Kobe Bryant to return to Lakers’ lineup Friday vs

Shabazz Napier led Orlando with 22 points, including five 3-pointers, and Evan Fournier added 16 for the Magic, who got 65 points from their reserves including 18 from Vucevic, who came off the bench for the first time in his four seasons in Orlando.

“Patience”, Matthews said in an interview with Los Angeles News Group.

If this is how Harris is going to play, it bodes much better for the Magic. Predictably, Dallas recovered from a slow start, and the Lakers cooled off. Dallas led by five points at the end of the first quarter. Magic G Elfrid Payton was 1-for-13 from the field in the game and scored two points.

“We had a few good looks”. As a team, the Lakers came out shooting well and took an early 10-point lead midway through the halfway point of the first quarter. We were on fumes. Perhaps a 2-point shot would have been a better choice there, but both were good looks that would have made it a one-possession game. “The team showed a lot of pride”.

Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points and the NY Knicks spoiled what might have been Kobe Bryant’s last game at Madison Square Garden, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 99-95 on Sunday. He grabbed 13 rebounds, marking the fourth time this year he has recorded 10 or more rebounds and the third straight game he has done so. Hayward and Burks lead the team in scoring, while Hood is fifth overall. But the Jazz went on an 11-2 run, primarily with their reserves.

Pachulia knocked down a critical jump shot from the corner late in the game and hit key free throws down the stretch to help close out the feisty Lakers. We talked all the way back in camp somebody like (Vucevic), who isn’t known as a defender, but what he had to do to be a better defender was get there earlier. As a whole, I thought we did a really good job on this trip of competing.

Despite these reports, Aldridge clarified as he recently discussed the entire free agency process with multiple teams like the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trailblazers, Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and his eventual choice the San Antonio Spurs. Forward Channing Frye made his first start while Vucevic was back at center in place of Dewayne Dedmon….

Depth is an issue for the Jazz: With injuries afflicting starters Rudy Gobert and Rodney Hood, head coach Quin Snyder found his defensive and offensive schemes negatively affected sans his anchor in the middle and one of his main shot creators and distributors.

Two fouls four minutes into the scrum for Derrick Favors only compounded the situation. Interestingly, he has fallen in love with the three-pointer, shooting a career-high eight per game, further proof that he’s none be too eager to venture into the lane. The guard has averaged 14.4 points per game, only behind Kobe Bryant’s 16.5.

Scott even liked the way Bryant (19 points) kept the young core from getting to down after the Lakers dropped to 1-8 on the season. The status for all three remains up in the air when the Magic travel to Washington to take on the Wizards Saturday night.

Up next: The Jazz finish up their travels against the Atlanta Hawks, with the hopes of nabbing this one win before returning to Salt Lake City.