Lakers rip Rockets 119-108 for 4th win in 5 games

Bryant had 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his 18th career triple-double, and the Lakers ran past the Houston Rockets 119-108 Sunday night for their fourth victory in five games since firing coach Mike Brown.

Dwight Howard had 28 points and 13 rebounds, and Pau Gasol scored his 15,000th career point among his 17 as the Lakers returned to .500 by running away from their second straight opponent since D'Antoni took over their practices.

Chandler Parsons scored 24 points and James Harden had 20 for the Rockets, who have lost six of eight.

LA Lakers Coach Mike Brown Fired

Mike Brown, the Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown has been fired after a disappointing 1-4 start to the season, the team announced Friday.

"I have great respect for the Buss family and the Lakers' storied tradition and I thank them for the opportunity they afforded me," Brown said in a statement. "I have a deep appreciation for the coaches and players that I worked with this past year and I wish the organization nothing but success as they move forward."

Bernie Bickerstaff, the assistant coach will take over as interim coach for Friday night's home game against the Warriors.

"Today we relieved Mike Brown of his head coaching duties with the Los Angeles Lakers. Mike is a good man. Very hard working, maybe one of the hardest-working coaches that I ve ever been around," general manager Mitch Kupchak said. "The bottom line is that the team is not winning at the pace that we expected this team to win and we didn't see improvement. We wish Mike well and we're sorry it ended this way. So, we've decided to move in another direction and make a change."

Lakers will begin the search for a new coach.

Kings open season with 100-91 win over Lakers; Lakers 0-2

Marcus Thornton scored 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and the Kings beat the Lakers at home for the first time in more than three years, 100-91 on Monday night.

The Kings took a 49-40 halftime lead, holding the Lakers to 36.4 percent shooting including an uncharacteristic 4-for-13 performance from Bryant.

Sacramento even had success matching 5-foot-9 rookie Isaiah Thomas on Bryant on a few possessions in the second quarter despite a 9-inch height disadvantage. After missing a turnaround jumper over the shorter Thomas, Bryant could only manage to chuckle on his way back down the court.

Chris Paul to LA deal is OFF

NBA commissioner David Stern killed the New Orleans Hornets’ trade of Chris Paul after several owners complained about the league-owned team dealing the All-Star point guard to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The trade between the Lakers, Hornets and Houston Rockets had been consummated late Thursday afternoon. The Lakers had reached an agreement to acquire Paul in a deal that would have cost them Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Under terms of the deal, the Lakers would have sent Gasol to the Rockets. The Hornets would have received Odom, Rockets guards Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic and forward Luis Scola, league sources said.

Houston had also agreed to send a 2012 first-round pick – previously obtained from the Knicks – to New Orleans as part of the package.

source: yahoo sports

Lamar Odom involved in a near-fatal car accident

Lamar Odom was involved in a serious car accident in New York on July 14, when his driver hit a 15-year-old boy and a motorcyclist.

Odom was in Jamaica, Queens for his cousin's funeral when the driver of his car service struck the two victims. The basketball player was not injured, but was reportedly visibly upset about the accident.

"Thank you for your support and prayers!" Odom wrote on Twitter on Monday.

MediaTakeOut.com, who first reported the incident, said that the pedestrian and motorcyclist were seriously injured in the crash. Odom's wife, Khloe Kardashian was not in the vehicle.

"Khloe wasn't in the car. It was a driver, and Lamar was in the back seat," Kardashian's publicist told the New York Post.

Odom, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers and is the star of the TV realty show "Khloe & Lamar," married Khloe Kardashian in 2009 after dating for a month.

Source: OnTheRedCarpet.com

Horry’s daughter dies after long illness

HOUSTON (AP)—The 17-year-old daughter of former NBA star Robert Horry died Tuesday after battling a rare genetic condition.

Ashlyn Horry was born in Houston in 1994 and eventually diagnosed with the 1p36 Deletion Syndrome, a rare chromosome disease that is characterized by intellectual disability, delayed growth, seizures and respiratory problems. Texas Children’s Hospital spokeswoman Nicole Terry says Ashlyn Horry died there.

Robert Horry and Ashlyn’s mother, Keva, set up a foundation in 2008 to provide support to families with children coping with similar illnesses. A message was left at the foundation’s office seeking comment.

Robert Horry won seven NBA championships with three teams in 16 NBA seasons. He earned the nickname “Big Shot Bob” for hitting several clutch shots in the playoffs and holds the record for 3-pointers made in the NBA finals (53).

The Houston Rockets selected Horry out of Alabama with the 11th overall pick in the 1992 draft. Horry helped the Rockets win NBA championships in 1994 and ’95.

“My deepest condolences go out to Robert and his family on the tragic passing of his daughter, Ashlyn,” Rockets owner Leslie Alexander said in a statement. “Ashlyn was born in Houston during Robert’s time with us and I know he shared a special bond with her. The entire Rockets organization is saddened by her passing and our thoughts are with Robert and his family during this trying personal time.”

Horry played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996-2003, and was a member of three more championship teams there. Former Lakers star Magic Johnson offered condolences on his Twitter account.

“My thoughts go out to Robert Horry and his family as they deal with the tragic loss of his daughter Ashlyn,” Johnson tweeted.

Horry finished his playing career in San Antonio, and won two titles with the Spurs to become the ninth player in league history to earn at least seven championship rings.