What makes the Lakers dangerous is the ability to have a different player step up every game.

The capability to have all the players playing well at one time is what makes them downright scary.

The Lakers (9-3) defeated the Bulls (6-5) 108-93 on Thursday night behind a balanced offensive attack and a solid defensive performance.  In his return to the court, Pau Gasol showed very little rust, scoring 24 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in 35 minutes.  Kobe had a nice game with 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists, and Bynum had 11 points and 8 rebounds.  Meanwhile, Artest had 15 points, Fisher had his best game of the season with 12 points, and Odom provided a spark for the bench scoring 11 points and pulling down 8 rebounds.

Coming into the game, the Lakers had the size advantage on paper and the size differential proved to be too much for the Bulls as they were outscored 60-40 in points in the paint and out rebounded 51-44.

In addition to his stat line, Kobe Bryant reached another milestone in the 3rd quarter, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for second place on the Lakers career scoring list.  Jerry West is first on the list with 25,192 points.

The 35 minutes Gasol played was surprising to some, as Phil Jackson was expected to limit Gasol’s minutes in his first game back from a hamstring injury.  He showed no ill effects from the injury and even hit the floor hard a couple times, bouncing right back up without hesitation.

Although he had a solid game, I expect Gasol to take a week or two to find his rhythm on the court.  If tonight was any indication, it will be sooner rather than later.

Up next for the Lakers is Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday November 22nd with tip-off set for 6:30 pm (pt).

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