Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom have both taken to their new old roles quite nicely, and the Los Angeles Lakers rode a strong front court to a 52-44 lead at halftime over the Philadelphia 76ers at Staples Center. Odom came off the bench to score 10 points and grab four rebounds in the first half. Bynum only scored two points, but helped control the middle on defense and grabbed five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Pau Gasol had nine points and eight rebounds, including five offensive boards, to give the Lakers a big edge down low. The Lakers outrebounded Philadelphia 25-17 in the first 24 minutes, and held the 76ers to 59% shooting. The Lakers shot 51.2%from the field, and had 12 assists on 21 made field goals.
The highlight of the first half was a rare dunk by Kobe Bryant, who drove to the middle and threw down a two-hand jam over Andres Nocioni with 7:04 remaining in the first quarter. That was part of a 10-0 Lakers run, which gave them an early lead which they haven't yet relinqueshed. Bryant scored nine points in the opening quarter, making four of his six field goals. Kobe led the Lakers in scoring in the first half, with 14 points.
Local product Jrue Holiday, whose brother Justin helped lead the Washington Huskies to a victory over the UCLA Bruins today at Pauley Pavilion, led Philadelphia with 13 first-half points.
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