First Three Down..All in a Good Way!

Kobe pulls up for the game tying shot with
4.7 seconds remaining against Portland
sending it into overtime.



Andrew Bynum coming up big Defensively,
he had 16 and 11 on the night against the
Clippers



As the season comes to its critical second half, teams in the NBA with a chance for the playoffs are all in and ready for the final push. The Los Angeles Lakers who went into the All-Star struggling and losing to a team the likes of the Cavaliers, is in the same boat pushing towards the playoffs. The first week for the Lakers looked tough on paper with teams such as, the Hawks, Trail Blazers, Clippers, and Thunder. The Lakers though seem to of had one hell of a break winning the first three games of the second half. A commanding 24 points win against Atlanta seem to of sparked interest in the team. Then traveling to Portland where the Lakers had lost eight of their last nine games, they would win in a comeback fashion 106-101 as Kobe Bryant scored 28 of his 37 points in the second half (eight in overtime). Ron Artest also had his best night of the year scoring 24 points. Winning in Portland meant a lot to the team and the fans and would hopefully go a long way in gaining some confidence. Next for the Lakers, they would play their fellow Staples Center friends, the Clippers in a Thursday night showdown of L.A. In a game where the scarest moment that could happen, happened. Kobe Byrant left the game in the second quarter. The funny thing was, he was hit on his funny bone. Bryant was able to come out in the second half scoring 18 of his 24 points in the third quarter alone as the Lakers cruised past the Clippers 108-95. With a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday, the Lakers hope to make it a clean sweep for the first week of the second half. The Lakers are now (41-19) for the season with a 10 game lead in the Pacific Division and a game and a half behind Dallas for second place.