Kobe Bryant scored six of his 25 points in
the final two minutes, and the Los Angeles Lakers hung on for a 95-90 victory
over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night in coach Mike D'Antoni's sideline
debut.
Dwight Howard had 23 points and 15 rebounds
despite a horrific 7-for-19 performance at the free-throw line for the Lakers,
who have won five of six and moved above .500 since firing Mike Brown.
Although D'Antoni is still unsteady on his
surgically replaced knee, he coached Los Angeles to a narrow victory that
snapped Brooklyn's five-game winning streak.
Brook Lopez scored 23 points and Deron
Williams had 22 for the Nets, who missed five of their last six shots in their
ninth consecutive loss to the Lakers.
For more news, notes and analysis of the
Lakers, check out the Lakers Report blog from the Kamenetzky Brothers. Blog
Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace scored 17
points apiece as the Lakers wrapped up a tumultuous six-game homestand that
began with coach Mike Brown's unexpected firing 11 days ago.
The Lakers went 4-1 under interim coach
Bernie Bickerstaff, but D'Antoni finally took over the bench nine days after he
was hired. Los Angeles largely couldn't play at his favored tempo, but D'Antoni
quickly learned the benefits of coaching Bryant, who took over in the final
minutes.
After taking a narrow lead through three
quarters, the Lakers missed their first seven shots in the fourth and fell
behind mostly due to their All-Star center's incompetence at the line. Brooklyn
deliberately fouled Howard in the fourth quarter, when he went 3 for 10.
Los Angeles still took the lead on Gasol's
free throw with 2:37 to play, and Bryant hit a running hook shot after Joe
Johnson airballed a jumper moments later. Johnson cut the lead to one point on
a fast-break layup with 36 seconds left, but Bryant hit four free throws in the
final 17.1 seconds while Williams missed a potential tying 3-pointer with 4
seconds left.
Johnson scored 14 points for the Nets, who
finish their three-game California road trip at Golden State on Wednesday
night.
D'Antoni nearly debuted on the Lakers'
sideline two nights earlier against Houston, but was persuaded to delay by
trainer Gary Vitti, who was concerned about the 61-year-old's mobility and
late-game fatigue. D'Antoni felt much stronger after two more days of rest and
room service at his hotel, and he eagerly got on the court without the aid of
the crutches that kept him upright during his first practice last week.
D'Antoni clearly isn't at full strength: He
hobbled slowly on the sideline on the rare occasions he left his chair during
play in the first half. He moved around with more vigor after halftime,
protesting foul calls with his usual theatrical vehemence despite a slight limp
in his step.
Since D'Antoni took over practices last
Thursday, the Lakers ran their last two opponents off the court with up-tempo
offense in the first half. Los Angeles scored 40 points in the first quarter of
a win over Houston on Sunday night, and Nets coach Avery Johnson claimed his
team couldn't play at that pace -- yet Brooklyn consistently got more fast-break
production all night, outscoring the Lakers 26-7.
After the Lakers scored the game's first 10
points against Brooklyn, Johnson's team got the game back to its preferred
tempo. With Lopez and Williams breaking down their defenders for good shots in
a half-court offense, the Nets led the Lakers 57-56 at halftime.
Williams was particularly effective against
Darius Morris, the third-string point guard thrust into a starting role with
injuries to Steve Nash and Steve Blake. Williams employed his vicious crossover
move multiple times, forcing Morris to commit three first-half fouls.
Game notes
The Nets haven't won six straight games or
been more than five games over .500 since 2006. .. Before the game, D'Antoni
said Blake and Nash will miss at least four more games, which means they won't
play on the Lakers' three-game road trip over the next four days starting in
Sacramento on Wednesday night. The Lakers' next home game is against Indiana on
Nov. 27. ... The Lakers have won their last five road meetings with the Nets,
last losing in New Jersey on March 17, 2006. They'll visit Barclays Center on Feb.
5.
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