Los Angeles Lakers stay perfect with a win over the Memphis Grizzlies
The Los Angeles Lakers protected their unblemished record with a dominating 124-105 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday 2 November at the Staples Center.
Kobe Bryant, who said before the game that he’s not bothered by his knee anymore, scored all of his 23 points in the first half, while Pau Gasol added 21 points in his battle against his
younger brother, Marc.
Gasol, who was named as the Western Conference player of the week, also added 13 rebounds and five assists, and had a spectacular dunk against his brother, which brought the Lakers’ crowd
to their feet.
"That was a good play. I've done it a couple of times before, but not on him, other good quality players," said Gasol about the highlight dunk. "It's always more of a fun game for me to go
against my former team and also my brother."
The younger Gasol, who had 11 points and eight rebounds, said that he and his brother did not talk about their matchup after the game, and added that he’s proud of what his brother has done
with one of the best teams in the league.
"I'm very proud about what Pau has done here," Marc said. "He's making his teammates better and he's making his team better. That's always your goal as a player. Pau always plays hard and
always tried to win basketball games. That's all he cares about."
Lamar Odom racked up 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Matt Barnes had his best game this season as the defensive-minded forward scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds
for the Lakers, which dominated the game right from the opening tip.
The defending champions cruised to an early 11-point lead at the end of the first period, 34-23, and outscored the Grizzlies, 39-23, in the second quarter to take a huge 73-46 halftime lead.
Memphis managed to trim the lead down to 14 points midway through the third after Rudy g*y scored 13 of his 30 points in the quarter, but the Lakers quickly stopped the Grizzlies’ comeback
attempt.
Michael Conley, who signed a five-year contract extension on Monday 1 November, had 16 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, but their slow start led them to their second defeat of the
season.
"We've got to start off better," Conley said. "You can't get behind 10 or more points to a good team. We've got to play with more energy from the start. They were playing great defense, really
packing it in and making it tough on us."
The Grizzlies played without big man Zach Randolph, who is still out with a bruised tailbone, but is expected to come back in their current four-game road trip.
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