The Los Angeles Lakers edged an error-strewn game to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 90-82 and record their sixth consecutive home victory.
Kobe Bryant scored 26 points and Andrew Bynum 15 points and 15 rebounds as the Lakers -heavily fancied in the pre-game NBA betting tips - struggled to see off the challenge of the injury-hit Grizzlies.
The Lakers committed a season-high 27 turnovers and the giveaways led to 26 points for the visitors. Rudy Gay led five players in double figures for Memphis with 19 points, but it wasn’t enough for the Grizzlies as they fell to their second successive loss.
The Lakers raced into a nine-point lead in the first quarter and stretched that lead out to 14 points in the second, with Bryant and Pau Gasol to the fore.
Trailing 78-68 after three quarters, the Grizzlies scored six unanswered points to make it 78-74 with just over nine minutes left on the clock. That proved to be the closest Memphis got as Barnes reaffirmed the Lakers’ position of superiority with back-to-back buckets.
From a personal point of view, it was a disappointing outing for Lakers star man Bryant, who has heavily fancied to top score by the NBA online experts. However, Bryant scored just four points in the fourth quarter, failing to hit 30 points for the first time in four games.
The Lakers have now won six of eight after losing their first two games and haven’t lost at Staples Center since their season opener at Christmas. Memphis were left to count the cost of injuries as they failed to build on an impressive recent record against Los Angeles. The Grizzlies stormed to victory last time out at Staples – winning the contest by a 19-point margin.
It wasn’t to be this time around, though. The Lakers had just enough to get over the line.
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