Dude, strange things are afoot in Lakerland. Last night, en route to the Lakers beating the Nuggets 116-99, Kobe Bryant passed the ball. He made shit happen. And then, postgame, with a smile on his face, Kobe spoke in approving terms about his team, citing the fullness of their “passion bucket”. WHO IS THIS MAN? It wasn’t just Kobe raising the bar. Taking advantage of the double team on Bryant, Derek Fisher hit 6......

Lakers 111, Nuggets 107 - Allen Iverson lit up the scoreboard with 51 points but three Lakers responded with big nights of their own. Kobe Bryant scored 25, Vladimir Radmanovic added 21, and Derek Fisher had 20. Despite his big night, the Lakers only allowed Iverson one layup in the fourth quarter. Sonics 95, Clippers 88 - Seven is unlucky for the Clipper -- it's how many games they've lost in a row. Seattle led......

Lakers 127, Nuggets 99 - Phil Jackson signed a $24 million contract extension for two years. Two hours later, his Lakers ripped apart the Nuggets. Good day. Heck, even Sasha Vujacic had 22 points -- 19 in the 4th quarter. Luke Walton had 14 points in just 27 minutes. Both were career highs. The Lakers are 9-6 and have recently had some pretty impressive performances. Ducks 4, Flames 1 - After getting yanked in Vancouver,......

Yesterday I was out shopping all day. It was my friend Cathi’s way of staging an intervention for me. All of my friends are concerned that I’ve become so tied to sports, they are doing everything they can to get me out. Yesterday it worked. What can I say? I’m weak when it comes to shopping. Anyhow, I’d like to take this moment to say that I’m a fucking genius. I picked 13 of......

Current Record: 37-39, T-3rd Pacific, T-8th West Last Week: The Clippers entered the week with the opportunity to take control of their playoff fate and to put themselves in the drivers’ seat for one of the three remaining playoff spots. This morning, they are left still in control of their destiny, but very much in a fight for survival. Things started well with a narrow victory over the Lakers on Wednesday, piling on to their......

Rockies 6, Dodgers 3 - It was a beautiful day for a ballgame. It was so nice, the mayor came out for the Dodger's home opener against Colorado. But coming off a four game sweep in San Francisco, it turned out the Dodgers brought some of the Giant's bad luck back to LA. Former Giant-turned-Dodger Jason Schmidt took the loss and pulled his hamstring. Teammate Matt Kemp smashed his shoulder into an outfield video board......

Dodgers 4, Giants 1 - The Dodger's success against archrival San Francisco continued on Saturday. Derek Lowe allowed one run over seven innings and Takashi Saito notched his third save. Russ Ortiz earned his 12th consecutive loss and Barry Bonds did not take the field. Former Giant Jeff Kent provided all the necessary RBIs with a two-run double in the fifth. Angels 2, Athletics 1 - The Angeles continued their hot start, matching their 5-1......

Brewers 4, Dodgers 3 - The bums are playing like it. But they can still go 160-2, right? We'll find out on Wednesday when ace Jason Schmidt takes the mound. Angels 8, Rangers 3 - Anaheim is off to a great start, and guess what? The bullpen didn't allow a run in 3 and 2/3 innings. Sammy Sosa was held to 1 for 4. Nuggest 111, Lakers 105 - Denver just took away some breathing......

Though the two teams were neck and neck most of the night, the Lakers ended up falling to the Denver Nuggets 111-105 Tuesday night. The game was especially important since both teams are jockeying for sixth place in the Western conference. This loss leaves the Lakers at 39-35 W-L and the Nuggets at 37-36 W-L. The game was fast and competitive all night and with the league’s two top scorers – Kobe Bryant and......

After a heartbreaking loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday night, the Lakers redeemed themselves by scorching the Sacramento Kings 126-103 at Staples Center on Sunday night. Kobe had a season-high 13 assists, while Maurice Evans and Luke Walton scored 21 and 18 respectively. The Lakers' number two man, Lamar Odom, was crippled by foul trouble, but plenty of other players stepped up to the plate, demonstrating that the Lakers can be a deep......

Nuggets 113, Lakers 86 - When Phil Jackson went to bed on Wednesday, he was probably looking forward to the day ahead. Things were set up nicely for a home game with Lamar Odom and Luke Walton both returning from injuries. Then his alarm clock rang. Within a few hours, the NBA dished out $100,000 in fines for his comments about a Kobe "witchhunt" and the Lakers lost for the seventh time in a row.......

A Word Or 37: Lotsa new episodes and shows on NBC tonight. ABC is also stepping up with new episodes. I wish I felt more positive about Andy Barker, P.I. but it didn't look so great on Conan. Raines looks apalling. Tonight - Thursday - March 15th, 2007 College Basketball: UCLA vs. Weber State (CBS, 4:00 p.m.) Narc (IFC, 6:00 p.m.) Jason Patric and Ray Liotta team up as cops in this thriller from......

Current Record: 25-28, 3rd Pacific, T-9th West Last Week: While the rest of the league was focused on the festivities in Sin City, the Clippers got a much needed four days off to regroup. The Clips were one of only three teams that had exactly zero participants in the entire weekend’s festivities (and justifiably so) which means they will not be suffering from any lingering effects of the around-the-clock drunken parties and hookups with tainted......

Lakers 123, Nuggets 104 - What could have been a match up of superstars became a showcase of supporting casts as Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson combined for only 24 points. While 11 players scored in double digits, Kobe was not one of them. He tallied a season low 8 and spent the 4th quarter icing his knees on the bench. We wanted to put up this photo of him holding hands with Iverson and......

Like blockbuster movies, the NBA is marketed around its superstars — it was Magic and Bird more than the Lakers and Celtics 20 years ago. Then it was Jordan vs. the world. Kobe and Shaq. The LeBrons. Tonight two of the games superstars collide at Staples Center — Kobe Bryant and Alan Iverson (Fox Sports at 7:30). Kobe comes in off an overtime win last night in Sacramento where he didn’t score in the first......

A Word or ~43: Welcome to the weekend my little ones. Other than the local teams the NBA is lighting up the dial all over the place tonight. During your busy weekend don't forget that "The L Word" and "The Apprentice: LA" are coming back on Sunday. Tonight - Friday - January 5th, 2007 Clippers @ Wizards (the CW, 5:30 p.m.) Blue Jackets @ Ducks (PRIME, 7:00 p.m.) Nuggets @ Lakers (Fox Sports, 7:30p.m.)......

Tonight the Lakers face the Utah Jazz on a Charles Barkley-approved national broadcast — a face off of two surprising first-place teams. So it begs the question: Can these teams stay on top for an entire season? In the case of talented and now healthy Utah, it’s pretty easy to answer yes. For the Lakers, well, they get a qualified yes — if they start playing some defense. Most Laker fans have been feeling......

Current Record: 6-6, 5th Pacific Last Week: Was it only a week ago when we were singing the Clippers’ praises and talking about their position atop the Pacific Division and #2 in the entire league? Four losses later, they’ve fallen to last place, ahead of only three teams in the conference. Amazing how quickly things can change in a week, especially in the ridiculously tough West. Apparently the Clippers felt like taking a holiday......

Nuggets 103, Clippers 88 - For the second night in a row, as Sam Cassell went so went the Clip Show. Last night the eldest Clipper sprained his ankle in the second half and the team fell apart. The Nuggets won their sixth straight behind 33 from Mello. Meanwhile the Clips lost their fourth straight and are now sole residents of the cellar. Lakers 99, Nets 93 - Kobe and Lamar combined for a......

The trailer for Denzel’s new movie, opening on Thanksgiving weekend, explains that “you arrive at a place you’ve never been, but it feels … familiar.” Tell me about it. Our last memories of the Clippers were walking off the court in Phoenix, dejected after the MVP Steve Nash-led Suns offense ran circles around them in Game 7. There were also more pleasant memories of the Clippers emerging victoriously on their home court after a......

The Clippers held up their end of the bargain tonight, dispatching the Denver Nuggets 101-83 for thier first post-season seiries win. LAist says its their first because lets face it, that wasnt the Clippers 30 years ago, that was the Buffalo Braves. Not the same. Nevertheless, this is a huge accomplishment for a team, a franchise, that has searched for respect. They also make it possible for Los Angeles to have two teams meet......

Boi From Troy is right, it's time to join the LA Clippers Bandwagon. Long-suffering Clippers fans should be psyched with Elton, Sam, Chris Kaman and the rest getting it done against the Nuggets and looking likely to make it to the next round of the playoffs after going up 2-0 impressively last night. So, here's your bandwagon starter kit: -Get your video highlights from last night's butt-whoopin'. -Show your love to Clippers fans as......

Over the weekend the Lakers and Clippers opened their playoff runs against the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets respectively. Its been a while since we have had TWO teams in the playoffs, mainly due to the Clippers past weakness... but this time around the higher seeded Clippers were the team that got it done. Opening at home against the Denver Nuggets, the Clips got the close game one victory 89-87 for their first playoff win......

The Lakers and the Clippers are in the NBA Playoffs and well... we're happy for them. In a place like LA where we are used to titles, the playoffs used to be a foregone conclusion (well except for the Clips). But as it turns out, changes swept the landscape here and just to show you how weird things got, the Clips, who had their best season EVER, are a higher seed than the Lakers.......

- LAPD cruisers might get cameras. - From the "it couldn't happen to a nicer guy" file: Suge Knight is broke phi broke. - LA Observed reports that Villaraigosa isn't happy to receive all types of civil disobedience. - Tonight's Clippers game is a first round playoff preview with the Nuggets and, more than that, home court advantage might be on the line. By the way, the Nuggets's Carmelo Anthony was the western conference......

The NBA returns to Los Angeles tonight with the city's beloved Lakers and its ignored Clippers taking to the court to start their regular seasons. The Lakers are in Denver to take on Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets and Kobe Bryant's bad memories, while the Clippers venture north to take on Jesus Shuttleworth and the Sonics. In a fitting tribute to the never-ending soap opera that is "the Association," LAist breaks down the rocky relationships......

Lamar Odom may not be panicking, but LAist is. After a disastrous three-game road swing that resulted in losses to horrible teams like the Raptors, Knicks, and Celtics, the Lakers now find themselves tied with the Nuggets for the last playoff spot in the West. The fact of the matter is that the Shaq trade has been a total disaster. While we never pretended that it was possible to get equal value for Shaq,......

As the Lakers put the finishing touches on a contract for new coach Rudy Tomjanovich, we don't anticipate too many "Ru-dy" chants at STAPLES Center if Kobe Bryant is not wearing Purple and Gold. Byrant met with the Clippers yesterday at an undisclosed location in Los Angeles. LAists presumes he didn't need a tour of the arena. Bryant has also met with the Nuggets, but it's doubtful that Kobe's frequent trips to Eagle has......

The Sparks have lost one of their biggest Spark-plugs, as Head Coach Michael Cooper will leave the team to become an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets. Cooper has been offered assistant coaching positions in the NBA before (he was a Lakers assistant from 1994-97), but probably took this one because of swirling rumors that Jeff Bzdelik will be fired in Denver thereby giving Cooper the inside track to the job there. In the......