The Los Angeles Lakers got off to a fast start in the first quarter, but a cold-shooting second quarter gave the Sacramento Kings a brief lead. However, the Lakers found their way through the seams of the Kings' defense, parlaying several easy shots into a 62-53 halftime lead at Arco Arena. Kobe Bryant is nearing a triple-double, with 21 points, six rebounds, and eight assists in the first half.
Bryant also passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most minutes played in Lakers franchise history. Through halftime, Bryant has 37,511 minutes played in his career.
The Lakers began the game making 11 of their first 14 shots to take a first quarter lead, but they made just five of their next 19 shots as the Kings built a five-point lead in the second quarter. It was the first time the Lakers had trailed in a game since last Friday at Phoenix, a span of over 135 minutes.
The Lakers closed out the half making seven of their final nine field goals, many of them layups and dunks against a porous Sacramento defense, and shot 56.1% for the half. They also made six of 10 three-pointers, and have made 47 of 100 shots from beyond the arc so far this season.
The Kings at one point in the second quarter missed 16 consecutive field goals. Carl Landry led the Kings with 12 points in the first half. Jason Thompson had nine rebounds in 10 minutes for Sacramento.
Pau Gasol had 12 points and six rebounds for the Lakers. Lakers' starters scored 52 of the team's 62 points in the first half.
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