The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Chicago Bulls Thursday night at STAPLES Center 108-93. The outcome was never really in question as LA got a huge night from Pau Gasol, his first of the season after nursing a sore hamstring. Some thoughts from the game . . .
- Gasol played more minutes than he expected (35) but then he also said that he knows Coach Phil Jackson and thought that would be a distinct possibility. Pau finished with 24 points (9-15 shooting) and 13 boards - including seven offensive.
- I asked Pau how long until his lungs were burning (after so much time off). He said pretty much right away. He was longing for that first time out - and appreciated that it was a national game where the time outs are actually longer than usual. It didn't take long for him to get a second wind.
- The Bulls had a lot of trouble hitting shots throughout the game until the Lakers coasted through the fourth. Chicago hit 57.9% in the final frame after shooting just 41.5% in the first three.
- The numbers don't look as bad in the final box. Derrick Rose finished with 20 points on 9-20 shooting with six assists and two turnovers. At the half, the reigning Rookie of the Year had just four points on 2-11 shooting.
- Kobe Bryant didn't shoot particularly well by Jackson said he liked his game tonight. Kobe needed 21 shots (making seven) to score 21 but also had nine boards and eight assists. I asked Bryant after the game if he was getting different looks with Gasol back in the middle. He laughed and said no - he just shot like [expletive].
- Kobe (24,182) passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (24,176) on the Lakers all-time scoring list. He's second now to Jerry West (25,192) - who Bryant credited as the reason he's here (in LA with the Lakers) to begin with. Kobe said he was a Laker fan growing up and idolized the players on the list.
"It feels great. I've always said that in this organization, with this tradition and history here," said Bryant. "You look up at the rafters and you talk about some of the best players that ever played. And it feels great to be climbing that ladder."
- Andrew Bynum struggled with foul trouble throughout the game (which led to Gasol's bigger minutes). He noted afterwards that he suffered a minor injury, "I twisted my ankle a little. I'm going to get some therapy in the morning, and hopefully things aren't too bad. When I got my fourth foul on Brad Miller I twisted my right ankle."
- Andrew finished with 11 points and eight boards.
- The Lakers got a perfect shooting night from Derek Fisher who hit all five of his attempts for 12 points.
- I asked Phil about his rotation, since he primarily ran an eight-man unit tonight with Josh Powell, Sasha Vujacic, Adam Morrison and DJ Mbenga getting light minutes. Last year LA ran about 10 players deep. With Luke Walton out about six weeks or so, Jackson said he'll probably run a shorter rotation. He qualified it on the size of the opposing back courts. Phil is known for preferring tall guards but has been experimenting with the diminutive pair of Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown. He said that's not going to work every night - probably starting on Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
- The Bulls didn't get a lot from their starting forwards. Luol Deng scored just six - Taj Gibson four. Brand Miller had a solid night with 15 points. So did John Salmons with 18.
- Chicago has two ex-Laker point guards on the roster - Jannero Pargo and Lindsey Hunter.
- Joakim Noah has really started to find his niche in this league. He finished with 12 points, 15 boards, four assists, four steals and two blocked shots. His jump shot? Not the prettiest thing I ever saw at a basketball game.
- The Bulls are without Tyrus Thomas (left radius fracture) and Aaron Gray (left fibula stress fracture). This was the healthiest the Lakers have been all year, missing just Luke Walton (back).
- "Ron Artest said we were going to have to grind out this game," said Phil Jackson, noting he liked that description. "It is a kind of grinding team. We are going to have to be physical and aggressive and are just going to have to play at that level."
- "They're long. And now with Pau back (he didn't look rusty), another long body out there," said Coach Vinnie Del Negro. "There's so much focus on Kobe; and then Bynum and Gasol on the glass; and Artest inside. They have a lot of weapons."
- "Their length is definitely their biggest strength," said Joakim Noah. "To me, the most amazing thing about it is, you're out there, you're competing hard - and these guys are hardly breaking a sweat because they're so comfortable in running their offense. They look like it's very easy."
- The Lakers improve to 9-3, just a half game behind the Western Conference-leading Phoenix Suns. The Bulls drop to 6-5, eighth best in the East but just 3 1/2 games behind the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks.
- Chicago visits the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. The Lakers host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
For more detail, check out Courtside Blog: Pau Gasol Returns
