been placed on the NA.
The Lakers hope for stronger performances from their stars as they go for their 10th victory in 11 games Tuesday night in a matchup with the Rockets, winners of three straight.
Bryant was 5-for-14 from the field and Gasol went 4-for-15 on Sunday night, but the Lakers (30-6) got big contributions from Andrew Bynum and Vladimir Radmanovic to hold off Miami 108-105.
"That’s good. That’s a good sign, a good thing," said Gasol, one of the league’s top shooters at 55.2 percent. "We might be struggling offensively or shooting from the field, but we still get it done and we still come up with ways to win ballgames."
The Western Conference-leading Lakers did so Sunday by finishing with 26 assists on 37 field goals, highlighting their depth in the process. Bynum paced Los Angeles with 24 points while Radmanovic added 18.
"We got other guys involved," said Bryant, who had seven assists after recording a season-high 13 in his previous game. "It’s part of my responsibility to this team to try to do what it takes on every given night, any given night, to ensure victory for our ballclub."
Bryant will try to keep the Lakers on track against a Houston team that’s won three in a row since dropping six of eight. The Rockets (24-15) held one of the NBA’s highest-scoring offensive teams to its lowest point total of the season in a 96-76 win over New York on Saturday night.
"We needed that kind of victory," forward Luis Scola told the Rockets’ official Web site after Houston got its first win by double figures since Dec. 22. "We need to come back and play the way we are able to play. So it’s good. Now the real deal is coming. The Lakers are coming to town, which is a great opportunity for us."
The Rockets’ dominant defensive effort Saturday was due in part to the return of Shane Battier, who had missed Houston’s previous six games with inflammation in his surgically repaired left foot.
"It really helped having him back in the game," coach Rick Adelman said of Battier, named to the NBA All-Defensive second team last season. "He just does so many little things for us. I was really pleased with how he played."
Battier feels that the Rockets are in a good spot as they head into Tuesday’s high-profile matchup – the second game of Houston’s five-game homestand.
"This is the first time after a home game we’ve felt good about who we are and where we’re going," Battier said. "Four (more) games at home now, we have a huge opportunity to make up some ground that we’ve lost during the last couple weeks."
To do that Tuesday, the Rockets will need a much stronger performance than they had in their first meeting with the Lakers. Los Angeles trailed by 12 after one quarter before outscoring Houston 95-54 – 39-17 in the final period – in a 111-82 rout Nov. 9 at Staples Center.
Bryant had 23 points and shot 10-for-17 in that game. He’s scored more than 40 points four times – including two 53-point performances – in his last 10 games against the Rockets, averaging 34.6 points in that stretch.
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Posted: 1/12/09 12:48AM ET