Lakers are on the move
01.16.2006
|
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal will meet for the second and final time in the 2005-06 campaign, as the Lakers welcome the Miami Heat on Monday to the Staples Center.
On Christmas Day, O’Neal registered 18 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Heat to a 97-92 victory over Bryant and the Lakers at AmericanAirlines Arena. Bryant has a strong game in defeat as he led all scorers with 37 points.
The Heat, who played their first season in the NBA in the 1988-89 campaign, made their most significant trade in franchise history during the 2004 summer when they acquired O’Neal from the Lakers on July 14th in exchange for forwards Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, who is now a member of the Phoenix Suns, Caron Butler, who was dealt to Washington this past offseason, and a first- round draft pick. Together O’Neal and Bryant won three championships with Los Angeles. Shaq spent eight seasons with Bryant and the Lakers.
The Lakers enter Monday’s contest on a two-game winning streak. On Saturday, Bryant poured in 38 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out seven assists, as Los Angeles defeated the Golden State Warriors, 110-104, at The Arena in Oakland.
Smush Parker finished with 24 points, 12 boards and six assists in the win over the Warriors for Los Angeles, which has won five of its last six games overall. Kwame Brown notched a double-double with 18 points and 12 boards, while Chris Mihm scored 12 points and pulled down six rebounds in the victory.
Bryant has scored over 30 points in eight of his last nine contests and has netted more than 20 in 17 straight games. The seven-time All-Star is averaging 34.2 points per game this season for the Lakers
LA is 9-8 as the host this season. After Monday’s game, the Lakers will hit the road for a pair of games against Sacramento and Phoenix. They will play the Kings on Thursday and the Suns on Friday.
The Lakers, who return home on Sunday to host Chris Bosh and the Toronto Raptors, have scored over 100 points in four of their last six games. They are 12-3 when they score 100 points or more this season.
Los Angeles Lakers 
