Kobe will miss Bynum, Lakers win again
NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.
Andrew Bynum - the Lakers key hurts his knee
What a way to pull defeat out of victory.
Kobe Bryant was on to his usual outstanding performance and the Lakers machine was once again humming along as it has done so recently with victory after victory. Kobe ended up with 37 points.
The Lakers defeated the Grizzlies 100 to 99 with unlikely hero Kwame Brown taking his 38 percent free throw shooting percentage to the line and making the first one to give the Lakers their game winning point with 9.2 seconds left.
So the Lakers won the game, but it was what happened earlier that has players and fans concerned.
Unfortunately, in the 3rd quarter, Andrew Bynum went down with a knee injury.
Bynum is a player the Lakers can ill afford to lose. He has been averaging a double double and giving the Lakers size inside. Without Bynum, the Lakers will have to use Kwame Brown and Chris Mihm, when he gets healthy.
Andrew Bynum, a key factor in the team’s ascent to elite status at this stage of the season, sprained his left knee early in the third quarter of Sunday night’s 100-99 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, and will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury.
The 20-year-old center expressed the opinion as he left Staples Center following the game that his injury isn’t serious, but perhaps that’s simply wishful thinking.
“I feel all right,” he said, walking under his own power, although limping slightly, with a brace on his left leg while personal trainer Sean Zarzana carried a pair of crutches.
“It’s on the top of the kneecap, and a little on the right,” Bynum said. “I was pretty scared. But the X-rays were negative. I never heard a pop. Just when I bend it, it hurts. I’m feeling fine, it’s not as bad as I thought. I put ice on it, and it felt better right away.” source
NBA Basketball Phil Jackson factoid - The win was the 944th of Jackson’s career, tying him with Bill Fitch, his coach at the University of North Dakota, for sixth place on the NBA’s list. source
NBA Basketball Kobe Bryant factoid - Bryant became the 44th player with 1,000 career 3-pointers with his first of three in this game. The 3-pointer was introduced in the NBA before the 1979-80 season. source
The Lakers need Bynum to get healthy soon or an excellent season will begin to disappear. The Lakers are a half a game outside of first place in the Pacific Division just behind Phoenix and Steve Nash, but keep in mind the Western Conference is loaded with potential playoff teams. There is little room for drop off.
NBA Basketball Fan Question Can the Lakers continue to win without Andrew Bynum?
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POSTED IN: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, Steve Nash
1 opinion for Kobe will miss Bynum, Lakers win again
Kobe Bryant Superstar tags Sonics with 48
Jan 15, 2008 at 2:54 am
[…] Lakers were recently dealt a severe blow when young center Andrew Bynum, the player not named later in the Kobe to the Bulls non-trade, injured his […]
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