No. 2 got to take some time off during Thursday night’s 116-102 win over the visiting Denver Nuggets.
Plagued by early foul trouble that kept him on the bench for more than half the game, Fish scored four points on 2-5 shooting, his two buckets coming on back-to-back makes late in the fourth on a short jumper and a driving layup. He also added three boards.
WHEN FOUL TROUBLE IS A GOOD THING
Brian Kamenetzky of the LA Times Lakers Blog saw the silver lining in Derek’s foul woes.
“All in all, not a great evening for Fish, but on the plus side, he only played 21:14. Combine that with the good minutes for Shannon Brown, and it’s actually a pretty good silver lining. A little more rest on the bench, even if it comes via foul trouble, may not be such a bad thing for Fisher.”
BYNUM RETURNS
Center Andrew Bynum returned to the fold for the Lakers last night and made an instant impact with 16 points, after practice on Wednesday, Fish spoke to reporters about the imminent return of the big man:
“We’re excited about it but at the same time we’re not expecting Andrew to be the savior,” Fish said. “I don’t think that’s fair to him and it’s not fair to our team. He can do a lot of great things, but the most important thing is making him feel a part of the team again.”
To watch Derek talk more about Bynum, home court and the Denver Nuggets, courtesy of the LA Times, click here.
WHERE THEY STAND
The victory, LA’s 63rd, puts them a half game behind Cleveland in the home court race heading into Friday when the Cavs play in Philadelphia. A Cavaliers loss combined with a Lakers win in Portland would give LA the league’s best record with two to play.
With the Lakers fighting tooth and nail for post season positioning, Fish was asked how the current squad compares to the 2001-2002 team that beat Sacramento on the road in game seven of the Western Conference Finals. His answer, as quoted by the LA Times:
“I’m not sure yet, but I think we are as close as you possibly can get,” Fisher said. “When you consider what we’ve done on the road this season against the better teams and a lot of teams that we’re going to have to face—probably other than Portland—we’ve had some form of success on the road. So I would like to think that we’re capable of getting it done no matter who it is or where it is.”
The 2001-2002 Lakers went on to sweep the New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals for their third straight NBA title.
NEXT UP: HOUSE OF HORRORS
Speaking of winning on the road, the Lakers hit the road last night en route to a place that has proven to be one of their toughest places to play.
The Lake Show takes the floor tonight in Portland where they’ll take on the Trail Blazers.
The Lakers have lost their last seven games at the Rose Garden, a streak they’ll look to end tonight without their commander in chief. Phil Jackson didn’t make the trip north with the team and it has nothing to do with superstition. Phil is dealing with plantar fasciitis, which causes pain and swelling in his lower right leg. The Lakers will be coached by Kurt Rambis in Portland.
Coverage of the game begins at 7 p.m. PST and all the action can be seen live on KCAL in Los Angeles.
RELATED STORIES
Denver Nuggets vs. LA Lakers Box Score (ESPN.com, April 9, 2009)
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=290409013
Bynum’s returns sparks Lakers over Nuggets (OC Register, April 10, 2009)
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/bynum-lakers-jackson-2360385-points-game
Return of the Drew (LA Times Lakers Blog, April 10, 2009)
http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2009/04/lakers-116-nuggets-102-return-of-the-drew.html
Home court edge for the Lakers would be nice, but…(LA Times Lakers Blog, April 9, 2009)
http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-spw-lakers-jackson-playoffs9-2009apr09,0,5486491.story?track=rss
Up next for Lakers (LA Times, April 10, 2009)
http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-lakers-tonight10-2009apr10,0,2812338.story?track=rss
More from practice (LA Times Lakers Blog, March 8, 2009)
http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2009/04/more-from-practice-but-lets-be-honest-its-still-mostly-about-andrew-bynum.html