DEPLETED ROSTER

Difficult for the bench to fill in adequately but

boy, they surely have tried! Nick Young with

his 3's and Jordan Farmar at the line.

Chris Kaman filling in wherever the

Coach asks him to play. Xavier Henry now

sidelined too with a sprain, at least that is

what the MRI shows us. Nothing broken anyway.

The will and determination dominated the

game and we cheer the team on for sure.

Friday's game with the Utah Jazz was a very

close one to call with the ending score:

105-103. Most industrious group of players

we have with our Lakers who are eager to win.

There were 16 ties in that game too, by the

way, and 14 lead changes. Nick Young had 

21 points. He stated he felt somewhat 

disappointed with how the ref's did on a few calls. 

Meeks made a 3 pointer which tied at 99-99.

They then had only 2:47 minutes left to play.

The game tied up once again at: 103-103.

Jordan Farmar had 16 points and 7 assists.

We lost the game but gained respect.

'Tis a shame we lost the following game as

well, to the Philadelphia 76'ers. Another close

one with final score at: 111-104. Xavier Henry 

had to leave the court with his strained right knee. 

We committed 20 turnovers during this game and 

it is too bad that Williams missed a 26 ft. 3-pointer 

which then could have tied up the game with 1

8 seconds left to play. Having Steve Nash out (back), 

Kobe Bryant out (left knee), Steve Blake out (elbow)

and Pau Gasol out temporarily (respiratory),

our roster is hurting..Losing 5 games in a

row is difficult to get around but our teams

efforts certainly do show the desire to be

the very best that we can be with the shots and 

plays that have been instrumented.

Nick Young had 20 points, Jordan Hill 18 points, 

Jodie Meeks 15 points and Shawne Williams 

11 points. This then shows the efforts of the last 

game we played. We now go on to play against 

Milwaukee on Tuesday.

Babs Wells

KUDOS' TO ONE AND ALL

Seems our Lakers had good coaching on

Christmas day. Coach Mike D'Antoni and

our own Kobe Bryant. Must have too because

our players did a super job at Staples vs.

The Miami Heat. Scores reflected their efforts.

Anticipation ran high as we played our hearts

out. The baskets were good and not only were

we ahead many times but we tied them a great

deal as well. Pau Gasol and Jordan Farmar

passed the ball well as the pro's that they are.

Jodie Meeks, Nick Young and Xavier Henry

also wearing the Christmas colors, were indeed 

"Swaggy" with their smiles reflecting their game.

LaBron James was seen shaking his head at

times It would appear in disbelief. In the end

the Heat won the game. Score: 101-95.

Still, it was one game that held our attention

and gave us real pleasure in watching.

The next game Lakers team plays is on Friday

with Utah at the Energy Solutions Arena.

Gasol was saying that the team needs to

build on this same intensity, effort and of

course, concentration that was put into this

last game played at Staples. Also, it is noted 

that we must not fall back into bad habits.

The Lakers shot only 41.8 percent and

had 17 turnovers, five more than the Heat.

Henry's layup early in the fourth quarter

gave the Lakers an 81-79 lead.

Young's jumper with 8.25 left on the clock

tied the game up 83-83. It would appear

that even though we did eventually lose

this last game, overall, we have made

a step forward in fact with our plays. This 

does certainly seem to hasten our re-emergence.

Friday then in Utah. Looking forward to it.

Babs Wells

A CHRISTMAS HOPE

An injured team. Right now it is Christmas eve.

Tomorrow we play against the Miami Heat.

Those of us that are believers, have hopes

and even some of us have prayers. Kobe out

until he feels able to rejoin his teammates.

Injured with a fracture just above his left knee.

Nash still checking with doctors to hopefully be

able to be the point guard he is so good at being.

Blake sitting there with his elbow bandaged and

unable to even throw a ball unless he is using

his other arm, Farmar quizzing himself about

how able he thinks he may have from the

hamstring problems. Each young man in a world

of hurt, a world only they can see through. Even

Pau still coughing, tried his best last night against

the Phoenix Suns. Not enough. Xavier Henry scored

12 points and collected as many fouls (three) as

field goals (3-of-12). It gets to the point with these

young players that each one almost feels  he has to

do it by himself. It is like if somebody does a one-

on-one, someone else feels like the next time, it

would be their turn. Nick young stated that each of

them has to learn how to share the ball and just

keep the ball moving. With a much smaller lineup,

Shawne Williams at power forward over Jordan Hill

was trying to offset the Suns' wide spread offense.

The Lakers trailed by only four points after the

first quarter. However a 17-point third quarter

quickly ballooned into a 90-68 deficit going into

the fourth quarter. In a sequence that captured

the game's horrid play, Suns made a dunk and

Hill missed a layup on consecutive possessions.

Mondays' game ended with score of:117-90.

Gifts underneath the tree? glasses of egg-nog

waiting to sip? Grandma's cookies to taste?

Songs to be sung? What a glorious time of the

year no matter the weather or even injuries

to muddle through, we take heart that as a team,

our Lakers are unified in spirit and as always we

are awaiting that very next game. Merry Christmas!

BABS WELLS

PAU, GET WELL QUICKLY PLEASE!

So many cheers at Staples Center when we

played vs. Minnesota. The Timberwolves

were good, but gratefully we did win the game. 

Jack Nicholson cheered the most I do believe.

Did you get to see Pau grinning and waving

his long arms down with Nick Young? Fun to see.

The score was: 104-91. Xavier Henry was a player

to contend with too and even with the point guards

injuries, our Lakers team did their job well. In fact,

Henry shot 8-for-19 and had four assists in 42

minutes. With Steve Nash battling issues with

his nerves in his back, Steve Blake nursing his

injured elbow, Jordan Farmar still unsure about

his hamstring and Kobe Bryant now curbing

his endeavors with the fracture right above his

left knee, Pau, bothered with upper respiratory

problems, did still hit the courts to play the game.

Not quite so lucky for the following game how-

ever, playing in Oakland against Golden State.

For the first half of the game it was looking

pretty good and seemed that even with the

newcomer on the floor, Kendall Marshall,

Coach D'Antoni kept the faith. Chris Kaman

helped a whole lot but even with Pau ill and

absent from the roster, it became pretty grim.

The Lakers really cannot fault their own effort.

Their fortunes could change as early as Monday

when they visit the Phoenix Suns. With such

a depleted cast, it will have to take a great deal

of effort and unity to pull another win. The

Oakland game was one that had us at an

all time low score, which was: 102-83.

Not to go off blubbering in your cola yet though,

we just might be able to do better in Arizona.

Babs Wells

WE ARE ALL SO SORRY KOBE

By now the word is out. No Kobe to play tonight

at Staples against Minnesota and in fact will probably

be on the side-lines for 4-6 weeks depending on

how fast his fractured left knee heals. It is actually

a fracture right above the knee that got hurt while

the team was in Memphis. An MRI divulged the

injury after Kobe thought perhaps he had merely

hyper-extended his knee which is more common.

Steve Nash will also remain out with back issues.

It will very likely be another 4 weeks for him to

recuperate as well, and Steve Blake is nursing an

elbow that usually is far more prevalent for an

injury in tennis but somehow became a problem

for him playing basketball. Before I continue

here, I have meant to share some thing with all

of you too. On December 6tth, my oldest Grand-

son Ryan and his Emily became parents to a

lovely little girl they have named Lenna Elizabeth.

Congratulations to each one of you.

My youngest daughter, WenDee, has always been

able to do the posting of my articles but her

computer failed her so my granddaughter

Heather, posted my last article. WenDee has

now borrowed a laptop so looks like we may

be back in business. My ailing husband, Wes,

is doing mighty well these days recently so

with our Christmas season upon us, we sigh

in grateful joy over each one of the above.

The road trip for our Lakers really did take

some fine tuning in plays. Some games were

back to back as well which made it harder.

Jordan Farmar, with hamstring problems,

ought to be back on the court either today

or this next Sunday. The Lakers will be hosting

a game on Christmas Day to play against the

Miami Heat .Kurt Rambis (Assistant Lakers Coach)

has plenty of work to do revamping a defense 

that ranks second to last in the NBA.

Although with Kobe's long 3 shot, we won in

Memphis, we lost in Atlanta against the

Hawks 114-100. Pau's brother, Marc, was not

on the floor in Memphis, also on injured list.

Lakers Robert Sacre, Jordan Hill, Xavier Henry,

Nick Young and Wesley Johnson have added

to our Roster with game plans and exuberance.

Pau stated that as a team, we have to make sure

we stay in motion. If we play inside-out, then it

is always a positive. Tonight: @ Staples vs. Minnesota.

Babs Wells

ROAD TRIP

Even with a back to back game it became "iffy", but we lost first one and won second one. Seeing Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant in an embrace was worth it all. Having been team mates for so many years as Lakers it was with mixed emotion to now view Derek playing on the O.K. City team. Pau was in a huddle with the two of them also and we do fully understand, we as their fans. Playing against the Thunder was quite an interesting game to see but they won it and sadly we didn't. Score: 122-97. With probably little sleep and onward then to Charlotte, we again suited up and played against the Bobcats. Kobe was in fine form and strutted his stuff, enough to give us a winning game, making 21 points! He stated that it was ever so great to be feeling his legs minding him so well and he played for 32 minutes. The reserves did very well. Robert Sacre and Jordan Hill are credited for their defense and Nick Young helped a whole lot making 13 points himself. The Lakers bench shot a combined 6 of 25 from the field. Bryant though secured the  victory late in the game snapping their three-game losing streak to improve their road trip record to 5-5. Winning score:88-85. Now on Monday we will be trying for a win at 4:30 West Coast time against Atlanta. Great weather right here so maybe the Atlanta Court will favor us as well. We shall see!

Babs Wells

NOT QUITE ON ALL CYLINDERS

Losses do come to those who wait.....right?

But eventually a win or two in the offing too?

Hope so. The last two games have had our

star, Kobe playing with the Laker team but

only for about 20+ minutes or so and coach

D'Antoni had him playing point guard so Steve

Blake had to play at totally different roles.

For reconstruction of a vital tendon along with

the rehabilitation process, it usually does take

about a year and our Kobe came back out on

the court after only an 8 month period of time.

Lakers fans are still with Kobe all the way.

We lost to Toronto though: 106-94.

Back in 2006, we not only won over Toronto

but applause was loud and full when Kobe

made 77 points, those years back. Younger

then and it shows with all the following injuries.

We then played at Staples Center last night against

the Phoenix Suns. Mike D'Antoni's former team.

Our offense is still the same, although strengths

and weaknesses are a little different along

with adjustments being made on the court

and on the fly. Defensively, we have some

shoring up to do but are also busy trying to

coexist with Bryants' presence on the floor.

Nick Young was very aggressive which is good.

We've also noticed the plays being made by

Xavier Henry. Steve Nash (back), Jordan Farmar

(hamstring) plus the absence of Chris Kaman,

has hobbled us somewhat in our performances.

Within 5 nights and 4 games away from home

coming up, we will have to produce as best we can.

Friday it will be in Oklahoma City, Then in Charlotte

on Saturday, Atlanta on Monday and following

day on Tuesday in Memphis, so it will be a hard week.

The score from last night was: Phoenix 114, Lakers: 108.

This is a very noteworthy week for this writer as, my

husband Wes & I celebrate 33 years of marriage on

December the 13th. Friday the 13th in fact.

Am most grateful for each one of you and for this

dear man that found me at a square dance all

those years ago. Now on to better scores ahead?!

Babs Wells

A WINNING GAME AND THEN SOME

Sacramento Kings and L.A. Lakers. Up at 

Sleep Train Arena, we used the bench

and they came forth with winning shots.

Pau Gasol, Jodie Meeks and Nick Young

forced Sacramento to score and

three turnovers in the final six minutes.

Meeks capped a team-leading 19 points

on 7 of 11 shooting by hitting an open

3-pointer to cut the Kings' lead 97-96

with 2:43 remaining. Gasol followed with

a 20-ft. Jumper at the top of the key two

minutes later for a 98-97 lead, adding 

respectability to a 19-point effort on only

6-of 15 shooting. More timely jumpers

from Meeks and Young ensured the Lakers

(10-9) staying above the 500 mark.

Steve Blake added 13 points and 10 assists.

Wesley Johnson stole the ball from McLemore 

Final score was: 106-100.

Now all the while Lakers are expecting to be

given quite a boost this coming Sunday, when

they play Toronto at Staples Center in L.A, as

our own Kobe Bryant has indicated that he

indeed will be returning in full uniform to play.

Granted, his minutes will very likely be lessened

although with his face far more visible, it will with-

out a doubt help alleviate some players not

being all that they possibly could be. With Kobe

being such a driving force, it should be noted that 

all players will be counting on Kobe to again lead.

Kobe spent this whole last week increasing his

work load. Although patience and care will be

taken when playing, Kobe remains our leader and

will have to be making the determination on

how many minutes he feels he can play Sunday.

Kobe is always up to the challenge so he will motivate

his defender to go at him to give him a rough time.

Being challenged is what it seems to be what its all about.

Despite his limitations, Bryant has still exerted his

influences and earlier even treated the entire team

to a full Thanksgiving dinner in Detroit.

Speaking of food, are you aware that at Papa John's 

there is a Game Day Deal? You can get 50% off 

regular menu price pizzas' on all Lakers regular season 

game days! Go to online code: Lakers50. 

Sunday:Toronto!

Babs Wells

WE FELL A BIT SHORT

Granted, back home on Staples Center courts

yet in the very first quarter, our Lakers lagged

behind by so many points it was a guessing

game whether or not we would ever catch up.

Finally we boosted our points and even tied

the Portland Trail Blazers and applied our

talents off the bench to go ahead by a couple

points and continued in this vein for the first

half of the game. It still seems impossible to 

relate but yes, Portland did score more points

than we seemed able to do last night.

Losing score:114-108.

At one time we even rallied after obtaining

a 20 point deficit .Note Jordan Farmar limped

off the court after the first quarter from straining

his left hamstring. Chris Kaman did dress for

play but was not actually in last nights' game.

Xavier Henry is a player to watch and he

along with Sacre, and Nick Young, scored 17

points. The Lakers player however that we all

will be watching closely is Wesley Johnson.

He is a most intelligent young man and appears

to know his worth playing the game of basketball.

Coach D'Antoni made the comments " I did not

think we fought hard enough through adversity,

I did not think that we were tough enough, and I

did not think there was enough resistance

defensively." Henry did boast a career high

of 27 points and Shawne Williams closed 

out the game.

Kobe Bryant is hopeful to be able to join his

teammates on Friday when we play Sacramento.

That game will be taking place at 7:00 at Sleep

Train Arena. Patience, Kobe, and best wishes.

BABS WELLS