Lakers’ Bench Remembers They’re Good, Lakers Beat Bulls
The Lakers went down by 14 points to end the first half in Chicago against the Bulls. They looked tired, a step slow. Kobe was misfiring, and the starters looked like they were going to be beat by the young Bulls squad led by super-quick Derrick Rose.
Although the 2nd half brought less sloppy play by the Lakers, the Bulls still led going into the 4th quarter. That’s when the Lakers bench decided to go insane.
Sasha Vujacic nailed a 3, Jordan Farmar nailed two plus a sweet dunk as he glided past Tyrus Thomas (he was the star of the bench with 13 points with 3 three-pointers and 5-10 shooting). Josh Powell and Luke Walton also contributed with points, rebounds, and solid defense. The 4th quarter began with a 21-6 Laker run, with Fisher, Gasol, and Kobe resting, and the Lakers go on to win, 117-109.
The only starter on the floor, Lamar Odom (16 points on 6-11 shooting), merely couldn’t be stopped, and blocked Ben Gordon’s layup attempt for good measure.
The Laker bench was so good, they led a comeback so ferocious, that the Laker starters told Phil Jackson to keep them on the floor longer than regularly scheduled in the 4th quarter. That is a giant vote of confidence coming from the likes of Kobe, Pau, and Derek.
The Laker bench hasn’t been the same since Odom and Ariza have joined in as starters. But this game was a stiff reminder that Farmar, Sasha, Walton, and Powell have serious game, too. The deepest team in the league just got more confident.
