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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