Lakers Team Report
(Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:36:29 PST)

Pau Gasol referred to Lakers coach Phil Jackson as "unpredictable" Wednesday in saying he had no idea how much he would play in his season debut Thursday night vs. Chicago.

Jackson wound up pegging Gasol's playing time beforehand at 25 minutes ... and then ran Gasol for 34 despite the victory being comfortably in hand the entire second half.

Gasol might have done it to himself, because he was certainly effective despite missing the first 11 games of the season. He had 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 from the foul line.

Gasol also had a team-high 13 rebounds, plus three assists. He left the game for good with 4:34 to play and the Lakers up 103-83.

NBA roundup: Tuesday's action on the courts
(Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:54:00 PST)
Missing star point guard Chris Paul, the New Orleans Hornets found a way to rally and make their new coach a winner for the first time.

Lakers' Walton diagnosed with pinched nerve
(Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:07:02 PST)
Lakers forward Luke Walton has been diagnosed with a pinched nerve. Walton was examined Monday by back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles. The Lakers say Walton is expected to be out at least six weeks. Kobe Bryant practiced Monday, a day after he made an early exit in the Lakers' 101-91 loss to the Houston Rockets.

Handle with care: Laker injury bug strikes Kobe
(Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:23:00 PST)
If the Lakers can't convince Kobe Bryant to rest his ailing groin, they should at least provide him more support.

Lakers' Gasol practicing this week?
(Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:55:34 PST)
The Los Angeles Lakers have been waiting for a while now for Pau Gasol's hamstring to heal up and he...

NBA roundup: Sunday's action on the courts
(Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:36:00 PST)
The Toronto Raptors were one near miss away from beating the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns on their own court.

Nuggets serve early notice that they're contenders
(Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:02:13 PST)
The Denver Nuggets served notice on two fronts with their dismantling of the Los Angeles Lakers: Last year was no fluke and this year they're legit. The Nuggets (7-3), overlooked by prognosticators after everybody else in the West seemed to sign a superstar over the summer, whipped the Pau Gasol-less Lakers 105-79 Friday night.

Nuggets toast win with shot of confidence
(Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:19:00 PST)
Still sore from last season's loss in the West finals, the Nuggets let the Lakers know they aren't going away.

NBA roundup: Friday's action on the courts
(Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:40:00 PST)
The post-Byron Scott era got off to a miserable start for the New Orleans Hornets.

Jackson likes LeBron's call to retire Jordan's 23
(Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:16:47 PST)
Phil Jackson likes LeBron James' idea of NBA players giving up No. 23 to honor Michael Jordan. The Los Angeles Lakers coach who won six titles with Jordan in Chicago compared the idea to the NHL's retirement of No. 99 to honor hockey great Wayne Gretzky in 2000. Jackson said Jordan changed the NBA much as Gretzky did hockey.

Loss to Lakers fuels Anthony, Nuggets
(Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:23:00 PST)
Carmelo Anthony can do without the MVP chatter. He just wants to finally play in the NBA Finals.

Game to pay attention to: Suns vs. Lakers
(Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:10:08 PST)
Phoenix at Los Angeles Lakers Cleveland in Miami is a proper game. With both squads at full strength (we, sadly,...

SL: Rockets, McGrady differ on return; Biedrins re-injures back
(Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:20:28 PST)
Each weekday morning, BDL serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your smoked gouda-chorizo...

Nellie: Warriors still open to trading Jackson
(Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:46:54 PST)
Golden State coach Don Nelson said the Warriors are still open to trading Stephen Jackson a day after the disgruntled star's agent made disparaging comments about the coach. "We're trying to accommodate him," Nelson said. "If we can get a good deal, we'll do it. I said that over a month, month and a half ago." In an interview late Sunday with ESPN Jackson's agent,...

Suicide lines: Van Gundy critical of Magic; Stojakovic to start
(Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:20:55 PST)
Each weekday morning, BDL serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your bagels.