Derek Fisher is getting hot at the right time, and with another strong shooting performance, No.2 helped propel the Los Angeles Lakers to victory Monday night.
No. 2 shot 67 percent from the floor as the Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs 101-89 at the Staples Center. Fish turned his nine shots into thirteen points, again cracking double-digits, and this time, finishing fourth on the team in scoring.
Derek also buried his buckets at opportune times, his first three baskets coming with the Lakers down one, two and three in the first half. His last two came in the final minutes as he helped LA stave off a San Antonio comeback bid with some clutch shooting. In between those two runs, he buried a long jumper to complete his 13-point night.
 If Derek scores eight points or more, the Lakers win — at least, that’s been the case for nine games straight (Getty Images). |
The Lakers win marks the ninth straight time that Los Angeles has won when Fish has scored eight points or more. Fish didn’t have a single assist on the night, but said that was natural, given the Lakers playing without Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum.
"When Kobe and Andrew are out, we have to execute to get high quality shots, so the ball moves more," he told Lakers.com reporter Mike Trudell.
And though No. 2 loves having his stars to help the Lakers win, he knows these kinds of nights build the character that’s needed to win championships.
"You never want to see your teammates injured in any way, but I think anytime guys get an opportunity to prove that they belong in this league, that they can play at a high level, they’re going to take it."
ONE THOUSAND MORE
While Derek Fisher just recently hit his one-thousandth three pointer, he’s also about to hit another 1,000 mark, playing in his one thousandth game of his NBA career.
Not including this season, over his regular season career, Fish has averaged 72 games a year. He has played a full 82 games seven times, and is on pace to play a complete 82 this year.
NEXT UP
The Los Angeles Lakers revenge tour continues on Wednesday and having avenged losses to Portland and San Antonio, the Lakers head to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz.
Despite 15 points from D-Fish, Los Angeles lost their most recent meeting against Utah.
RELATED ARTICLES
Gasol’s double-double leads short-handed Lakers past Spurs (ESPN.com, Feb. 8, 2010)
http://espn.go.com/nba/recap/_/id/300208013/san-antonio-spurs-vs-la-lakers-lakers
No Bryant, No Bynum, No Problem (Lakers.com, Feb. 8, 2010)
http://my.lakers.com/blogs/2010/02/08/no-bryant-no-bynum-no-problem/