March 19, 2010

LO, Lakers Gun for Five Straight

After facing three straight division foes, Lamar Odom and the Lakers get a rest from Pacific play when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight at the Staples Center.

No. 7 and the rest of his crew have won nine straight against Minnesota, who is mired in another slump, having lost their past eleven games. The Lakers are seeking their fifth straight victory.

Los Angeles has already beaten the T-Wolves once this year, a 104-92 home victory in which No. 7 scored 13 point and grabbed five boards.

While that’s generally a solid night for the Package, it pales in comaprison to the game he dropped on the T-wolves last year.

Last February, in Minneapolis, Odom went off, shooting over 70 percent on his way to scoring 25 points. He also collected 13 rebounds, dished out three assists and was far and away the best performer on the court that night. It was an evening that left veteran guard Derek Fisher thoroughly impressed.

"When asked how his team has sustained its success, guard Derek Fisher pointed across the locker room to Odom.

"Lamar has been asked more than anybody to make sacrifices that guys of his caliber normally aren't asked to make," Fisher told the Associated Press after the game. "Now that he's back in the starting lineup, he's letting the game come to him and his talent speaks for itself."

The typically humble Lamar wasn't satisfied, saying that with the way Los Angeles played defense that night, they shouldn’t pat themselves on the back.

"We got lucky."

RECORD TRY
Luck won’t have anything to do with it on Sunday when LO and his buddy Ron Artest try to break the Guinness Book of World Records entry for simultaneous free throw shooting.

The contest is the highlight of the Lakers first Fan Jam, which takes place Saturday at the Los Angeles Convention Center and Sunday at the Staples Center before the Lakers take on the Wizards.

No. 7 said he wasn’t taking the attempt to seriously, but that it would be cool to have "two guys from Queens" holding a world record.

You can listen to all LO had to say about the event here.

NEXT UP
It’s time for the Timberwolves, when the Lakers play Minnesota at 7:30 tonight on FOX West.

The Lakers remain home for the weekend and host the Washington Wizards on Sunday. The Lakers have already beat Washington once this year. LO had 15 points and eight rebounds in the January win.

RELATED STORIES
Timberwolves-Lakers Preview (ESPN.com, March 19, 2010)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/preview?gameId=300319013
Kobe moves up on NBA's scoring list as Lakers survive Wolves (ESPN.com February 22, 2009)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290222016