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Even with two of their top front line players feeling ill, the Los Angeles Lakers found a way to keep rolling in their last game.
On Friday night, they’ll open a four-game eastern road trip against a Miami Heat club that’s lost three in a row since its longest winning streak of the season.
Los Angeles (21-3) is looking for its fifth straight victory and 15th in 17 games following Tuesday night’s 116-114 win over the New York Knicks.
Despite an upper respiratory infection, Lamar Odom recorded season highs of 17 points and 12 rebounds. Odom was making his first start of 2008-09 in place of Pau Gasol, who was sent home Tuesday night with strep throat.
“Pau was out and I kind of willed myself to do it. Football mentality,” said Odom, who scored eight points during a 3-minute, 59-second stretch of the fourth quarter to help Los Angeles overcome a 65-50 halftime deficit.
Odom, who averaged 17.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists with Miami in 2003-04, practiced Wednesday and is expected to play Friday.
That’s good news for Los Angeles, as Odom is averaging 13.3 points, 15.0 boards and 5.7 assists in three games in Miami with the Lakers. He had 15 points, 18 rebounds and six assists in a 104-94 win at AmericanAirlines Arena on Feb. 10.
Gasol didn’t practice Wednesday and is questionable for Friday. Tuesday was his first missed game since being sidelined for nine games with a sprained left ankle from March 16-30.
After shooting 39.7 percent over his previous six games, Kobe Bryant went 12-of-22 from the field against the Knicks and scored 28 points - nine in the final 7:33.
“We remembered all the battles we’ve been through. We didn’t panic,” said Bryant, who had 33 points and five assists in the win at Miami last season. “Just to be able to stay calm and push our way through, it was a good game for us to have.”
Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat haven’t enjoyed too many of those over the past week.
Miami (12-12) lost its third straight Monday night, 98-83 to Milwaukee as Wade missed 11 of 16 shots and finished with 15 points.
Wade averaged 34.8 points and hit 50.5 percent from the field during a four-game winning streak from Dec. 1-8, but is averaging 17.7 points and 33.9 percent shooting during the three-game slide.
Wade leads the league with 28.0 points per game. He averaged 18.5 in two losses to the Lakers last season, though.
“We can’t put it all on Dwyane,” said forward Udonis Haslem, who’s averaging 11.5 points and 8.9 boards on the season. “Someone’s got to pick their game up somewhere.”
Lately, it hasn’t been Haslem. He had two points against the Bucks and is averaging 5.3 points and shooting 31.6 percent in his last three games.
Miami is averaging 80.7 points and shooting 39.4 percent from the floor during its skid. It will be facing a Lakers team that leads the NBA with 108.4 points.
Los Angeles has won four of the last five meetings in the series.
On Friday night, they’ll open a four-game eastern road trip against a Miami Heat club that’s lost three in a row since its longest winning streak of the season.
Los Angeles (21-3) is looking for its fifth straight victory and 15th in 17 games following Tuesday night’s 116-114 win over the New York Knicks.
Despite an upper respiratory infection, Lamar Odom recorded season highs of 17 points and 12 rebounds. Odom was making his first start of 2008-09 in place of Pau Gasol, who was sent home Tuesday night with strep throat.
“Pau was out and I kind of willed myself to do it. Football mentality,” said Odom, who scored eight points during a 3-minute, 59-second stretch of the fourth quarter to help Los Angeles overcome a 65-50 halftime deficit.
Odom, who averaged 17.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists with Miami in 2003-04, practiced Wednesday and is expected to play Friday.
That’s good news for Los Angeles, as Odom is averaging 13.3 points, 15.0 boards and 5.7 assists in three games in Miami with the Lakers. He had 15 points, 18 rebounds and six assists in a 104-94 win at AmericanAirlines Arena on Feb. 10.
Gasol didn’t practice Wednesday and is questionable for Friday. Tuesday was his first missed game since being sidelined for nine games with a sprained left ankle from March 16-30.
After shooting 39.7 percent over his previous six games, Kobe Bryant went 12-of-22 from the field against the Knicks and scored 28 points - nine in the final 7:33.
“We remembered all the battles we’ve been through. We didn’t panic,” said Bryant, who had 33 points and five assists in the win at Miami last season. “Just to be able to stay calm and push our way through, it was a good game for us to have.”
Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat haven’t enjoyed too many of those over the past week.
Miami (12-12) lost its third straight Monday night, 98-83 to Milwaukee as Wade missed 11 of 16 shots and finished with 15 points.
Wade averaged 34.8 points and hit 50.5 percent from the field during a four-game winning streak from Dec. 1-8, but is averaging 17.7 points and 33.9 percent shooting during the three-game slide.
Wade leads the league with 28.0 points per game. He averaged 18.5 in two losses to the Lakers last season, though.
“We can’t put it all on Dwyane,” said forward Udonis Haslem, who’s averaging 11.5 points and 8.9 boards on the season. “Someone’s got to pick their game up somewhere.”
Lately, it hasn’t been Haslem. He had two points against the Bucks and is averaging 5.3 points and shooting 31.6 percent in his last three games.
Miami is averaging 80.7 points and shooting 39.4 percent from the floor during its skid. It will be facing a Lakers team that leads the NBA with 108.4 points.
Los Angeles has won four of the last five meetings in the series.