Lakers Vs Hawks Tickets
GAME: Atlanta 95, L.A. Lakers 106
DATE/TIME: Friday, December 08 - 10:30 PM EST SPREAD: Los Angeles -8 TOTAL: 198

LOS ANGELES (AP) -The Los Angeles Lakers proved once again that they can win a game without Kobe Bryant They just don't want to make a habit of it.

Luke Walton scored a career-high 25 points and Lamar Odom had 15 rebounds for the Pacific Division-leading Lakers, who muddled through without their injured eight-time All-Star and beat the Atlanta Hawks 106-95 on Friday night.

"It's just a credit to our team and how deep we are," said Maurice Evans, who started at shooting guard in Kobe Bryant's place and scored a career-high 22 points in 40 minutes. "We have a lot of experienced players on our bench."

The Los Angeles Lakers decided about 20 minutes before tipoff that Kobe Bryant wouldn't play because of a sprained right ankle, but did not make a formal announcement. Maurice Evans made his 14th start in three-plus NBA seasons and second with the Lakers - his fourth team in four years.

"Luke Walton and I talked about how important it was for us to win this game in any way possible," said Maurice Evans, who also played one season each with Minnesota, Sacramento and Detroit.

"In the first half, we were still trying to adapt without Kobe because he's a dominant scorer and a huge part of our offense. So everyone was trying to find out who was going to take shots and make up for Kobe's absence."

Last season's scoring champion was hurt in Monday night's win over Indiana, when he grabbed an offensive rebound and missed an off-balance shot before landing on the right foot of Pacers center Jeff Foster. Bryant played 37 minutes Wednesday, but couldn't go Friday.

"It'll be day-to-day," Bryant said after the game. "The key is just making sure the pain is gone. The last game I tried to compensate for it, but it just got worse to the point where I couldn't run without limping.

"It felt a little better today. But the fear was that if I played and it got worse again, that's something we didn't want to risk - especially since we've got San Antonio Spurs Sunday and then go on the road. So we just decided to err on the side of caution."

It was the third game Bryant has missed. He sat out the season's first two games against Phoenix and Golden State because of a sore right knee that underwent arthroscopic surgery in mid-July, and the Lakers won both.

"It's a huge step for us when guys step up and contribute," Bryant said. "Luke's been playing consistently all season long, and Maurice Evans had a big game tonight. He's kind of been figuring his way through the offense. So for him to step up and have a game like that was really big."

Joe Johnson scored 30 points for the Hawks, who welcomed Speedy Claxton, Josh Childress and Marvin Williams back to the lineup from injuries and got center Zaza Pachulia back from a one-game suspension. Williams made his season debut after missing the first 17 games due to a broken bone in his left hand, had nine points in 26 minutes.

"Bryant was out and we got relaxed. And you just can't do that," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "It was somewhat of a carbon copy of our game against Seattle when Ray Allen was out. I don't think we were competitive in the second half. Nothing against Luke Walton - he had a hell of a game. All of their bigs hurt us inside, and we had no answers for them."

The Lakers shot 56 percent from the field, improving to 7-0 when shooting at least 50 percent. They led 76-69 after three quarters and opened the fourth with 3-pointers by Jordan Farmar and Evans. Farmar, in his first NBA season after a couple of stellar years at UCLA, finished with a career-high 15 points in 23 minutes off the bench.

Atlanta got as close as 84-76 on a 17-footer by former Laker Tyronn Lue with 8:22 to play. But Los Angeles opened a commanding 98-89 lead when Evans did his best Bryant impersonation and brought the fans to their feet with a no-look reverse layup that kissed high off the glass. He completed the three-point play off that fast break, which took all the steam out of the Hawks.

"The first person I thought about was Kobe ," Evens said. "He always calls me "Lotto" because every time I make a shot like that, he thinks I was lucky. So it was really funny when it went in. I anticipated the contact, so I just tried to make sure that it got up somehow."

Notes: Among the sellout crowd was 15-year-old C.J. Yektazarian, who has cerebral palsy and was a guest of the Lakers through the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. His wish was to meet Bryant, who scored 62 points at Staples Center on another occasion last season when Make-A-Wish arranged a trip to a Lakers game for an afflicted youngster. The Lakers donated $500 to the organization for every 3-point basket they made (8-for-19). ... Johnson is the eighth different player to score 30 or more points against the Lakers this season. Allen did it twice for Seattle. ... Josh Smith had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Atlanta.

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Ronald Steele
Ronald Steele is an American basketball player for the University of Alabama. He raised his NBA draft profile a lot during his sophomore year. He decided to return for his junior year, and will likely be a first round draft pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. He is capable from scoring inside, from the perimeter, and grabbing rebounds, proving his versatility. He attended John Caroll High School, and led the school to an undefeated 36-0 record in his junior season.

In August 2006, Steele attended a basketball camp ran by legendary basketball player Michael Jordan. After giving him tips and "a lot of compliments," Jordan invited Steele to play in a two-on-two pickup game.

Ronald Steele
Position: G
Class: Junior
Ht: 6-3 Wt: 185
College: Alabama
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DeMarcus Cousins is a big PF who averaged 26 pts, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, 70% FG and 80% FT per game as a freshman in high school last year. DeMarcus Cousins has developing post moves, is an excellent rebounder, and a solid athlete. DeMarcus Cousins' ability to overpower players gives him a very high ceiling. DeMarcus Cousins has a 7'3" wingspan and 9'0" standing reach. DeMarcus Cousins is very raw. DeMarcus Cousins needs to work on his footwork and decision making mostly. DeMarcus Cousins offense is coming along fine, but he needs to become more of a leader on defense. DeMarcus Cousins consistency is also a problem against top competition.

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Joakim Noah (born February 25, 1985 in New York City) is a 7'0" American basketball player who currently plays for the University of Florida in the Southeastern Conference of the NCAA.

Joakim Noah is of French, Cameroonian, and Swedish descent, born to Yannick Noah, a former French professional tennis player and 1983 French Open Champion, and Cécilia Rodhe, Miss Sweden 1978. He competed on basketball teams for several high schools, first at the United Nations International School in New York City, later transferring to Poly Prep in Brooklyn, New York and then to Lawrenceville, outside of Princeton, New Jersey. At Lawrenceville, Noah averaged 24.0 points and 12.0 rebounds per game, leading his team to a New Jersey Prep 'A' state title.

Joakim Noah
Position: F/C
Class: Junior
Ht: 6-11 Wt: 230
College: Florida
Hometown: New York

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