Undefeated Lakers Still Going Strong

The Los Angeles Lakers broke out of a shooting slump Sunday night. It was a shock to many as some people can't fathom how the Lakers keep winnng with poor shooting off and on. While that may be the case to some, the Lakers haven't lost a game so far this season and are getting stronger as time goes on. Reigning MVP, Kobe Bryant scored 23 points, while Pau Gasol also had a brilliant game adding 20 points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots. The Lakers shot 65.8 percent in the second half in a 111-82 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Fun Facts
• The Lakers (5-0) are one of just two undefeated teams in the NBA (Atlanta 5-0). It is the first 5-0 start for the Lakers since 2003-04.
• Tracy McGrady scored just three points on 1-of-11 shooting. That's the lowest point total for McGrady since Dec. 19, 2007.
• The Rockets have lost three of their last four games after starting the season 3-0.

"The momentum of this game just turned upside down," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, whose team outscored the Rockets 95-50 after falling behind 32-16. "We created more opportunities in the second half, and we moved the ball much better." The dynamic duo were a force to be reckoned with combining for 43 points between them and huge rebounding by Gasol. They both played a fantastic game and it was fun to watch good basketball.


The Lakers, who shot 43.5 percent in their first four games, wound up shooting 53.2 percent against Houston after going 5-of-17 in the first quarter. "It's all a matter of rhythm," Bryant said. "We were a little rusty starting the game. We have a lot of weapons, we know how to use them. We move the ball and whoever gets it gets it."



The Rockets trailed by only seven points entering the fourth quarter, but Farmar scored eight points, Gasol and Lamar Odom added four each, and the Lakers shot 9-of-10 during a 22-10 run to start the period, giving them a 94-75 lead. They wound up outscoring Houston 39-17 in the final 12 minutes.



"No lead is safe in this league, stated Farmar. "I mean, players are so talented that 20 points can be overcome in a matter of minutes. It's just a matter of us playing basketball and sitting down on the defensive end and locking it in and getting it done." "You have to play as a team and we did not play as a team," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said.



"I'm sure you give them credit because they have been really good all year." The Lakers have won their five games by an average of 22.4 points. "We are better than that, but we have to find answers," Adelman said. "You have to work a little harder. You can't do it on your own. We have a lot of work to do. I don't know what else to say."


Houston's Tracy McGrady, a two-time NBA scoring champion and seven-time All-Star, had his second brutal shooting performance in a row at Staples Center, going 1-of-11 for three points two days after missing all five of his field goal attempts and scoring two points in a 92-83 victory over the Clippers. "I just couldn't get any rhythm," he said. I think they did a great job of really making it tough for me. Every time I posted up, they had a couple of extra guys coming over. "These were probably the worst two games of my career. But when you play a long time in this league, you're going to have some games like that. Unfortunately, I had two in a row. But it's a long season."








Ron Artest also had an off night, shooting 2-of-11 and scoring only eight points. "Obviously, nobody's happy about the loss, but I feel good about where we're going to be at," he said. "I feel confident about this team. I really believe that we're going to be there at the end." The Rockets were within one point before Bryant scored six and Derek Fisher added four during a 12-3 run that gave the Lakers a 67-57 lead with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. Houston wasn't closer than seven points after that.

The Lakers are off to a 5-0 start for the first time since the 2003-04 season and the 10th time in franchise history. They won a team-record 11 straight to begin the 1997-98 season. ... Atlanta, also 5-0, is the NBA's only other unbeaten team.



Next Matchup: Tuesday November 11th @ Dallas Mavericks 5:30 PM (PT)