Getty ImagesAlthough Bryant’s shot was off early, he scored 11 points in the second quarter to put Los Angeles up 53-42 at halftime. Rose’s 2-for-11 shooting in the first half slowed down the Bulls, who had won two straight.
“It definitely wasn’t the right time (to face the Lakers),” Rose said. “You’ve got two 7-footers out there tipping balls to each other. It’s tough. Doesn’t matter if it’s (Gasol’s) first game or last. He’s a great player.”
Gasol played in just two preseason games before sitting down with a hamstring injury that didn’t appear to improve much with rest. He wondered aloud whether his hectic schedule over the past two years — including a summer with an NBA title run and a tournament MVP award at the European championships in Poland — had worn down his body.
Gasol tipped in Andrew Bynum’s missed layup on the Lakers’ first possession and hit two free throws the next time down. Gasol got the ball in the high post on the third possession and fed it to Bynum down low, illustrating the versatility of the triangle offense.
“I liked most of the combinations we had out there,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “(Gasol) had a lot of things bounce his way off that offensive board, and he had some easy shots. I didn’t want to play for that many minutes, but we had got into some foul trouble, and it became necessary.”
Six Lakers scored in double figures, including 12 for Derek Fisher.
NOTES: Bulls F Taj Gibson worked out with his former teammates at USC on Wednesday, Del Negro said. The rookie starter had four points and seven rebounds against the Lakers. ... Lamar Odom and Chicago’s Kirk Hinrich exchanged insults after a hard foul by Hinrich in the third quarter. Odom needed six stitches in his right eyebrow after the game. ... California first lady Maria Shriver attended the game.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
Rajon Rondo recorded a triple-double with 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics to a 95-91 win Sunday over the Chicago Bulls, who were without star guard Derrick Rose.
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