The Los Angeles Had Beaten Phoenix- Twice

Jared Dudley scored a season-high 25 points, Marcin Gortat had 21 points and 15 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns held on to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 102-90 Sunday night, ending a four-game losing streak.The Lakers, who had won three straight, trailed by 23 at halftime and 27 in the third quarter before cutting it to 10 in the fourth.

Kobe Bryant scored 32 points but was 1 of 8 on 3-pointers and committed 10 turnovers, one shy of his career worst. Grant Hill scored 15 points and Steve Nash had 14 assists for the Suns.The teams were playing for the second consecutive game. The Lakers won in Los Angeles 111-99 on Friday night. Pau Gasol added 17 points and 12 rebounds and Andrew Bynum had 16 points and 10 boards for the Lakers. The Los Angeles had beaten Phoenix twice at home this season.

The loss matched the most one-sided defeat for the Lakers this season. They had never trailed by more than 23. Bryant, not surprisingly, got the Lakers back within striking distance. The NBA's scoring leader had the last 11 points in a 13-2 run that cut the lead to 80-65 with 51.8 seconds left, including a 16-footer as he was falling down and his first 3-pointer of the night. Phoenix led 82-67 entering the fourth.

Entertainment News: This has not been a good year for Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak.

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Connecting the dots: Lakers in trouble

"Dot-dot-dot." -- Kobe Bryant after the Lakers' Game 2 blowout loss to the Mavs.

That was Mamba's way of telling J.A. Adande late Wednesday night that the Dallas-L.A. series isn't over, no matter how dire the Lakers' situation looks after two home losses.

We're taking Kobe's dots and giving them to five writers from Dallas and Los Angeles to get their views on where Kobe, Phil Jackson, Dirk Nowitzki, the Lakers and the Mavs stand now.

Here's 5-on-5:

1. Kobe Bryant is ...

Bryant

J.A. Adande, ESPN.com: ... going to have to fill in the blanks. We've been waiting for him to take over, finish and deliver playoff victories this postseason. Hasn't happened the way we're used to it happening.

Tim MacMahon, ESPN Dallas: ... suddenly a one-dimensional offensive player. One of the best slashers in NBA history is settling for jumpers in this series. He's 2-of-7 on shots inside 10 feet this round and 21-of-42 on midrange and long jumpers. He's still getting his points, but the Lakers' offense gets stagnant when all Kobe does is crank up jumpers.

Dave McMenamin, ESPN Los Angeles: ... toying with his legacy. He already has two Finals losses offsetting those five rings of his, and a second-round flameout of this magnitude, with everything set up for the Lakers to three-peat, will always be remembered when you assess his career.

Ramona Shelburne, ESPN Los Angeles: ... trying this whole Zen thing out. The "Kobe face" thing is kinda old. If the Lakers are going out, he's playing this like Phil would.

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2011/news/story?page=5-on-5-110506

Kobe Bryant Fined $100,000 for ‘Derogatory Comments' to Official, NBA Says

Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 for directing “derogatory comments” toward a referee who had called a technical foul on the Los Angeles Lakers guard, the National Basketball Association said.

Bryant was given his 15th technical foul of the season for arguing after he got his fourth foul during a 102-93 win against the San Antonio Spurs at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on April 12.

NBA Commissioner David Stern called Bryant’s comments “offensive and inexcusable.”

“Kobe and everyone associated with the NBA know that insensitive or derogatory comments are not acceptable and have no place in our game or society,” Stern said in a statement.

Bryant said he didn’t mean to cause offense.

“My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game,” he said in a statement.

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-14/kobe-bryant-fined-100-000-for-derogatory-comments-to-official-nba-says.html

Go Kobe

If the Palace wasn't full with Kobe Bryant in town Wednesday night, the likelihood of a sellout happening this season appears remote.

Bryant and the defending champion Lakers made their only visit of the season, and on the second game of a back-to-back, Bryant was in MVP form, scoring 33 points to lead the Lakers to a 103-90 victory.

It was all Kobe all the time, as chants of "MVP" rang through the Palace.

"I'm not going to lie to you, I'm disappointed," said coach John Kuester of the chants. “This is our building. I was here in 2004 when we won the championship. There were some of our fans here too."

Bryant: “I remember coming here in 2004 and ’05 and this place was electric."

Tayshaun Prince, who scored 13, said he wasn’t surprised of the chants.

“It happened last year; it happened the year before,’’ said Prince. “The Lakers are a good team. They find a way of getting the things they want. There are no excuses. It wasn’t because of the West Coast trip and playing three games in four nights. Guys didn’t play a lot of minutes so we shouldn’t be tired. My body feels good. They were the better team tonight. We have a couple of days to practice and get a good feeling about ourselves."

Bryant played just 31 minutes and 44 seconds, making 11 of 20 field goal attempts, shooting 3-for-6 from three-point range and 8-for-8 from the foul line, while grabbing nine rebounds and handing out four assists.

At times it appeared as if there were more Lakers fans in the crowd than the Pistons' faithful.

“That’s what Kobe does," said Ben Gordon, who scored eight points, but made just 3 of 11 shots. “He’s the greatest player in the world. When you play against him you have to bring your 'A' game. We weren’t even close to our 'A' game."

Richard Hamilton didn't see much of Bryant's offensive display. The Pistons' starting guard was tossed with 7:01 left in the first quarter after being hit with two technical fouls after picking up his second foul against Bryant.

Plenty of gold and purple jerseys, hats and signs were spotted in the crowd and when Bryant drained a triple and maneuvered his way to the basket there was plenty of cheers for the five-time NBA champion, a far cry from 2004 when he was booed at every turn when the Pistons claimed their third title in a dismantling of the Lakers in five games.

Bryant scored 24 points in the first half, making eight of 11 field goal attempts and giving the Lakers a 55-43 lead.

"Kobe was all business tonight,'' said Lakers coach Phil Jackson. "I think Kobe comes in and looks at this building and the guy who are still here from that (2004) team; he's probably still motivated by it."

Much to the chagrin of the Pistons.

“They came out and got comfortable and they were hitting shots," said Kuester. “We struggled early and they blitzed us and we got it as close as three. We didn’t have the focus we needed at the start of the third quarter. When you’re playing a great team, or any team that we’re playing, our margin for error is small. We have to focus every play, every possession."


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http://www.freep.com/article/20101118/SPORTS03/11180572/Palace-crowd-Go-Kobe-#ixzz15d2KUkUH