Lakers lose Odom, lead in Pacific

How quickly things can change. The Los Angeles Lakers finished off their homestand on Sunday with a 106-99 win over the San Antonio Spurs, then began a quick two-game, back-to-back Texas roadtrip with a 102-94 win at Houston on Tuesday.

Then, the good news came to a skidding halt. Lamar Odom sprained his right knee in the win over the Rockets. Odom was off to a career-best start but he’ll be sidelined now for at least a month and possibly longer.

The 6-foot-10 forward was hurt when he fell awkwardly while trying to shoot over Shane Battier less than two minutes into the game.

Lamar Odom

It’s a devastating injury for the Lakers. Odom was averaging a career-high 18 points and led the team in rebounding (9.1 per game) and assists (5.1). Further, Odom had carried the Lakers as Kobe Bryant recovered from offseason knee surgery.

A hint of what Odom’s absence means to the team came late in the win over the Rockets. The Lakers nearly blew a 93-66 lead, having to hold on by the skin of their collective teeth. On Wednesday, Los Angeles fell to Dallas, 110-101. Nobody stepped up to fill Odom’s big shoes. Bryant scored 33 to lead the Lakers but Luke Walton was next with just 13.

That loss dropped Los Angeles to 15-7, a half-game behind Phoenix in the Pacific Division. The Suns have won 12 in a row.
The team returns home on Friday to face the Rockets again.

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Posted in General on December 14, 2006

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