SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kobe Bryant
scored 30 points, Pau Gasol added 28 points and 11 rebounds and the Los
Angeles Lakers completed a sweep of their Northern California swing
with a 106-99 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.
After committing 24 turnovers and
barely holding on for a 124-121 victory at Golden State on Monday night,
the Lakers were much sharper on the back end of their trip. They
committed just two turnovers in the first half and 10 for the game,
overpowering the Kings inside to win their fourth straight following a
season-high, three-game losing streak.
Andrew Bynum added 21 points and 12
rebounds, and the Lakers finished with 60 points in the paint to remain
four games ahead of Denver for the best record in the Western
Conference. Gasol and Bynum combined to make 21-of-28 shots.
Rookie Tyreke Evans had 25 points, 11
rebounds and nine assists for the Kings, narrowly missing his second
career triple-double. Sacramento has lost five straight games to the
Lakers.
After needing two overtimes to win the
first meeting between the teams in December and a buzzer-beating
3-pointer from Bryant to complete a comeback from 20 points down to win
on New Year's Day, the Lakers had a relatively easy time in the third of
four meetings between the teams.
The crowd was energized in just the
third sellout of the season. But it wasn't nearly as unfriendly to the
Lakers as it was during the cowbell-clanging peak of the rivalry in the
early 2000s. There was a sizable contingent of Lakers fans who were
almost as loud as the Kings supporters at various points.
The Lakers opened a 10-point lead
midway through the third quarter on consecutive 3-pointers by Bryant and
Lamar Odom. Los Angeles maintained control the rest of the third and
took a 77-68 lead into the final quarter when Odom scored on a drive
with a second remaining.
The Lakers then scored the first seven
points of the fourth, capped by an emphatic dunk by Shannon Brown that
made it 84-68. The Kings were never able to make a serious dent in that
deficit the rest of the way.
After a dazzling spin move by Evans on
Ron Artest gave the Kings an early lead, the Lakers ended the first
quarter on a 17-4 run to take a 28-17 lead after one. Bryant scored 10
straight points in one stretch, getting inside with ease against the
Kings.
But Sacramento got right back into
the game with a 16-3 run early in the second quarter and tied the game
at 33 on a 3-pointer by Omri Casspi. The game remained close from there
with the Lakers taking a 49-48 lead at the half that would have been
bigger except Bryant missed three of four free throws in the final
minute.
Notes
Artest played to the crowd in
the arena he used to call home. After one basket in the third quarter,
he flexed, kissed his biceps and then smiled at the crowd before heading
back on defense. … Evans' first triple-double came on March 10
against Toronto. … The other sellouts in Sacramento were for the home
opener against Memphis and the Lakers' first trip into town on Dec. 26.
… The Lakers are 11-6 on the second half of back-to-backs.