Lakers roll past the Thunder, 101-85

The Lakers drubbed the Oklahoma City Thunder, 101-85, this evening at Staples Center.

Kobe Bryant had 26 points, including a pair of difficult-to-fathom shots that delighted the crowd.

Pau Gasol, in his second game back from a hamstring injury, had 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Andrew Bynum had 25 points on nine-for-11 shooting.

The shot of the game, if not the month, happened with 2:01 left in the first quarter. Bryant was being pushed to the baseline by Thunder rookie James Harden, so he shot from behind the basket at an impossible angle. The ball went over the backboard and through the hoop, leading to a burst of noise from the crowd.

For good measure, Bryant picked up a loose ball in the final seconds of the first quarter and scored on a hurried 15-foot fling.

-- MIke Bresnahan

Photo: Lakers guard Kobe Bryant pulls up for a shot over Thunder guard James Harden -- and the backboard. The shot went in. Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Kobe Bryant on 'Lopez Tonight'

Kobe Bryant briefly deviated from his stringent policy of avoiding talk shows at all costs on Monday night when he made a guest appearance on the premiere of George Lopez's new late-night talk show.

Bryant gave Lopez a pair of his signature shoes and showed off his new collection of watches, appropriately named "Black Mamba," but his fourth NBA championship ring was no where to be found.

He said he wears a championship ring only on the night he receives it, "after that I go home and put it in a safe and it's time to get the next one," Bryant said.

While he exuded his famous confidence, claiming that the Lakers can win the championship with Ron Artest, whom he called "very intense," he admitted a frailty --- the same frailty that plagues Charles Barkley: He called himself an "awful" golfer.

But Bryant made up for his momentary humility by exemplifying one of his great skills on the show: trash talking.

When Lopez asked the audience whether it had any questions for Bryant, Derek Fisher stood up and asked Bryant, who is an Eagles fan, "Do you remember which team won the Cowboys and Eagles game last night?" (The Cowboys defeated the Eagles, 20-16.)

After cursing at his teammate in Spanish, Bryant said, "You know what, I have convenient amnesia." He added, "But I can remember the last time you all won a playoff game."

-- Melissa Rohlin

Bryant still way short of NBA's top scoring honor

Kobe Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history to score 24,000 points Friday night. He passed Allen Iverson for 16th on the league's all-time scoring list.

Bryant now has a total of 24,027 points during his 14-year career.

Still, he's 14,360 points behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the all-time record of 38,387.

Abdul-Jabbar accomplished his feat over a 20-year career. He retired at 42.

Bryant is 31 and might have to play until he's 40-something to surpass Abdul-Jabbar to be the NBA's scoring king.

"The question is, do I want to play until I'm 40?" Bryant said after practice Saturday. "That's the question."

-- Broderick Turner

Photo: Lakers guard Kobe Bryant drives around Memphis' Sam Young during Friday night's game. Credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

Bleacher report: Who's better, Kobe or LeBron? It's no debate at all.

From the Bleacher Report

In the same manner in which Kobe Bryant was unfairly compared to Michael Jordan in the late '90s, the debate continues with LeBron James being similarly compared to Kobe.

Some fans and pundits have even had the temerity to go as far as saying that James has already surpassed Bryant as a player.

They reinforce their arguments with statistics and the many milestones that James has accomplished at such an early age. Many of these same milestones are marks that Kobe held until James surpassed them.

There are areas of the game where James holds an advantage over Kobe, most noticeably the physical specimen department, but most arguments are based on the potential of James and not his current accomplishments.

The only problem with gazing into the crystal ball is that sometimes the present intervenes and renders all predictions useless. It's much better to live in the present, and based on that, the James argument doesn't hold up.

While James and Bryant are great players, there are some areas that James has yet to catch up, and in some cases, never will.

Lakers vs. Thunder: Lakers win in OT

Lakers 101, Thunder 98, Final overtime

They knew this wouldn't be easy, not with the way the fans inside Ford Center support the Oklahoma Thunder.

But the Lakers couldn't have figured it would be this difficult against the young Thunder.

It took the Lakers overtime and then it took the Thunder missing two potential game-tying three-point shots before the Lakers won, 101-98.

Kobe Bryant, who played sick with a sore throat, had 31 points, including two free throws with 18 seconds left for the final margin.

The Thunder had two more opportunities, but Thabo Sefolosha and Russell Westbrook missed three-pointers.

The Lakers escaped despite their rocky and sometimes uninspired play.

Kobe Bryant ill, could miss tonight's game

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Lakers guard Kobe Bryant did not attend the team shoot-around this morning because of flu-like symptoms that included a fever.

It is not known if he will play tonight, though he has played through worse ailments.

"He usually does," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said.

Bryant is averaging 31.3 points, 7.3 rebounds in about 38 minutes of playing time in the Lakers' first three games of the season.

-- Mike Bresnahan

Photo: Kobe Bryant. Credit: Andrew Gombert / EPA

Disgraced ref says Kobe Bryant gets star treatment on foul calls

Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy is finishing his 15-month sentence for his conviction on gambling charge. Donaghy admitted he was paid by gamblers for his picks on games, including those he refereed.

Donaghy wrote a book, "Blowing the Whistle," that was supposed to be published by Random House. But this week the publisher said it would not go ahead with the release of Donaghy's tell-all book.

Deadspin.com, though, published several excerpts from the book and it triggered a flood of responses, including from the NBA, which said it would review once again Donaghy's allegations, though the league said its independent investigation last fall concluded that Donaghy was the only official engaged in criminal conduct.

One Deadspin excerpt talked about how the Lakers' Kobe Bryant was favored by NBA officials on foul calls, according to Donaghy:

Some players, even very good ones, were targeted by referees and the league because they were too talented for their own good. Raja Bell, formerly of the Phoenix Suns and now a member of the Charlotte Bobcats, was one of those players ... . His defensive skills were so razor sharp that he could shut down a superstar, or at least make him work for his points. Kobe Bryant was often frustrated by Bell's tenacity on defense ... .

If a player of Kobe's stature collides with the likes of Raja Bell, the call will almost always go for Kobe and against Bell ... . If Kobe Bryant had two fouls in the first or second quarter and went to the bench, one referee would tell the other two, "Kobe's got two fouls. Let's make sure that if we call a foul on him, it's an obvious foul, because otherwise he's gonna go back to the bench. If he is involved in a play where a foul is called, give the foul to another player."

-- Barry Stavro

Photo: Raja Bell and Kobe Bryant battle for the ball in an April 2007 playoff game between the Phoenix Suns and the Lakers. Credit: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times

Lakers help TNT to big-time ratings (the Clippers were there too)

TNT announced Wednesday afternoon that its Tuesday night doubleheader of Cleveland-Boston followed by the Lakers-Clippers was its most-watched two-headed night since Feb. 2, 1996. The Lakers were part of that doubleheader bonanza as well, playing the Chicago Bulls after a Phoenix-Cavaliers game.

The Lakers got their rings, TNT was able to give shots of Lamar Odom's new wife, Khloe Kardashian, Kobe Bryant smiled sincerely when Tex Winter was honored in an after-the-third-quarter ceremony, and so it's no surprise that ratings soared. It was a Hollywood event.

About 3.7 million tuned in to the games, according to TNT, and that also meant it was the network's most-watched opening night in its 26 years of doing NBA telecasts. 

Oh, and TNT analyst Charles Barkley went out on a limb. He said, "The Clippers and Oklahoma City are both going to have a better record than the Golden State Warriors." And he said that even knowing Blake Griffin has the broken kneecap thing. 

Also, NBA.com noted a 121% increase in video-stream viewing and a 25% increase in total Web page views. You are all multitasking it seems.

-- Diane Pucin

Still the exhibition season? Looks like it

No Pau Gasol, no Luke Walton, and no increase in minutes for any of the Lakers regulars ... yet.

Gasol and Walton will sit out tonight's exhibition game in Las Vegas against Sacramento because of minor injuries, just a couple of the indicators that this isn't quite the regular season.

Gasol has a strained right hamstring and Walton a sore back.

Meanwhile, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said he wasn't going to start increasing the playing time of the starters until next week's exhibition action.

Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest are averaging only 24 minutes in two exhibition games. Gasol was averaging only 20 minutes a game, as was Lamar Odom.

Thursday's poll: Who is the best guard in Lakers history?

Now this is a tough one. Who would you rather have, Kobe, Magic, or "Mr. Clutch"? One choice among three of the greatest guards in basketball history. So who's it gonna be? Vote in today's poll and let your voice be heard, then leave a comment letting us know why you voted the way you did.

-- Houston Mitchell