Lamar Odom once again had a very good night, especially defensively. He had three of the eight Lakers blocks and also added a steal. He showed that he can be very physical down low defensively, and came out with tons of emotion. Pau Gasol also had a great night, going six for eight from the floor for 16 points, and adding five rebounds. Kobe Bryant only took 18 shots, which is a change from the four game losing streak in which he was averaging 26 shots per game.
The bench once again impressed, but we haven't seen this much production all season. A lot of this can be attributed to garbage minutes, but they still came through in a big way, keeping the lead at about 30 points the entire fourth quarter. Derrick Caracter had his best night so far this season, scoring 10 points and grabbing four rebounds. In total, the bench scored an impressive 52 points.
Final Score: Kings 80, Lakers 113
Lakers Player of the Game: Pau Gasol - 16 points, five rebounds, five assists, three blocks
Let's take a look at the negatives and positives of this game in my Daily Five:
The Positives
1. Shooting percentage
There was a lot to be positive about in this game, and this was definitely one of them. Throughout that four game losing streak, the Lakers averaged just 42 percent shooting from the floor. Last night, they absolutely smashed that average and shot 56 percent. That is a huge improvement, and just what the Lakers needed. They were finally getting good looks and capitalizing on them.
Pau Gasol, who had struggled shooting the past four of fiv...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
