Source: Bynum to return vs. Nuggets.

THANK YOU! What every Laker fan has been waiting for. Yes, Bynumite is back buddy. I'm sure every other team is shakin' in their boots. Or Sneakers... As they should be.

ESPN: Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum will return to action Thursday against the Denver Nuggets, according to a source close to the Lakers.

Bynum, the team's budding star at center, has missed the past 32 games after suffering atorn medial collateral ligament in his right knee Jan. 31 at Memphis. The source said Lakers coach Phil Jackson telephoned Bynum Tuesday night and told him he was going to be activated for Thursday's game.

Jackson has said recently that Bynum probably will start once he returns, a move that likelywill send Lamar Odom back to the bench.

Bynum has practiced with the teamsince the Lakers returned from theirseven-game road trip last week. After moving, twisting, running and jumping without hesitation in several practices, Bynum began lobbying Jackson to return.

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LAKERS vs KINGS (POST-GAME REPORT)

LAKERS 122 - KINGS 104

The Lakers pull out an easy and for the most part, successful win against the once rivaled Sacramento, Kings on the road. But if you looked around in the crowd, you could have swore you were in Los Angeles. "There's nothing but Lakers fans here now. It's basically a home game for us. It really was. Things have changed quite a bit" said, Mr. Kobe Bryant.

The Kings came out firing and hit shot after shot making their first 4 three pointers and finished the first quarter shooting over 70%. But the Lakers quickly answered with a 40 point 2nd quarter while holding Sacramento to only 18. From then on the Lakers pushed through, and while Sacramento cut a Laker 24 point lead once, they never came closer than 10. Other than some brief mins from Pau, no Laker starter set foot on the floor in the fourth. Yes, it was that kind of night.

Pau led all scorers and finished with an imprssive 26pts and 12 rebs, on 11 for 16 shooting. And finally played less than 40 mins. Kobe had 22pts, 5rebs, 4asts, and 2stls despite not playing in the fourth. Odom was great with 15pts and 11rebs on hugely efficient 6 for 7 shooting. Can someone explain why this man only had 7 attepmts for the game?? Fish had a bad night with 3pts, on a horrible 1-6 shooting, while Ariza added a quiet 14 points.

The bench looked great and accounted for 42 points! It's honestly hard for me to say who performed the best out of the bench. Was it Luke's leadership with 9asts while also putting up 11pts? Shannon Brown's huge spark and energy with 9pts and 2stls? Or was it Sasha's 12pts and monster dunk on two or three guys? I have no clue, but who knew that the Machine was capable of making posters? That dunk was flat out NASTY! Made you put that "Ooooh" face on you.

Spencer Hawes led the Kings in scoring with 21pts, as in rebounds with 15 of those bad boys. Fransico Garcia seemed to hit everything early on in the game but just didn't get enough shot attempts and finished with 19pts. Forward, Jason Thompson also had a double-double of 18pts and 11rebs. Beno Udrih looked like he got in the paint everytime he wanted to but only finished with 14pts, and 6asts. Nocioni and Greene added 10 points a piece.

The Lakers starters did their job, and the bench did enough so the starter didn't do more tha they should and got a little more rest. But all in all they did something they haven't done in a while, and finished the game up really well. Up Next, some more revenge time against Melo and the Denver Nuggets.

Clips Put Scare Into Lakers, Lakers Barely Win

LAKERS 88 - CLIPPERS 85

The Lakers were doing great. They had a 19 point lead in the 4th quarter. kobe and Co. were sitting on the bench with ice wrapped around their knees. The fans were ready to celebrate. Then the lead was 10. Phil Jackson was upset and pulled the bench off the floor and reinserted the starters. Then the lead was 1. A total meltdown of the Lakers.

Kobe had 18 points on a horrible 5 of 15 shooting. Pau had 14 and 9 on 5-12 shooting. Unusual from the 1-2 combo but the final part of our "Big Three" did his part. Lamar Odom had 18 points and 10 rebounds on 60 % shooting.

The Bench Mob. After many praises in the beginning of the season, the bench has turned in a total 180. Their scoring output has decreased, their defense has lapsed, and they have been outplayed. A big factor may be that Lamar and Trevor usually come off the bench, which takes away massive firepower for the second unit. A silver lining is Andrew Bynum. Just days away, Bynum may fix all of our problems. He will put everyone back to their natural positions. He may start OR come off the bench. And he can add that defensive presence that has been lacking in the middle.

On a good note, the Lakers came out victorious. Good thing the Clippers don't know how to close out games. Kobe went to the free throw line and Pau hit the big shot to give us space. Thank the Basketball Gods Baron took a double pump awkward 3 pointer. It kind of reminded me of the Zack Randolph shot against Lebron and the Cavs.

Up next, "Road Revenge." Remember in the beginning of the season when we were blown out by the Queens? YES, the QUEENS! It's time to pay them back for many countless nightmares. Tip-off Tuesday at 7:30.

Lakers Earn Win No. 60

LAKERS 93 - ROCKETS 81

The Lakers earned win No. 60 at home in front of their fans against the Houston Rockets. This is the first time the Lakers hit the 60 win mark since Phil Jackson's first stint with the Lakers.

Kobe had a pretty efficient night going for 20 points on only 7-11 shooting. He also dished out 7 assists en route of the 12 point victory. Lamar had 9 points and 11 rebounds just shy of another double double, who has been a big threat against the Rockets and a big part of the season sweep. The matchup up of Pau and Yao was excellent. Yao's 16 and 10 was overshadowed by Pau's 23 and 10. Gasol also added 3 steals and a block to seal the deal against Yao.

Next up, rommates at the Staples Center, the L.A. Clippers.

Here Comes Bynum?

There has been much speculation that Lakers Center Andrew Bynum will return to close out the regular season. Some have said he will be on the court within the next two weeks. Some have pin pointed the date April 12 against the dreaded Memphis Grizzlies, the team where both injuries have plagued the young Center.



Is it too early to be excited?

Maybe. Last season, many were almost certain Bynumite would be playing during the playoffs and he obviously would have made a difference in our battle in the Finals. But the day never came, and neither did our party on Figueroa.

Maybe Not. This is a TOTALLY different injury from the one he suffered last year. It's the opposite knee and healed a whole lot faster. He actually participated in a small practice on Thursday.

Whether Bynum returns or not, the Lakers are clearly a better team than last year, but having our big man back would make us all the more better. Here comes Bynum!

Lakers End 7 Game Road Trip With Victory in Milwaukee.

MILWAUKEE(AP)

Kobe Bryant rebounded from a rough shooting night to hit his first seven from the field and score 30 points, Pau Gasol had eight of his 15 in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 104-98 on Wednesday night.

Lamar Odom added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who were playing the finale of a grueling seven-game road trip and coming off two straight losses.

Ramon Sessions had his first career triple-double for the Bucks, who fell four games out of the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot. Sessions finished with 16 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds.

With Milwaukee leading by two early in the fourth quarter, Gasol dunked and was fouled, completing the three-point play to give the Lakers an 85-84 lead. Gasol would score three more points in an 11-2 run, putting Los Angeles ahead 93-86 on a free throw with just over six minutes remaining.

Richard Jefferson made a driving layup, but Gasol answered with a hook shot and Bryant converted a three-point play after being fouled on a layup.

A 3-pointer by Jefferson and a jumper by Charlie Villanueva cut the Lakers' lead to five with 2:39 left. Jefferson came up with a steal, but Sessions missed a jumper.

Sessions, who briefly left the game earlier in the quarter after colliding with the Lakers' Josh Powell, then made a pair of free throws with 52 seconds left to cut the lead to three.

Bryant missed a jumper, but Jordan Farmar corralled a long rebound and Bryant was fouled, putting the game away with a pair of free throws.

Jefferson finished with 29 points for Milwaukee.

Los Angeles shot poorly and showed other signs of fatigue in consecutive losses at Atlanta and Charlotte after beginning the trip with four straight victories, but played well enough Wednesday to finish the road trip 5-2.

Bryant was 7-for-7 from the field in the first half, making shot after shot despite being challenged by Bucks rookie Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, the team's best defender. But the Bucks, powered by Jefferson's 14 first-half points, took a 57-55 lead into halftime.

Bryant, who was 11-for-28 from the field in Tuesday's loss at Charlotte, finally missed a shot with 11:22 left in the third quarter, but was fouled on the 3-point attempt and made all three free throws to give the Lakers a 60-59 lead.

Bryant's first miss that counted came a few minutes later, clanking one off the front of the rim at the 9:56 mark. Milwaukee then went on an 11-3 run that began with three scores by Dan Gadzuric - a forceful dunk that left him holding his finger in pain, a turnaround jumper and driving layup.

Milwaukee led by as many as six points in the third quarter, taking a 70-64 lead on a fast-break dunk by Sessions with 6:10 left, and led 81-80 going into the fourth quarter.

Bobcats Stun the Lakers, Again.

What exactly is it about the Bobcats that’s made them the only other team not named “Boston” to have a winning record against the Lakers?

Does L.A. simply overlook them more than they do other troubled franchises? Do the Bobcats, like Portland and Utah, just save their top level of effort for the purple and gold?

Whatever “it” is, it happened again on Tuesday night in Charlotte (with Michael Jordan sitting courtside), as L.A. went down to the wire with the plucky ‘Cats, who were fighting for the East’s 8th playoff spot in front of the largest crowd in the four years of Time Warner Cable Arena’s four-year existence.

After a rather sluggish first three quarters, the intensity picked up for both teams in the fourth quarter, with the Bobcats holding a 68-64 edge thanks to a 15-4 run to close the third. Charlotte increased that lead to 10 with 7:46 remaining, only to see the Lakers’ starters reel off eight straight points thanks to some suffocating defense.

Just as the flow seemed to be going L.A.’s way, the Bobcats responded with an 11-0 run of their own to seal their season sweep of the Lakers. Funny how that works out against the orange-clad franchise, huh?

It didn’t help the Lakers that they were awarded only six free throws for the entire game, two of which came on technical fouls, while Charlotte attempted 22 foul shots.

“It’s a road game,” quipped Phil Jackson, who was similarly brief regarding L.A.’s offensive struggles, saying that his team “Couldn’t hit shots.”

Particularly Kobe Bryant, who struggled to get back into an offensive rhythm for L.A. in hitting only 7-of-21 through three quarters and 11-of-28 overall for his 25 points. Lamar Odom went for 18 and nine through three, but scored just a bucket and failed to grab a rebound in the fourth, while Pau Gasol was sluggish in an 8-for-17 performance. L.A. continued to get little production from its bench, which scored 11 points (four in the final minute) on 5-of-22 shooting.

Gerald Wallace had 21 points, 13 rebounds and four assists to pace the Bobcats, who saw six players reach double figures.

Meanwhile, Cleveland emerged from a home battle with Detroit with a win to go three games up on the Lakers with eight to play in the race for the NBA’s best record. Surely, the Lakers are ready to be done with the regular season battles in road arenas, and return to the friendly confines of STAPLES to host their first-round series.

But not so fast. First, L.A. closes out its seven-game trip with a Wednesday-night contest in Milwaukee.

Until then, a few numbers.

4
Second half points for Lamar Odom, who was terrific in the first half with 14 points, 6-of-11 shooting.

6
Free throws attempted by the Lakers, who absolutely couldn’t buy a foul.

7
Assists from Pau Gasol to lead the Lakers, though he struggled to an 8-for-17 performance from the field.

11
Bench points for the Lakers, six of which came from Luke Walton before garbage time hoops from Vujacic and Brown.

17
Shots missed by Kobe Bryant.

18
Offensive rebounds for the Lakers in the one category dominated by L.A., since Charlotte managed just six boards on that end. Also the number of Bobcats’ turnovers, which kept L.A. in the game despite their poor shooting.

38.9
L.A.’s shooting percentage entering the fourth quarter, continuing the team’s poor to quite poor performance from the field of late.

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