Kobe Bryant News

LeBron James was victorious in his personal matchup with Kobe Bryant in a duel of the NBA’s leading scorers. via St. Louis American Newspaper

“I think it was, but I don’t want to discuss it because the more important thing is the outcome”

Renaldo Balkman was suspended for last night’s game against the Utah Jazz here for elbowing Sasha Vujacic in the face during Tuesday’s loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles. via AMNY

“Some guys are timid more than frustrated.”

Whether the Lakers go far into the playoffs — as many predicted before Andrew Bynum was injured — or miss the postseason altogether, they could look at this time of the season as a defining period. via Orange County Register

“I was running and he grabbed me and the ball and I didn’t want to come down on my face, so I kind of just grabbed him”

Perhaps Isiah Thomas was getting a little ahead of himself when he talked about the prospect of the Knicks making a second-half push for a playoff spot and said “in January and February, we’re starting to be a … via AMNY

“We had to run a dribble weave in that situation and they both came with me, so I kicked it out. I don’t know if he had a clear look at the basket. I think they rotated to him pretty quickly. There’s always other options.”

How do you measure “clutchness?” For some reason, the media has been caught up with the notion of quantifying this category by the number of “game-winning shots” you hit. via MVN - Recent Articles

“The Lakers, when they get Bynum back, to me, I think they can come out of the West”

Have you noticed how nothing works anymore in Lakerdom? The Lakers celebrated playing two weeks without Andrew Bynum on Sunday — I know, it seems longer — losing their fourth game in the last five. via Los Angeles Times

Fuel or Fumes? Kobe Bryant has logged 29947 minutes of regular season play during his career. via Los Angeles Lakers News and Trade Rumors

Tim Duncan is headed to the All-Star Game. The question is: Will any of his teammates be going with him? Duncan finished second in the fan balloting among Western Conference forwards with just over 1.7 million … via Fox Sports

Or a “beng,” if you’re into the pun thing. But no matter what your phrase of choice, it doesn’t change the fact that a 116-93 score equals the Lakers putting the wood to Denver. via Lakers Blog

Today is an episode of “Hollywood and the Stars.” Cavaliers at Lakers. Nicholson in his sunglasses. via The Plain Dealer

“Because of all the rain and some leaks we had last month, we had a roofing company called out and they were inspecting the roof this morning”

A leaky roof stopped LeBron James and Kobe Bryant on Sunday - at least for a while. via Fox Sports

“Whenever my numbers have (declined)”

The Lakers have worries. They have concerns. Kobe Bryant’s head, Andrew Bynum’s knee, Lamar Odom’s heart. via Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

“Those are just correctable things.”

Kobe Bryant doesn’t care anymore. Oh, he cares about the Lakers, but not about the often over-hyped matchups with marquee players on other teams. via Los Angeles Times

Josh Howard had 26 points and played tough defense on Kobe Bryant during a game-changing third quarter, and the Dallas Mavericks held off a furious finish by Bryant for a 112-105 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

Bryant scored 14 of the Lakers’ final 16 points, including the last 10. He had 16 points in the quarter and 40 in the game.

He also was 17-of-21 from the foul line, approaching career highs in both categories.

His barrage single-handedly got Los Angeles within five points twice in the final minutes after trailing by 17 after three quarters. Read more

Tim Duncan had 28 points and 17 rebounds to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 103-91 victory over the Lakers on Wednesday night. via Los Angeles Times