It’s not often we use the word “efficient” in the same sentence while describing the offensive play of the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant. But in Sunday’s easy 111-98 victory over the Sixers, it was not only appropriate, but it fit the description exactly.
Bryant finished with 34 points on 12-of-21 shooting, to go along with four rebounds and six assists. He opened the game with 11 first-quarter points, while scoring from both inside and out.
Right around 20 shot attempts is probably where Bryant should be on a nightly basis in order for his teammates to remain involved and engaged on both ends of the floor, and with Bryant excelling in this range in this one, there was plenty of offensive opportunity to go around.
Metta World Peace matched Bryant’s first quarter with 11 points of his own, and finished with 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds.
The Lakers got going offensively early, and did so as a team, with Bryant and World Peace leading the way. It’s been nine games since L.A. has scored at least this many points, so as you might imagine, players who aren’t accustomed to having great performances offensively got going a bit in Philadelphia.
Darius Morris, who remains replaced in the starting lineup by Chris Duhon, had a breakout game with 15 points, all of which were scored in the first half, and 12 of which came in the second period.
He only managed to stay in the game for 18 minutes, with Mike D’Antoni wisely keeping him on a short leash given his propensity to turn the ball over, combined with his inability to consistently initiate the offense. Morris made the most of his opportunity on this night by making his first five shots, but didn’t score after halftime.
Not that the Lakers needed him at that point, anyway.
The team leaned on its stars to get its second straight victory, and beyond Bryant and World Peace, Dwight Howard finished with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, 11 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocked shots. He played a pretty complete game, even if Kwame Brown got the better of him on an early offensive possession.
On the Sixers’ side, Nick Young ended up with 30 points in 41 minutes, but got 11 of those by playing the entire fourth quarter in a game that had already been decided. Evan Turner was strong early and his dribble penetration helped keep Philadelphia in it, but when you have the Lakers going 10-of-15 from three-point distance in the first half, there aren’t a lot of answers.
This makes two wins in a row for a Lakers team that is still three games under .500, but hope is on the horizon. L.A. plays next on Tuesday at home against a Bobcats team that has lost 11 straight, and they may have Pau Gasol back in the lineup then, with Steve Nash possibly to follow by the end of the week.
If the offense can continue to improve with a true team effort like this one, the Lakers might be able to begin to climb out of the early-season hole they dug for themselves. But that will only happen if we get the efficient version of Kobe Bryant, the one that so effortlessly helped dismantle the Sixers in Philadelphia, and did so while taking just 21 shots.
