The Lakers defeated once again the Grizzlies; this time with a 115-98 score that became the seventh consecutive failure suffered at home for Memphis, while on the contrary Los Angeles reach with this their seventh victory of the last 10 encounters. During the first and second periods, the Lakers weren’t capable of giving a show of their level, looking a little disperse, to the point that the Grizzlies manage to place ahead in the scoreboard, with a difference of 12 points. The cause of their lack of concentration was that within minutes from started the game, LA was left without their main center, Andrew Bynum, who had to leave the court due to an injury in his right knee provoked by Kobe Bryant in the middle of a struggle for a rebound. Before such situation, Phil Jackson, trainer of the LA Lakers, had to change his game strategy placing Pau Gasol in Bynum’s position. Even though, the group seemed a little unbalanced until in the third quarter, when they finally react and with Gasol guiding and helped by Lamar Odom and Mihm, they gave the crucial push to move on and take the lead. The Lakers begin the second half attacking strongly, to disorientate a rival that every time made more obvious how their chances of triumph were running out. The Grizzlies, who, in what’s been of the season, count with the devastating record of 35 failed matches and just eleven won, didn’t had the capacity required to stop Pau Gasol, who obtained 24 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists for his team. From the moment LA took the control, the game became more entertaining with great plays by Pau and his teammates to cover well the position of Bynum. Another key collaboration to the Lakers was the one give by Kobe Bryant, who could work perfectly with the Spaniard leader of the encounter, adding 25 points for the victory. The absence of Andrew Bynum, although did not affect the team during this confrontation, it might be a negative factor for the next ones if is not recover in time, as Phil Jackson would have to keep varying his strategy or even, cope with the option of using new reinforcements knowing well that there aren’t many players of Bynum’s quality. Is worth point out also from the Grizzlies’ site the performances from Rudy Gay with 23 points, O.J. Mayo with 21, plus Mike Conley and Marc Gasol with 13 each. From his part, Marc Gasol wasn’t able to hide his frustration, showing publically the anger caused by the sad presentation of his team against his brother’s team. With this victory, Pau Gasol achieves to stand out again to the point of being considered by the coach Jackson as a leader and a fundamental piece for the future of the Lakers, which keep demonstrating their great potential and excellent game level that holds them in the top position of the West Conference.
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