Lakers feed the fans!

Los Angeles, Ca

Kobe Bryant was the fifth leading scorer for the Lakers tonight. His 12 pts were enough, as he played a season low 27 minutes and got to sit out the entire fourth quarter again. In fact, it was nice to see all of the starters sitting on the bench with their knees wrapped in ice. It's comforting to know that the deep bench could stave off any efforts from the visiting team in the final quarter. The Lakers, who let the Nets shoot 48% in the first half, got their D in track in the second half and beat New Jersey by 27 pts, 120-93, holding the Nets to 35% shooting on the night. With the win, Los Angeles was able to feed the fans with the ever popular two free tacos promotion offered by area Jack in the Box restaurants by holding their opponents under 100 pts at home. It might be a little early for the 'MVP' chants every time Kobe shoots free throws, but never too early to chant "we want tacos!' from up in the 300's. 

After the game coach Lawrence Frank and Vince Carter both had thoughts on the effort from the Bench Mob;

"Their bench was tremendous," said Carter. "I thought their second unit was the difference. If you do not match their intensity and bring your 'A' game, you will not beat this team--especially here!"

"It just shows your their balance," Nets coach Frank stated. "I think that's the greatness of the Lakers. Kobe is obviously one of the elite players in this league, but they have so much around him. They are a high level team. They're 12-1, and they have Gasol from the beginning now."

Farmar, Slash, and Lamar Odom continue to be huge off the bench. Jordan led the way with 18 points and 4 steals, Trevor had 7 boards, and LO had a +/- of 29. The Lakers will need continued success from the bench to contend in long playoff series down the stretch. Luke Walton, Josh Powell, and Chris Mihm also logged some quality minutes in the final period.

The Nets played alright during the first half, keeping the score close despite being seriously hampered by injuries. Devin Harris led the way with 21 pts and 6 dimes, rookie Brook Lopez also added 10 boards and 17 pts after a quick start but cooling off late. Speaking of cooling off late, the Nets shot only 34.5% on 3-19 shooting in the fourth quarter. Stromile Swift (back), Josh Boone (bruised left ankle), and Chris Douglas-Roberts (strained right knee) did not play. Eduardo Najera (back) also missed time, staying back in New Jersey to receive treatment. The Nets go to Sacramento tomorrow as the Lakers wait until 'Black Friday' to host the Mavs.