Starting small forward Ron Artest has fit in very well with the Lakers this season. He has played in 66 games (all starts) for the Lakers this year and he is averaging 34.1 minutes, 11.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Artest has behaved all year long and he is still playing at a very high level defensively. The hunger for a NBA Championship has gotten Artest focused and motivated to be a team player making him a huge asset to the Lakers.

PF/C Pau Gasol has really turned in another solid year for the Lakers this season. Gasol has played in 54 games (all starts) for the Lakers this season and he is averaging 36.9 minutes, 17.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game. Gasol doesn’t have a big ego so he doesn’t mind playing second fiddle to Kobe Bryant which has been a big key to the Lakers’ success in the last couple of years. The Lakers need Gasol to stay healthy the rest of the year if they are going to repeat as NBA Champions this year.

The Lakers have lost starting center Andrew Bynum indefinitely due to a strained left Achilles tendon. Bynum has played in 65 games (all starts) for the Lakers this season and he is averaging 30.4 minutes, 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.5 blocked shots per game. Pau Gasol will likely slide over to center with Lamar Odom replacing him at power forward until Bynum returns to action. This will really hurt the bench of the Lakers as Odom will now be in the starting lineup.

The Los Angeles Lakers headed into their matchup last night against the Toronto Raptors with a three-game losing streak.  It looked like the Lakers might be on their way to their fourth straight loss, as they were down 58-50 at halftime and they headed into the 4th quarter down 84-81.  The Lakers fought back in the fourth quarter though and they had a 107-104 lead late in the game.  Lamar Odom had the opportunity to seal the win, but he missed a key free throw with 19.6 seconds left.  Odom really needs to come through in moments like that, because free throws down the stretch are so important.  After Odom’s miss, Raptors star Chris Bosh then came down and hit a three to tie the game at 107-107 with just 9.5 seconds left.  That was plenty of time for the Lakers to get the ball to their star and let him do what he does best, finish games.  Kobe Bryant got the ball on the right wing, saw the double team coming and swept baseline, took two dribbles and rose up to hit a fadeaway corner jumper with 1.9 seconds left.  The shot won the game for the Lakers, making it the seventh time Kobe has hit a game-winner this season.  That is pretty amazing!  Kobe may not be the favorite for the MVP right now, but he is still right there in the mix.  With all of these great game-winners this season, if he has a late season surge of great play and keeps his Lakers atop the Western Conference, then he will likely get his second MVP Award.

The Los Angeles Lakers are on a three-game losing streak, the longest of their season.  They have not been playing very good team basketball and their defense has been suspect.  Head coach Phil Jackson loves the triangle offense, and he should since it has brought him 10 NBA Titles.  Ball movement is key in the triangle offense though, and the Lakers have not been doing a good job of moving the ball lately.  There has been too much standing around and 1-on-1 basketball.  Some of the Lakers’ players are making the mistake of giving the ball to Kobe Bryant and then being stagnant and just watching him go, instead of moving without the ball and creating opportunities for Kobe and the offense.  Kobe also needs to try and create more for his teammates, which is something he can do a great job most of the time.  Mainly though, they need to tighten up their defense.  They are giving up way too many points lately.  In their current three- game losing streak they are giving up an average of 102.7 points.  They are the defending champions and defense is one of the main reasons why.  They need to get back to playing better defense and limiting second chance points.  I’m confident the Lakers can get back on track and they are still my favorite to win the NBA Title again.  Hopefully this funk they are in currently will be a wake-up call for them and they can gain some more intensity.

The Lakers didn’t play any defense against the Heat last night as they shot 52.5% from the floor and that’s what did them in. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers last night with 39 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists. Derek Fisher pitched in with 14 points and 2 rebounds. Lamar Odom had a solid game off the bench against his old team with 13 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. The Lakers are now 46-16 on the year.

The Lakers shot 51.7% from the floor last night as they rolled out to a 98-71 lead after three quarters before calling off the dogs. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers last night with 24 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in 30 minutes. Jordan Farmar had a outstanding game for the Lakers last night as he finished up with 19 points and 3 assists in only 24 minutes off the bench. Andrew Bynum (16 points and 8 rebounds) and Pau Gasol (14 points, 16 rebounds and 3 assists) provided the muscle for the Lakers last night. The Lakers are now 46-15 on the season.