Fisher, Lakers Easily Handle Grizzlies

[January 09, 2008]  MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Kobe Bryant glanced at the stat sheet and claimed there was a mistake.

Derek Fisher scored 26 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 117-101 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, making 10 of 11 shots from the field. Or so the stats read.

"He was actually 10-for-10," Bryant said. "They need to take away that one miss they gave him. That was a lob to Andrew (Bynum). It wasn't a shot."

Bryant added 25 points in the Lakers' 13th win in 16 games. The have won six of their last eight road games.

The 26 points were Fisher's highest total since he scored 27 against San Antonio nearly two seasons ago.

"That was a great show by Derek," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "He was terrific."

Fisher, who signed a three-year deal with the Lakers last summer, scored 16 in the first half to help Los Angeles (22-11) build a 14-point lead. Fisher finished 5-of-5 from 3-point range.

"I like this arena," Fisher said of the FedExForum. "Kobe and I were talking (during Tuesday's shootaround) about the depth perception. It's a good-built arena. It's built for basketball.

"But there's no way you can plan on shooting the basketball the way I did. It just kind of happens for you."

The Grizzlies, who never led in the game, were paced by Mike Miller with 19 points. Pau Gasol added 18 points and 12 rebounds. Rudy Gay finished with 15 points.

As good as Fisher was, the Grizzlies thought the credit belonged to Bryant.

"Fisher is a good shooter, but Kobe creates a lot of that," Miller said. "(Bryant) is a great basketball player. He demands a lot of attention. And when you demand a lot of attention, a lot of guys get open shots."

Memphis didn't give itself much of a chance by committing 20 turnovers that led to 25 Lakers points. In the second half, the Grizzlies got only as close as 12 points, and the Lakers answered with seven in a row to put away the game.

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Bryant, who scored 60 points on his last visit to Memphis, was 8-for-22 from the field.

Memphis had won seven of the past 10 meetings, but the Lakers led by 16 points after one quarter and extended their lead to 26 in the second. The Grizzlies missed 11 of their first 12 shots in the second period.

"(The Lakers) played like a team in the division race, very together and with a purpose," said Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni. "Our starters struggled . . . we had five guys who didn't think they could compete."

The Grizzlies closed the half with a 13-2 run, but that cut the lead to only 61-47 at halftime.

"We came out sluggish," said Grizzlies guard Mike Conley. "We were just playing soft. We weren't aggressive like we've been the first couple of games (of 2008).

"When you get behind like that, you try to get all the points back at once. There are no 10-point shots in basketball. We forgot that and tried to get it all back on a couple of shots."

Notes: For the first time in the history of the series, Jerry West wasn't involved with either franchise. West spent 20 years as the Lakers' general manager before taking over as president of the Grizzlies in 2002. He retired after last season. ... With Tuesday being Elvis Presley's 73rd birthday, fans were treated to Elvis songs during pre-game warm-ups and player introductions. ... Former Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob Lanier will be honored Jan. 21 in Memphis during the Martin Luther King Day game when the Grizzlies play the Chicago Bulls.

[Associated Press; By MARK LONG]

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