A diagnosis of pre-diabetes last May gave award-winning actor Alec Baldwin the motivation to trim 30 pounds from a physique that, along with chiseled features, once earned him a place among People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People. Read the original here: Alec Baldwin Among 79 Million Pre-Diabetic Americans
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OT Goal Lifts BHHS Soccer
Ashley Aviram has been scoring big goals all season for the Beverly Hills High School girls varsity soccer team, so it’s no surprise that she tallied the Normans’ biggest one when it was needed the most. The junior rocketed a direct free kick over the head of Santa Monica High School goalkeeper Sarah Lipshy from 35 yards out early in the 93rd minute to propel the Normans to a 1-1 tie against the Vikings Friday night at Nickoll Field. Had the Normans lost, they would’ve had to defeat Inglewood and archrival Culver City to clinch their first league crown since joining the Ocean League in 2004. Now, they need only to tie one of their final two games to capture the title outright. “I normally take the free kicks from there and I was just trying to put it on frame,” Aviram said of her team-best 22nd goal. “I was very upset that we were losing. Of course we wanted to win, but we knew a tie would be sufficient.” It was perhaps one of the most satisfying games coach Scott Franks has experienced with the Normans—either as a player or coach. He was a center midfielder for boys coach Steve Rappaport from 1992-96 and has piloted the girls program for nine years. What made it all the more rewarding is that Aviram’s goal was almost identical to the overtime goal she scored to beat the Vikings on their own field earlier in the season. “She’s so clutch,” Franks said of Aviram, who is four goals shy of the school single-season record held by Emily Litvak and just eight away from Litvak’s career scoring record of 55 goals. “We knew a tied would work in our favor so we took a more conservative approach to the game. But when they scored we had to go into attack mode and we moved [Aviram] up to the front from stopper. She couldn’t have placed it any better.” Santa Monica broke the scoreless tie in the 83rd minute with a redirection by striker Brenda Torres-Matos off a high corner kick from Kristen Vasquez. However, it only made the Normans more determined to find the back of the net themselves. Beverly Hills’ senior goalkeeper Ida Trevino entered the game having allowed just one goal in league play and rose to the challenge once again Friday, making 17 saves while constantly communicating with her defenders. By the time the final whistle blew she had almost no voice left to cheer. “My heart was pounding the whole game. I was yelling the whole time,” Trevino said. ”We knew the situation going into it, how important it was not to lose. I’m overall really calm but when we got behind I knew we needed to score. I was trying to stay really positive.” Franks recognized that Trevino’s experience showed in the final minutes. “She was All-League last year, she will be again this year and she was on top of her game tonight,” he said. “To have the presence of mind to trap the ball with her chest and waste 30 seconds on the clock shows how sharp she is and how aware she is of the situation.” BHHS wraps up the regular season at home Tuesday against Inglewood (a team the Normans routed 7-0 in their first meeting) and then Thursday at archrival Culver City, which lost 1-0 on a goal by Beverly Hills’ Tiffany Moore in their first encounter. “This is the pinnacle because I have so much respect for [Samohi] and there’s nothing I wanted more this season than to win league,” Franks said. “We started the season 3-4, we had a lot of egos and we had some injuries. To overcome it all and be where we are now, I couldn’t be more proud. The girls did what they had to do.” MATCH STATISTICS Goals: Santa Monica—Brenda Torres-Matos, 83rd minute. Beverly Hills—Ashley Aviram, 93rd minute. Saves: Santa Monica—11, Sarah Lipshy. Beverly Hills—12, Ida Trevino. Records: Santa Monica 10-5-3 overall, 5-2-1 league; Beverly Hills 12-5-3, 7-0-1. B e sure to follow Beverly Hills Patch on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook . More: OT Goal Lifts BHHS Soccer
7 Great Places to Eat, Drink & Watch the Super Bowl
While there are plenty of bars and restaurants that will have their TVs on and airing the game, a few Los Angeles-area places have come up with some specials to add some cheer to the day, and we’ve got our picks for seven spots where watching the Super Bowl is bound to be delicious. more › See original here: 7 Great Places to Eat, Drink & Watch the Super Bowl
Mr. Big Shot Leads Clippers Past Nuggets In Homecoming Game
DENVER — Chauncey Billups’ homecoming couldn’t have gone better. He scored a season-high 32 points and drew a crucial foul in the waning seconds to help seal the Los Angeles Clippers’ 109-105 victory that snapped the Denver Nuggets’ six-game winning streak Sunday night. It was Billups’ first game at the Pepsi Center since the Nuggets included him in the Carmelo Anthony blockbuster trade nearly a year ago. Billups received a rousing ovation during introductions, and some highlights of his days with the Nuggets were shown on the overhead scoreboards. The Denver native was enthusiastically introduced as “still the King of Park Hill.” Those cheers turned to groans when Billups scored a dozen points in the first quarter and swished a trio of 3-pointers in the third quarter, reminding the Nuggets and their fans of what they’d lost. He saved his best play for the fourth quarter. The only visitor who got a louder ovation was Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, sitting courtside. The Nuggets opened a 10-point lead early in the fourth but the Clippers used a 10-0 run to tie it at 87 with 8 1/2 minutes to go and it was close the rest of the way. Just when the Nuggets started to pull away, going up five, Billups took over as he had so many times in this building. His sixth 3-pointer tied it at 99, and his three-point play finished off an 8-0 spurt gave the Clippers a 102-99 lead with 2:37 left. The Nuggets regained the lead 105-104 on Nene’s dunk with 47 seconds remaining after Andre Miller’s steal of Chris Paul’s poor pass. But Paul’s two free throws gave Los Angeles the lead for good with 36 seconds left. DeAndre Jordan hit one of two free throws with 23 seconds left to give the Clippers a 107-105 lead, and after a timeout, Nene, who led the Nuggets with 18 points, pushed off against Billups, drawing the offensive foul with 18 seconds remaining. Paul sank two free throws to push the Clippers’ cushion to 109-105 with 17 seconds left, and the Nuggets weren’t able to recover. Paul finished with 25 points, and Blake Griffin added 17. Billups had 15 points at the half and really got hot in the third quarter, sinking three straight 3-pointers, including one with Rudy Fernandez all over him that capped a stretch of five straight 3s for the Clippers, the other two coming from Paul. The Nuggets took an 83-77 lead into the fourth quarter after Fernandez’s astonishing tip-in at the third-quarter buzzer. Corey Brewer’s desperation heave was off-target and Fernandez cut through the lane and with his left hand tipped the ball off the glass and through the hoop as the buzzer sounded and the backboard lit up. Billups spent 2 1/2 years in his second stint with the Nuggets, instantly turned a middling Denver team into a contender when he came over from Detroit for Allen Iverson in 2008. He guided the Nuggets to a franchise-best 54 wins and the Western Conference finals that year. “I’ve told the story that if we don’t make the Chauncey trade, I don’t think I’m here right now,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “We were playing very ordinary basketball. Then we made the trade and we went from ordinary to good pretty quick. I remember when (former Nuggets general manager Mark Warkentien) called and said the trade was done, I was downstairs in my house and I actually think I got down on my knees and thanked God.” Conversely, Karl nearly cried 11 months ago when Billups, who starred at the University of Colorado, got caught up in Anthony’s trade demand and was included in the 13-player, three-way deal on Feb. 22, 2011, that sent him to New York. “I think Chauncey’s a winner and he’s one of the best winners of all-time,” Karl said. “He has great skills but he also has a great head. … I think everybody knows it was a sad day when we had to part with him. I mean, it was hard on everybody.” Billups included. He landed in Los Angeles this season when the Knicks invoked the amnesty clause that’s part of the new collective bargaining agreement and cut him without having to count his $14.5 million salary against their cap. Claimed by the Clippers, Billups briefly contemplated retirement but then decided to play a 15th NBA season, and as he showed Sunday night, he’s still at the top of his game. He’s a big part of Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro’s star-studded veteran cast that includes Griffin, Paul, Mo Williams and Caron Butler that’s speeding the learning curve for younger teammates while also stealing the buzz from Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in Los Angeles. Billups’ departure led to more playing time for Ty Lawson in Denver, and he was slated to start Sunday night after missing time with a sprained left ankle, but he was a late scratch. That scuttled some of Karl’s plans to play fast against the Clippers, getting the Nuggets into the open court more. Notes: Karl said he reminded his team that of its six previous wins, only one came against a winning team, “and 16 of our next 18 are against winning teams, so we will know a lot more come March 1 than we know right now.” … Billups said he’s trying to get former Denver teammate Kenyon Martin to join the Clippers after his Chinese team ends its season. Follow this link: Mr. Big Shot Leads Clippers Past Nuggets In Homecoming Game
L.A. Rivalry Getting Heated
LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, Pau Gasol had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit for a 96-91 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night in another testy edition of their cross-hallway rivalry. Andrew Bynum scored 19 points to help the Lakers snapped their three-game skid with their first win of the season over their fellow Staples Center tenants. The Clippers beat the Lakers twice in the preseason and again earlier this month, staking an early claim to L.A. superiority with their revamped lineup. The Lakers aren’t ready to cede the city just yet – and they were willing to fight for it. The clubs combined for six technical fouls, and the Lakers’ Josh McRoberts was ejected. Blake Griffin had 26 points and nine rebounds, and Caron Butler and Mo Williams added 16 points apiece for the Clippers, who led for nearly every possession of the first 3 1/2 quarters. Chris Paul had four points and 12 assists for the Clippers in his return from a five-game absence because of a strained left hamstring. After trailing for all but the opening basket, Bryant put the Lakers in front with six points during an 11-4 run capped by Metta World Peace’s 3-pointer with 3:30 to play. The Lakers nursed the lead into the final minute, when Bynum made a lyaup and blocked DeAndre Jordan’s shot in the paint on consecutive possessions, essentially sealing the Lakers’ ninth straight “home” victory in the building shared by these clubs. The Lakers have won 10 of their last 11 home games since Christmas, and the Clippers still haven’t beaten the Lakers twice in a row since the 2006-07 season. The Lakers still failed to score 100 points for the 12th straight game, matching their longest low-scoring stretch since early 2004. Paul hadn’t played since the Clippers’ home victory over the Lakers 11 days ago, but his teammates stayed in first place in the Pacific Division during his absence. Coach Vinny Del Negro appeared to be limiting Paul’s minutes slightly, perhaps with an eye to the Clippers’ five games in the next eight days. Butler scored the Clippers’ first 11 points, hitting three 3-pointers as they jumped to an early 10-point lead to the delight of their small fan contingent. The Clippers stayed narrowly ahead with 12 first-half points from Griffin, who landed his nightly jaw-dropping dunk when he drove past Gasol on the perimeter and floated past Bynum for a double-clutch jam. Later, Griffin made a nimble reverse hook shot and a flying rebound putback dunk within a minute of each other. The Lakers got unlikely offensive help from Andrew Goudelock, the rookie from College of Charleston who had scored just 10 points all season before matching that total midway through the second quarter against the Clippers. Goudelock hit two 3-pointers and didn’t miss a shot until the third quarter. The testiness and bad tempers that infiltrated this rivalry last year also resurfaced when Griffin and World Peace went down in a heap as they chased a loose ball at midcourt in the third quarter. Both teams surrounded the tangle of limbs and exchanged minor contact, but officials only ruled a jump ball. Bryant committed six turnovers in the third quarter as the Clippers maintained their lead, and Mo Williams added the tension with a flagrant foul on Goudelock during a fast break early in the fourth. The officials attempted to keep peace with technical fouls – including two quick ones to McRoberts, who was ejected with 9:35 to play after two exchanges with the Clippers’ Reggie Evans. Chauncey Billups committed a technical foul during the Lakers’ run to an 87-82 lead on World Peace’s sixth 3-pointer in 38 tries during his dismal offensive season. NOTES: Before the game, the Lakers sent second-year forward Derrick Caracter to Bakersfield of the D-League as he continues his rehabilitation from a torn meniscus in his left knee. … Fans near courtside included David Beckham, Aziz Ansari, Jerry Bruckheimer, Mark McGrath and director McG. Go here to see the original: L.A. Rivalry Getting Heated
Husband Accused Of Poisoning Wife’s Rice Krispies
AZUSA, Calif. — A Southern California man has been arrested on suspicion of putting poison in his wife’s cereal. Los Angeles County jail records show 43-year-old Fernando Porras of Azusa was being held on $1 million bail Saturday on suspicion of the attempted murder of his 51-year-old wife, Fernanda. Azusa police Cpl. Randy Schmidt says the woman noticed a horrible taste and smell Thursday in her Rice Krispies. Police allege Porras put a poisonous chemical in the cereal, but they didn’t say what it was. Police Sgt. Dewayne Eldridge says the woman wasn’t believed to be seriously harmed by the substance. Porras is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday. Go here to see the original: Husband Accused Of Poisoning Wife’s Rice Krispies
CP3 Outshines Kobe As Clippers Win Battle Of LA
LOS ANGELES — Chris Paul scored 33 points, Blake Griffin had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers led all the way in beating the Lakers 102-94 on Saturday night despite 42 points by Kobe Bryant. Chauncey Billups added 19 points, former Laker Caron Butler had 13 points and DeAndre Jordan had 10 rebounds in the Clippers’ second win in four days over one of the NBA’s elite teams. The Clippers beat Miami 95-89 in overtime on Wednesday and have won five of their last six. Paul limped off after hitting a jumper in the final minutes. Bryant notched his fourth straight game of 40 or more points but the Lakers had their five-game winning streak snapped by their Staples Center co-tenants, who beat them twice in the preseason. The Lakers got no closer than five points early in the fourth quarter as the visiting team. Bryant broke out for 21 points in the third, but he was limited to 10 in the fourth against the Clippers’ double teams. Billups and Paul hit consecutive 3-pointers to help the Clippers extend their lead to 67-53 midway through the third. Bryant took over from there, scoring 17 of the Lakers’ final 19 points of the quarter to close to 76-72. He began and ended the spurt with 3-pointers and in between hit 7 of 8 free throws while the Clippers were held to nine points over the final 5 minutes. The Clippers’ biggest first-half lead was 55-42 at the break. They outshot and outrebounded the Lakers, who were better in the paint. The Lakers twice closed within three points in the second quarter, but the Clippers outscored them 16-6 to end the period, with Billups, Paul and Griffin combining for 14 points. The Clippers opened the game on a 13-4 run, then outscored the Lakers 13-9 to lead after the first quarter. Things got chippy in the final 12 seconds when Darius Morris went up for a basket after Paul was whistled for a foul and Griffin pushed off him with both hands as Morris came down. Lakers coach Mike Brown got incensed and was called for a technical, while nothing was called on Griffin. Morris had the last word, though, when he sank a jumper from before the half-court line at the buzzer as Paul tried to cut him off. Metta World Peace and Grififin also had technicals. Notes: Clippers F Brian Cook left midway through the second quarter with a sprained left ankle. … The Clippers improved to 5-1 at home and 6-0 this season when taking a lead into the fourth. … The Clippers have sold out all six of their home games. … The Lakers were playing their fifth game of the week and their 14th of the season, tying Chicago for most games played. … The Clippers have played just nine games, fewest in the league. … Clippers backup G Mo Williams missed the game because of an injured right foot that he hurt on Tuesday at Portland. … Lakers G Jason Kapono is adjusting to sleepless nights after his wife gave birth to premature twin girls named Campbell and Isla earlier in the week. “Thirty minutes is like three hours. It’s all been a blur,” he said. See the original post here: CP3 Outshines Kobe As Clippers Win Battle Of LA
LeBron’s Late Blunders Open Door For Clippers
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Clippers couldn’t hit a basket in the final four minutes of regulation. The Miami Heat could barely make free throws. Two tired teams coming off road losses the night before staggered into overtime. Then the Clippers took over. They outscored Miami 9-3 in the extra session and earned the biggest win of their young season, 95-89 Wednesday night. “It’s good to get a win and get it by grinding it out,” said Blake Griffin, who had 20 points and 12 rebounds. Their next test against one of the league’s power teams comes Saturday against the Lakers. Chris Paul had 27 points, 11 assists and one turnover in nearly 45 minutes, Caron Butler added 20 points, and Chauncey Billups had 12 for the Clippers, 9-2 against Miami at home since 2001-02. DeAndre Jordan had 11 rebounds and six blocked shots to set the tone defensively. “They didn’t surprise us,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who got ejected with 5 seconds left. “We have great respect for them. “That was great compelling playoff basketball in early January.” LeBron James had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the 200th double-double of his career, Mario Chalmers added 18 points, Dwyane Wade 17 and Chris Bosh had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, who have lost their last four games against the Clippers at Staples Center. “They are a good team, they are a really good team,” Bosh said. “They are going to have some battles and adversity is going to come. We’ll see how they handle it and just keep playing.” The Heat were coming off an overtime loss to Golden State, while the Clippers had lost at Portland a night earlier. In overtime, James, Bosh and Wade missed on a combined seven shots. Miami’s Big Three struggled in the fourth quarter, as well, combining to go 3 for 8. James missed three consecutive baskets in overtime and he was 6 of 10 from the line in the final 5:49 of regulation. Chalmers hit a 3-pointer for Miami’s only points in the extra session. The Heat were 20 of 34 from the line, with James accounting for eight of their 14 misses. “I’ve been shooting the ball particularly well from the free throw line, but tonight I didn’t make enough. So I put our free throw shooting on me,” he said. “It’s kind of a rhythm when it trickles down to everybody else, so I’ve got to concentrate a little more and knock them down when I get fouled.” Wade added, “We haven’t missed this many free throws on this team, probably ever.” The Clippers’ shooting nearly let them down in the final 4 minutes of regulation when they missed on seven straight possessions, but were bailed out by Miami’s own problems. The Clippers led by two with 27 seconds left in regulation before James tied it 86 on a free throw. The Clippers called their final timeout and Paul dribbled around with James hounding him before putting up a shot that missed as time expired, forcing the Heat to the third overtime of their trip. “We defended and gave ourselves a chance to win, and that’s all you can ask for,” James said. “So we can be satisfied. I mean, you don’t like to lose, but we’re not going to hang our heads about this one.” With the Clippers trailing 84-83, Billups got fouled by James on a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left in regulation and made all three free throws. The Clippers finished 17 of 23 from the line. The Heat won two video reviews in the final 16 seconds of regulation, but they failed to make a field goal in the final 7:32. “A lot of times we were able to get LeBron to the rim and that’s what we wanted,” Wade said. “It’s not always going to go in, but we can leave here with our heads up high, knowing that we stuck to our game plan. We just didn’t get the win.” Neither team led by more than three points in a physical fourth quarter that featured Wade knocking Paul to the court and Norris Cole and Mo Williams colliding. “There’s a lot of guys out there that, if you look at them, they like to lift a lot of weights, so it is going to be physical,” James said. “These are two teams that have high hopes, so when that kind of clash happens, it’s going to be physical.” Notes: The Clippers went 1-1 in their first back-to-back of the shortened season. … The Heat are 5-3 in four back-to-back sets. … Paul evened his career rivalry with good friend James at six wins apiece. “We hate to lose to each other,” Paul said. … The game drew a standing room only crowd of 19,341. The Clippers have sold out all five of their home games and 17 straight dating to last season. … Celebs attending included Rihanna, Chris Rock, Billy Crystal, Sinbad, Gabrielle Union, and former Los Angeles Angels teammates Jered Weaver and John Lackey. Union is Wade’s girlfriend. Here is the original post: LeBron’s Late Blunders Open Door For Clippers
Kobe Needs Another Big Night To Lift Lakers Past Jazz In OT
SALT LAKE CITY — Andrew Bynum wasn’t on the court the first time the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Utah Jazz. He made his presence felt Wednesday night, with five blocked shots, including a game-saver on Al Jefferson’s short jumper with 1.9 seconds remaining in overtime as the Lakers held on for a 90-87 victory. Kobe Bryant scored 40 points to lead the Lakers, including a pair of free throws with 0.7 seconds remaining for the final margin. “Andrew kind of made of his own coverage on Al and we tried to keep telling him to get out of it,” Lakers coach Mike Brown said. “But he didn’t listen to us and whatever he did, worked. So I’m going to add it to my defensive package.” Jefferson, who was coming off a season-high 30-point effort against Cleveland on Tuesday, was held to 11 points on 5-of-17 shooting. Paul Millsap led the Jazz with a season-high 29 points, hitting 14 of 24 shots. The loss was the first at home for the Jazz this season and halted their five-game winning streak. The Lakers embarrassed the Jazz in Utah’s season-opener, winning by 25 even without Bynum on Dec. 27. This one was close throughout, with Millsap’s tip-in tying it at 78 with 21 seconds left in regulation. Bryant, coming of a 48-point game Tuesday night at home against Phoenix, missed a shot at the buzzer that would have won it in regulation for Los Angeles. Millsap then scored the first four points of overtime, but the Lakers fought back, with 3-pointers by Bryant and Pau Gasol. “Pau’s got a green light to shoot the 3,” Brown said. “As you can tell, guys trust him. Kobe made a pass to him late in the game at a crucial point. To see him step and knock it down was huge for us.” Seven-foot Bynum came up even bigger. He made just 5 of 13 shots, but his tip-in with 51 seconds left in OT put the Lakers ahead 88-87. Millsap brought the Jazz within one, then after Bryant’s miss, the Jazz found themselves with a chance to win. Gordon Hayward had the ball and started toward the lane, only to pass it to Jefferson underneath. Bynum was there. “It was just a reaction,” Bynum said about his block. “I’m lucky he went for the quick flip.” Hayward said he thought about shooting it himself. “The clock’s winding down, a final scramble and we didn’t know what was going on,” Hayward said. “There were 8 seconds left, so I got to make a play. Maybe I could have shot a 1-2 pullup, but I thought it was the right play, the right pass. We got a good look. Bynum just made a good play.” Bryant would block a long 3-point attempt by Devin Harris as the Jazz inbounded with 0.7 seconds remaining in OT. The win was the first on the road for the Lakers (8-4), while Utah (6-4) is 5-1 at home. “It felt good to get a road win here,” Bryant said. “It’s a very tough place to play and it was a huge test for us.” But even he wasn’t so sure Gasol could knock down the 22-footer from the corner. “Pau’s been shooting them well in practice and coach has been urging me to trust him at the 3-point line,” Bryant said. “I thought about passing it to him, it seemed like an eternity. But I said, `What the hell.’ “You think Tebow prays? When that ball left his hand, I must have said 30 Hail Mary’s.” Gasol finished with 14 points. He was just 5 of 14 overall, but hit his only 3-point attempt – his first of the season. “Tonight was not a very effective game on our part, for the most part,” Gasol said. “But we continued to fight through it. We forgot about everything else and we made two big plays down the stretch with the put-back and the block and I was able to make a couple plays. Hopefully we’ll get the bodies that we have injured right now and it will give us a deeper rotation.” If the Lakers were celebrating a little more than usual, they say they earned the right. “It was a tough game. It’s hard to get a win here. Back to back, getting in here late last night, going to bed late. It’s something to be proud of as a team,” Gasol said. “Hopefully, we’ll get some sleep and get ready for another back-to-back.” The Jazz also left feeling pretty good despite the loss, saying they are a different team than the one that faced the Lakers in the opener. “We kept playing hard, didn’t give up,” Jefferson said. “It’s one of those games at the end of the day we wish we could have won, but we could walk out with our head up. We played hard until the end. We just got to get ready for New Jersey.” The Jazz face the Nets on Saturday in a game that marks the return of Deron Williams for the first time since he was traded away last February. “We’re coming, we’re getting better,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. “We played against a good team tonight. They were a little bit better but our effort was great.” NOTES: Lakers forward Jason Kapono missed his second game so he could be with his wife, who gave birth Tuesday to twin girls. … Josh McRoberts (sprained toe/thumb) and Troy Murphy (stomach ailment) also did not suit up for L.A. … Jazz guard Raja Bell was assessed a first-quarter technical after giving Bryant a quick shove then having a few words with him. … Both teams were a combined 1-10 from 3-point range in the first half… Lakers guard Steve Blake suffered a rib contusion in the fourth quarter. Read more: Kobe Needs Another Big Night To Lift Lakers Past Jazz In OT
HIGHLIGHTS: Kobe And Pau Lift Lakers Over Jazz For First Win
LOS ANGELES — After finishing three games in roughly 56 hours with their best effort yet, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers demonstrated why their demise might not be as imminent as many thought. Bryant scored 26 points, Pau Gasol added 22 points and nine rebounds, and the Lakers avoided just the fourth 0-3 start in franchise history with a 96-71 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night. Metta World Peace scored 14 points for the Lakers, who had much more life than the Jazz despite playing their third game in three nights to open the season. Los Angeles ran away with a dominant third quarter, making a 27-8 surge out of halftime in the club’s first win for coach Mike Brown. After a tumultuous preseason under a new coaching staff, several injuries and the NBA’s only three-games-in-three-nights start, the Lakers realize they’re still lacking a consistent identity and a thorough knowledge of Brown’s game plan. At least a blowout win over the Jazz allowed them to enjoy their first day off since training camp began. “We’re a very active team,” Bryant said. “This is a blue-collar team. We’re a scrappy bunch. You saw that. We’re going to fight and scratch and claw for everything, as it should be. That’ll get us by.” With a Christmas loss to the Chicago Bulls and another defeat in Sacramento one night later, the Lakers got off to their first 0-2 start since the 2002-03 season. But Los Angeles has started 0-3 just three times in franchise history – just once in the last 50 years (1978-79). Utah missed 17 of its first 19 shots in the second quarter while the Lakers made a 13-0 run capped by a one-handed dunk by World Peace, the normally ground-bound leader of Los Angeles’ second unit. Los Angeles blew out the Jazz after halftime, jumping to a 68-39 lead with a 12-2 run. “To hold a team to 32 percent and 71 points in an NBA game, I don’t care who you’re playing, you’re doing something right on that end of the floor,” Brown said. “The focus, the energy, the effort, that communication and trust that we brought defensively, was exciting to see.” The Lakers comprehensively shut down the Jazz, the last NBA team to open its regular season. Paul Millsap had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Utah, but coach Tyrone Corbin scowled throughout the lowest-scoring performance in an opener in franchise history. “They’re a veteran team, they have a lot of pride, and they have some great players in that locker room,” Corbin said. “I told our guys before the game, `If you expect them to come out and lay down because they’re playing there games in three nights, you’re mistaken.’ They wanted to get the monkey off their back as soon as they could, and they played like it.” In the Jazz’s first season opener without coach Jerry Sloan running their bench since 1988, Utah made just 20 shots in the first three quarters and shot 20 fewer free throws than the Lakers. Al Jefferson went 2 for 16, C.J. Miles was 1 for 8, and rookie Enes Kanter was 1 for 7 in his NBA debut. At least Utah’s 25-point loss was one point better than the biggest blowout loss in Utah opener history. “It didn’t seem like much was working for us,” said Utah forward Gordon Hayward, who had seven points. “It felt like we were a little stagnant, just standing around and watching a little bit. They kind of blew it open in the third quarter, and we can’t allow that to happen. But it’s just one game. We just need to be more confident shooters.” The Lakers got their only back-to-back-to-back series of games out of the way immediately, although they still won’t even get consecutive days off until mid-January. When the New York Knicks visit Staples Center on Thursday night, Los Angeles still will be without starting center Andrew Bynum, who will finish his four-game suspension for misbehavior in last spring’s playoffs. The Lakers already are hurting this season, with Bryant nursing a torn ligament in his right wrist and Gasol wearing extra support for his sprained right shoulder. Veteran Matt Barnes, who’s dealing with bursitis in his left hip, didn’t play for the second time in three games despite a loud fan chant for him in the fourth quarter. Millsap came off the Utah bench, playing through tendinitis in his right quadriceps that nearly kept him out of uniform. Jazz newcomer Josh Howard had 10 points in 24 minutes. NOTES: Corbin waited until right before game time to rule in Millsap, the Jazz’s sturdy power forward. Millsap was a reserve for most of his first four NBA seasons, but started all 76 games in which he appeared last season. … Lakers F Troy Murphy fouled out in 32 scoreless minutes, but he also had 11 rebounds and four assists. … Utah plays five games in the next seven days, including a one-day trip to San Antonio. The Lakers have four games in the next seven days. See more here: HIGHLIGHTS: Kobe And Pau Lift Lakers Over Jazz For First Win