2-15 Cleveland 114 LA Lakers 108

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Cleveland 114 LA Lakers 108

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2006-07 Stats at a GlanceKobe Bryant outscored LeBron James in their last meeting, but the Cleveland Cavaliers earned the victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bryant and the Lakers will try for a better result as they look to snap a season-high four-game losing streak Thursday at Staples Center when they face James and the Cavaliers for the second time in five days.

Bryant scored 36 points, had seven rebounds and six assists, but Los Angeles lost 99-90 at Cleveland on Sunday to finish 3-5 on their longest road trip of the season.

James had 18 points in the win - his second-lowest total in seven games against the Lakers (30-23) - along with eight rebounds and five assists. He also had help getting 21 points from Sasha Pavlovic and 17 from Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

NBA.com Lakers Look to Snap Losing Streak; Host Cavaliers

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LOS ANGELES, Feb. 15 (AP) -- After a couple of mediocre shooting games, LeBron James was at his All-Star best Thursday night.

The key was being aggressive.

James scored 38 points, six teammates reached double figures, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Los Angeles 114-108 to extend the Lakers' losing streak to five games, matching the longest of coach Phil Jackson's career.

James shot 10-of-16 from the floor and 18-of-22 from the foul line to lead the Cavaliers to their first victory over the Lakers at Staples Center following seven losses. In his previous two games, he made 14 of 41 field goal attempts and 13 of 21 free throws.

NBA.com James, Cavaliers Extend Lakers’ Losing Streak

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Los Angeles — Before the Cavaliers game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night in the Staples Center, LeBron James said it was always a treat to match up against Kobe Bryant.

Bryant might not think so. James had 38 points to lead seven players in double figures and the short-handed Cavs beat the Lakers, 114-108.
It was Cleveland’s first victory over the Lakers in the Staples Center. Though they’re just 1-8 here, the Cavs head into the All-Star break with a 31-22 record.

“We’ve done a great job the last week and a half or two weeks finishing on a good note before All-Star weekend,” said James, whose team was without Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who is not with the team because of personal/family health issues, and rookie Daniel Gibson, out with a sprained big toe on his left foot.

cleveland.com: Everything Cleveland

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Photo Gallery

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The Lakers looked tired, beaten, as if they were still traveling through the Eastern time zone, although a quick check of their surroundings proved they were indeed home against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

And a glance at the scoreboard showed they had lost again, 114-108, Thursday at Staples Center.

Things have officially slipped from uneasy to disturbing for the Lakers, who can now claim their first five-game losing streak since January 2005. And they'll have plenty of time to think about this during the All-Star break: Phil Jackson has never lost six consecutive games in 16 seasons as an NBA coach.

LA Times

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LOS ANGELES - Maybe it's not a surprise for the coach who reached 900 wins faster than anyone in NBA history, but Phil Jackson arrived at Staples Center for Thursday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers having had only two five-game losing streaks in all his years of coaching.

He now has three after Thursday's 114-108 loss.

The last thing Jackson wanted to do was spend the four-day All-Star break thinking about ways to correct the bearings of a Lakers team that had lost its course. Neither did his players, who were headed to Las Vegas, Cabo San Lucas and points in between.

Such was the back story to the second Kobe Bryant-LeBron James showdown of the season. The Lakers had to end their four-game losing streak in order to reach the unofficial halfway point of the season on any sort of a positive note.

LA Daily News - Jackson, Lakers still seek answers

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Photo Gallery: 02/15: Lakers vs. Cavaliers