NBA Scores and More: Kobe Bryant Out-Clutched By Shane Battier, Lakers Lose Fourth Straight

The Los Angeles Lakers have lost four straight games for the first time during the Pau Gasol era, falling to the Houston Rockets 109-99. The Lakers have had some trouble with the Rockets before -- Houston took L.A. to seven games in the second round of the 2008-09 Western Conference playoffs -- but no one expected it to go down quite like this.

Shane Battier, the Rockets’ brainy stopper, turned into a Kobe Bryant clone down the stretch, scoring 11 points in the game’s final three minutes to bring Houston back from a late three-point deficit. Battier hit back-to-back threes to give the Rockets a three-point lead of their own 100-97, and scored five more on a jumper and free throws to ice the game. In that same span, Kobe went 0-4 with a pair of made free throws.

It’s a hilarious turn of events for the specific protagonists involved. Battier has been lauded as the golden boy of Rockets GM Daryl Morey’s attempt to translate Moneyball for the NBA. Morey is a believer in comprehensive quantitative analysis -- no franchise has a larger stats staff -- and, whether Morey is of the mind or not, most advanced statistical study of basketball indicates the clutch is a myth.

Kobe is, of course, the poster boy for the existence of clutch, and has battled with Battier on the court and in print for years. The aforementioned ‘08-09 playoff series featured Kobe repeatedly growling “He can’t guard me!” at then-TNT commentator Doug Collins in reference to a Collins’ assertion that Battier had marked Bryant better than any other defender in recent years. All that followed, and almost assuredly stemmed from, a glowing Morey and Battier profile written by Michael Lewis (the Moneyball author) for the New York Times Magazine. In that profile, Battier discussed how he uses math to stop Kobe. Bryant essentially told Battier to shut his pi-hole.

On the game Wednesday, as always, Bryant made his presence felt, scoring 27 points on 10-24 shooting. But he had a rough night trying to guard Rockets speedster Kevin Martin, who had 22 of his own, 10 of which came on free throws. Martin had an awful first quarter, shooting 0-7 with a turnover. From there, he found his rhythm and lit up the Lakers. For what it’s worth, Kobe was only responsible for one of the shooting fouls (though it was of the three-shot variety).

Another loss for the Lakers certainly does its part in driving up antacid sales in L.A.. SB Nation’s Lakers blog Silver Screen and Roll has even mentioned the names Kwame Brown and Smush Parker, and it’s not a full moon! Especially unnerving to some is that apparently none of Phil Jackson’s 11 championship teams has ever lost four straight in their respective title season.

That, on its face, seems only vaguely worrisome; more problematic for the Lakers is that none of the losses have come to elite teams. The best team L.A. faced over this stretch was the Jazz, who came into that game 11-5. The Rockets were a misleading but still-bad 5-12 before beating the Lakers; the respectable Pacers were 7-7 and the Grizzlies were 7-10. (SB Nation’s Rockets blog The Dream Shake suggests this Houston team is much better than its record suggests, and that the win over the Lakers hints at the coming animation of those beliefs.)

This isn’t the Celtics, or Spurs, or Magic, or Mavericks, or even the Heat. The Lakers should be beating the Pacers, Grizzlies and Rockets every time out. And if they lose to one of them, they should be geeked up enough to be the next middle-of-the-pack squad.

That said, Andrew Bynum is on his way back to the line-up later this month, and he’ll make a huge difference for L.A., assuming his legs are all connected properly and everything. No team -- not the Mavericks with Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood; not the Celtics with (eventually) Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O’Neal, Jermaine O’Neal and Glen Davis -- can best the Lakers’ frontcourt power when Bynum is alive. I’m sure Bynum’s lack of reliability makes Phil Jackson less confident than I, but panic is simply not a word that should be in L.A.‘s vocabulary, unless it follows a sentence about “knee surgery” and “Pau Gasol.”

Still not feeling good about the Lakers’ future? Next three games, all at Staples Center: the 4-12 Kings, 5-12 Wizards and 4-15 Clippers. If the Lakers lose any of those, then we’ll start the bomb ride to self-annihilation.

For much of the season, Russell Westbrook has been forced to carry the Thunder without the services of the Kevin Durant that we expected. On Wednesday, Westbrook had to carry the team without Durant, period. Thank goodness he had all that practice.
It took three overtimes, but the Thunder beat the Nets 123-120 in Newark. Westbrook just missed a triple-double with 38 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, but most importantly scored all 13 of Oklahoma City’s points in the final OT, and most most importantly had another nasty dunk:

You know how I know that’s a good dunk? Not Kevin Durant’s whooping, not the announcer’s “OHHH!” It’s that Avery Johnson had to call a time-out to count bodies and tend wounds. Filthy.

Durant, like Devin Harris, sat out with a strained knee. Plenty of folks filled in on both sides: Jeff Green tossed up 37 points and three Nets -- Brook Lopez, Jordan Farmar and Anthony Morrow -- dropped at least 25. Morrow’s swag meter was particularly full, as the former Warrior hit a gnarly long three as time expired to send the game into overtime. The Nets couldn’t get decent shots up at the end of the final two overtimes despite having the final possession, and that’s all she wrote.

The Nets really should have won in two OTs, as the team had a three-point lead with just seconds remaining. But Green, smart fellow, anticipated the intentional foul as he took the ball from on an inbounds play. New Jersey had a foul to give, and sure enough, Stephen Graham delivered it. But Green brilliantly went up for a three as the hack arrived, and won three free throws (all makes) as a result. That precipitated the following face of confusion and/or frustration from Nets rookie Ben Uzoh.

Thanks to Sebastian Pruiti for the screenshot.

SB Nation’s NetsDaily has links galore, and, of particular note, writes that despite the huge minutes for New Jersey’s guards in Harris’ absence, the team has no plans to recall Terrence Williams from the D-League. This is the fun you’re missing, T-Will! Triple overtime! SB Nation’s Thunder blog Welcome to Loud City notes that Green essentially provided what Durant usually would.

Chicago had Carlos Boozer for the first time all season, and at least they can cheer about that, because Orlando just hammered the Bulls. The Magic led by 24 at halftime, and Jameer Nelson scorched Derrick Rose. Jameer is good, but he doesn’t scorch much. It’s not his game. But he scorched Rose, who needs some help carrying this team offensively. That’s why Boozer’s return is so important: he’ll help make Rose better.

Boozer didn’t make anyone better Wednesday, with just five points in 21 minutes as a starter. This is where the fact that coach Tom Thibodeau is new to the team and Boozer just arrived creates some problems. At least when Boozer got injured in Utah, he already had timing and chemistry with Deron Williams and knew Jerry Sloan’s system. Not the case here, and we might have a bit of an adjustment period while Boozer figures it out. One would assume that won’t include 29-point losses on the regular.

Orlando Pinstriped Post details the Magic’s successful gameplan -- attack the paint. Blog a Bull notes that Chicago suffered mightily on the glass.

The Blazers nearly came back from a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win this one. A 15-0 Portland run brought the Blazers to within one with 42 seconds left. But Ray Allen ruined it all, hitting his first three of the night to give Boston a four-point lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Wesley Matthews continues to thrive in a starter’s role for Portland (team-high 23 points on 8-13 shooting), but Nicolas Batum -- the man Wes replaced -- is completely lost off the bench, and Paul Pierce, Matthews’ counterpart, scorched his way to a 28-point night on ill 9-11 shooting. Yes, the Blazers need Matthews’ production. But Batum’s defense is so promising, and his offense smooth, that it seems a waste to have him on the bench. I mean, did the Blazers not realize there were only two starting wing spots when they offered Matthews that huge deal with Batum and Brandon Roy in tow?

Blazersedge blames the bench for letting the sloppy Celtics carry a lead the entire game, while CelticsBlog notes that this isn’t the first time Boston has given up a massive lead only to win the game.

The Heat had a second-straight blow-out win. LeBron James played well as his team prepares for the apocalypse in Cleveland. The Heat arrived in C-Town at 3 AM, and yes, news crews and police were there, and yes, there’s video, from FanHouse’s ace Sam Amick:

But nope, no LeBron, who Amick speculates may have been allowed to stay in his Akron estate for the night. Err, morning. In other news, the Pistons stink, and the highlight from this game was Greg Monroe’s 15 points and eight rebounds. Detroit Bad Boys buries itself in humor, while Peninsula is Mightier highlights the Heat’s big third quarter.

Seven more games, quick-hit style: