The Los Angeles Lakers headed into their matchup last night against the Toronto Raptors with a three-game losing streak.  It looked like the Lakers might be on their way to their fourth straight loss, as they were down 58-50 at halftime and they headed into the 4th quarter down 84-81.  The Lakers fought back in the fourth quarter though and they had a 107-104 lead late in the game.  Lamar Odom had the opportunity to seal the win, but he missed a key free throw with 19.6 seconds left.  Odom really needs to come through in moments like that, because free throws down the stretch are so important.  After Odom’s miss, Raptors star Chris Bosh then came down and hit a three to tie the game at 107-107 with just 9.5 seconds left.  That was plenty of time for the Lakers to get the ball to their star and let him do what he does best, finish games.  Kobe Bryant got the ball on the right wing, saw the double team coming and swept baseline, took two dribbles and rose up to hit a fadeaway corner jumper with 1.9 seconds left.  The shot won the game for the Lakers, making it the seventh time Kobe has hit a game-winner this season.  That is pretty amazing!  Kobe may not be the favorite for the MVP right now, but he is still right there in the mix.  With all of these great game-winners this season, if he has a late season surge of great play and keeps his Lakers atop the Western Conference, then he will likely get his second MVP Award.

The Los Angeles Lakers are on a three-game losing streak, the longest of their season.  They have not been playing very good team basketball and their defense has been suspect.  Head coach Phil Jackson loves the triangle offense, and he should since it has brought him 10 NBA Titles.  Ball movement is key in the triangle offense though, and the Lakers have not been doing a good job of moving the ball lately.  There has been too much standing around and 1-on-1 basketball.  Some of the Lakers’ players are making the mistake of giving the ball to Kobe Bryant and then being stagnant and just watching him go, instead of moving without the ball and creating opportunities for Kobe and the offense.  Kobe also needs to try and create more for his teammates, which is something he can do a great job most of the time.  Mainly though, they need to tighten up their defense.  They are giving up way too many points lately.  In their current three- game losing streak they are giving up an average of 102.7 points.  They are the defending champions and defense is one of the main reasons why.  They need to get back to playing better defense and limiting second chance points.  I’m confident the Lakers can get back on track and they are still my favorite to win the NBA Title again.  Hopefully this funk they are in currently will be a wake-up call for them and they can gain some more intensity.

Kobe Bryant has missed the past five games for the Los Angeles Lakers with an ankle injury, but he was back in true form for the Lakers in his first game back last night.  With 4.3 seconds left and the Lakers down 98-96 to the Memphis Grizzlies, Kobe nailed a three from the right wing to put the Lakers up for good.  It was Kobe’s fifth game-winning shot this season.  Kobe went 13-19 from the field and finished with 32 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.  He also put the Lakers on his back in the final 2 1/2 minutes, scoring the team’s final 9 points and also outscoring the Grizzlies 9-3 by himself in those final minutes.  Although the Lakers played well without Kobe (4-1 in his absence), they don’t have a closer who can make big shots down the stretch consistently throughout the season.  Kobe is the best closer since Michael Jordan, so the Lakers are ecstatic to have him back.  Kobe’s play last night is a great sign for the Lakers, as his ankle handled 40 minutes last night and he looks healthy again.

The Lakers will be without backup shooting guard Sasha Vujacic for the next couple of weeks with a sprained shoulder. Vujacic played in 52 games (0 starts) for the Lakers this season and he is averaging 7.9 minutes, 2.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. The Lakers shouldn’t miss Vujacic too much as they weren’t playing him much this season anyway.

Phil Jackson is contemplating moving Lamar Odom into the starting lineup and bringing Andrew Bynum off the bench. Count me in as a guy that doesn’t like that idea. Bynum is young and he might not respond when to being demoted. Plus he has played pretty well this season. Bynum has played in 50 games (all starts) for the Lakers this season and he is averaging 31.3 minutes, 15.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game. That’s not to say that Odom is not a starting player because he would start for at least 75% of the teams in the NBA. He has played well this season for the Lakers. Odom has played in 54 games (25 starts) for the Lakers this season and he is averaging 31.3 minutes, 10.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.