Lakers vs. Spurs Game Recap 3/6/11

THE FACTS: The Lakers jumped out to a 21-point lead after the first quarter, and with 26 points from Kobe Bryant and 21 more from Pau Gasol by game's end, they avenged two losses to the Spurs this season by beating San Antonio 99-83 on Sunday at AT&T Center. Los Angeles (45-19) has won seven-straight. It was a back-to-reality game for San Antonio (51-12), which came into the game with the league's best record and a 22-game home winning streak that was capped by a 30-point win over Miami two days ago.
QUOTABLE: "We played really well -- (the best we've played all season) against this type of opponent. We caught them by surprise. I think at the start of the game we got off the gun pretty well."
-- Lakers coach Phil Jackson.
THE STAT: The Lakers led 34-13 after the first quarter and kept playing solid defense the remainder of the half to keep the game in their pocket. The best measure of the Lakers' physical length on defense before halftime came when they had four steals to one for San Antonio and led in blocked shots 4-0. While the Lakers converted 10-of-12 first-half scoring opportunities in the paint, their defense snuffed out the Spurs on 12 of 21 chances in the paint.
TURNING POINT: The Spurs blew out Miami by 30 points on Friday largely because Matt Bonner hit 6-of-7 3-pointers. Bonner came into the game today with the Spurs trailing by six midway through the first quarter, and he hit his first 3-point attempt a minute later. But it was the last points the Spurs would score the rest of the quarter. They missed seven shots and were outscored 12-0 over 4 1/2 minutes.
QUOTABLE II: "That was an easy win for them. There was no game. Nobody expects to be losing by more than 20 in the first quarter. They were making every shot, and they played more angry. We were waiting to see what was going to happen, and they came to get it."
-- Spurs guard Manu Ginobili.
HOT: The Lakers only hit one more 3-pointer (8-of-23 compared to San Antonio's 7-of-21), but its' the first time in 10 games (Feb. 11 at Philadelphia) that a team has outscored the Spurs from long range.
NOT: Tim Duncan followed one of his most efficient games (a double-double while playing two minutes less than his season average on Friday against Miami) with one of his least effective. Against LA he was 1-of-7 and did not get to the free-throw line in 23 minutes.
FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Combining the numbers of Bryant and Andrew Bynum would rack plenty of points in any league. Bryant's 26 points were complimented nicely by 17 rebounds from Bynum.
INSIDE THE ARENA: Comedian George Lopez sat courtside, and he even got up and did the robot dance during a timeout.
BAD MOVE: No that it was a bad move, but it showed how poorly the Spurs were playing when Gregg Popovich inserted rarely-used Steve Novak for Richard Jefferson (who had missed all three of his shots, did not get to the foul line and had a rebound and a turnover) with three minutes before halftime. But the Lakers took notice of Novak, a noted 3-point shooter. The three times he got the ball on the 3-point line in that late first-half stretch the Lakers defenders -- led by Bryant -- hounded him and forced him to pass off the ball.
ROOKIE WATCH: It was a blowout by halftime, yet Derrick Caracter didn't make it on the floor for the Lakers until 2:43 left in the game. He subbed for Bryant, who was back in the game along with Gasol and Derek Fisher even though LA's lead was more than 20 (Bryant told the national telecast afterward that the team was trying to send a message to its bench to step it up).
NOTABLE: It's the first home loss for the Spurs since Dallas defeated them by nine on Nov. 26...Since losing three-straight in mid February, which included consecutive losses on the road to Charlotte and Cleveland when they allowed 100 points in each game, the Lakers are 7-0 and only allowed 100 in an overtime victory at Portland. LA hasn't given up 90 in any of the past four games -- three of those on the road.
UP NEXT: For the Lakers, Tuesday @ Atlanta, Thursday @ Miami, Saturday @ Dallas. For the Spurs, Wednesday vs. Detroit, Friday vs. Sacramento, Saturday @ Houston.

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• spurs
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[thetrialshot]

@boomXboxX9000 spurs beat mavs in 2010 playoffs

[MembrilloChanie]

look at s. brown going up like a mutherfuckin helicopter, shit is so smooth. and I ain't even a fan of lakers. but that shit made me pee.

[chota207]

@boomXboxX9000 i dont think so.

[chota207]

@boomXboxX9000 who is the best team in the nba?

and manu is the best scorer of his team.

[hanj31]

you let pao take 2 3's that is bad defense cause pao don't shoot many 3's

[chota207]

manu vs kobe

manu forever!!!

[danielaroxx323]

lmfao at the score at 1:39 .... embarrassing!........ Lakers!