Preview: Lakers Head to Seattle

Having won 7 consecutive games, the Lakers head into Seattle for the 2nd time this season, looking to make it 8 consecutive wins.

Kobe Bryant, LAL SG

Saturday night, the Lakers defeated the Clippers, 113-95, behind 20 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists from Lamar Odom. “Lamar Odom has played through a lot of injuries in the last couple years,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson. “And I think this year he has put himself in a position where he is physically comfortable.”

The Lakers got solid production from the bench, as Sasha Vujacic scored 17 points on 6-12 shooting from the field. Jordan Farmar also gave LA steady production, as he connected on 6 of 11 field goals on his way to a 14 point outing.

“I liked the way we picked apart some of the Clippers’ defenses, particularly in the third quarter,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “We didn’t settle for outside shots. We found guys open under the basket. We used penetration first, and that is important.”

The Lakers outscored the Clippers 34-24 in the 3rd period.

The previous time LA met with Seattle, they escaped with a 123-121 victory, due to Kobe Bryant’s late game heroics as he scored the final 6 overtime points on his way to 48 points.

“That’s why he’s the best player in the world,” said Seattle rookie Kevin Durant.

Seattle had out-rebounded LA by 10 and shot 48 percent from the field.

“We can win ugly games. This was an ugly game for us … and we found a way to tough it out,” Bryant said. “Last year, I don’t know if we would have won this game.”

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