<h3 class="entry-header">One down, three to go</h3>
<p><a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=306,height=425,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,t oolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,st atus=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://lakersblog.latimes.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/12/19/sasha_bulls.jpg"><img title="Sasha_bulls" height="312" alt="Sasha_bulls" src="http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/images/2007/12/19/sasha_bulls.jpg" width="225" border="0" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 5px 5px 0px" /></a> It's rare when teams get a chance to go on the road and get fat and happy. Then again, it's rare for teams to get four straight roadies against <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/standings">bad and/or struggling teams</a>, as the Lakers will get this week. Cleveland (struggling), Philly (bad), and New York (cataclysmic, and <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/2007/12/18/2007-12-18_fan_ejected_for_holding_fire_isiah_sign.html">a pparently not big on criticism</a>) are still to come, but Tuesday night L.A. kicked things off on the right foot with a <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=271218004">103-91 win over the Bulls</a> in Chicago. It was their sixth win in their last seven tries, and it happened despite a slow night (7-19, 18 points) from Kobe Bryant. Instead, it was the supporting cast who kicked in during <a href="http://www.ocregister.com/sports/bryant-lakers-chicago-1945217-odom-game">a solid, controlled, 48 minute effort</a>, capped by a <a href="http://www.dailynews.com/lakers/ci_7756462">20-6, game capping fourth quarter run in which 24 didn't score</a> a point. <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=271218004">The box shows</a> five other players in double figures, including 19 from <a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers19dec19,1,6570828.story?coll=la-headlines-sports">Sasha Vujacic, who hit six of his ten shots from the floor. L.O.? 17/16. </a>Andrew Bynum played a career high 40 minutes. Luke Walton had a second straight solid game, with 12 points, five dimes, and no TOs. </p>
<p>All in all, it was a pretty satisfying end for Lakers fans, if only because it perhaps drops the lid on the "Kobe-to-the-Bulls" coffin. Kobe admitted that before the season started,<a href="http://www.pe.com/sports/basketball/breakout/stories/PE_Sports_Local_S_lakers_notes_19.349a26f.html"> he really wanted to be a Bull</a> (fair to say <a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=98263&src=150">some fans wanted him, too</a>). But f<a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-lakerep19dec19,1,3631236.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba-lakers">or now, everything is hunky dory</a>. Besides, it was <a href="http://www.dailynews.com/lakers/ci_7756030">apparently just the deep dish pie that attracted him to Chicago</a> in the first place... right? However you slice it, the Bulls are still without <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-071218samsmithonkobebryantyouknowthelakersguy,1,25 95584.column?ctrack=1&cset=true">that One. True. Star</a>. </p>
<p>It's a shame the schedule makers didn't give Kobe's teammates a chance to pull <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/sports/basketball/bulls/703341,CST-SPT-bullnt19.article">what would have been a pretty sweet practical joke.</a></p>
<p><a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2007/12/magic-takes-a-p.html">Sorry. No Magic for mayor. For now</a>...</p>
<p class="entry-footer"> <span class="post-footers"> <Posted by $MTEntryAuthorNickname$ on> Dec 19, 2007 9:16:51 AM <span class="separator">|</span> <a class="permalink"
Lakers Blog Reports: 12-19
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