Last night with Odom in the midst of a 2-of-10 shooting performance from the field Blake and Brown combined to score 26 points for the Lakers on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, in a 108-103 victory against the Toronto Raptors.
The win narrowly preserved the Lakers' undefeated record, and continued to lend evidence to the fact that signing Blake in free agency and retaining the services of Brown may have been the Lakers' smartest offseason moves.
Blake's steady hand at point guard and his 52.3 shooting percentage from three point range has more than compensated for the loss of Jordan Farmar, and Brown finally appears to be comfortable in his role backing up Kobe Bryant.
Brown has started the season on an offensive tear while contributing nine points per game, and shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from three point range.
Brown and Blake's combined scoring average of 16.8 points per game has been the primary reason the Lakers' bench looks better than last season's version, and when you add in Matt Barnes' 10 points and his defensive presence, you have the nucleus of a pretty good second unit.
A second unit that should improve even more once injured center Andrew Bynum returns and re-claims his starting spot, or is relegated to the bench in favor of Odom's strong start.
The Raptors provided the Lakers with their biggest challenge since the season opener as Toronto battled back from a double digit deficit in the second quarter to take a three point lead into halftime.
Instead of panicking Lakers' coach Phil Jackson used the challenge as an opportunity to tinker with different lineups, but Los Angeles was most effective when Bro...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
