National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
L.A. Lakers 99, New York 82
When: 10:30 PM ET, Thursday, December 29, 2011
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials: #74 Curtis Blair, #42 Eric Lewis, #73 Ed Malloy
Attendance: 18997
By SportsDirect Inc.

Kobe Bryant scored 28 points as the Los Angeles Lakers evened their record with a 99-82 victory over the visiting New York Knicks on Thursday night at Staples Center.

The Lakers (2-2) have won nine in a row over the Knicks and have not lost to them since 1997.

Pau Gasol had 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Steve Blake scored 11, nine coming on 3-pointers.

Bryant had all of his points through three quarters on 10 of 15 shooting and sparked the Lakers with a four-point play in the third. Los Angeles shot 71.9 percent in the second quarter to take a 63-51 halftime lead.

Carmelo Anthony led New York with 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Amar'e Stoudemire scored 15, but made just four of 17 shots.

Tyson Chandler had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The Knicks (1-2) lost both games in their first back-to-back of the season. They stayed in the game mainly on free throws, making 34 of 41.

The Lakers' bench outscored the Knicks' reserves 40-17.
Top Game Performances
 
New York   L.A. Lakers
Carmelo Anthony 27 Scoring Kobe Bryant 28
Carmelo Anthony 5 Assists Kobe Bryant 6
Tyson Chandler 11 Rebounds Pau Gasol 10
Tyson Chandler 11 Free Throws Made Kobe Bryant 7
Tyson Chandler 3 Steals Josh McRoberts 3
Tyson Chandler 2 Blocks Pau Gasol 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
New York 82 31.3 6-22 34-41 15 32 6 11 13
L.A. Lakers 99 52.1 9-16 14-22 23 40 7 6 17
Upcoming Games
  • L.A. Lakers will play their next game at home against Denver. The Lakers have a W/L % of 1.000 after a win and .333 after a loss.
  • New York will play their next game on the road against Sacramento. The Knicks have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .000 after a loss.