Apparently, I was very generous in my game preview when I said the Charlotte Bobcats would score 92 points in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. In actuality, the Bobcats put up only 73 points against the Lakers at the Staples Center – 19 points shy of my predicted total.

The Lakers wanted to make a statement before heading out on a six-game road trip over the next two weeks – one that doesn’t return the Lakers back to Los Angeles until February 14—and the Lakers did more than make a statement, they absolutely destroyed the Bobcats.

For the third straight time, the Lakers beat the visiting Bobcats at the Staples Center and did so in impressive fashion. For the first two quarters, the Lakers outscored the Bobcats with the exact same total, 30-18. In fact, Kobe Bryant had 18 first quarter points, matching the Bobcats total. And despite the Bobcats outscoring the Lakers 22-13 in the third quarter, the Lakers capped off the blowout with a 33-15 fourth quarter. The best part of all the stats may have been the amount of minutes Bryant didn’t have to play and got to spend resting.

Bryant contributed his fair share scoring 24 points—all in the first half—on 9-of-21 shooting, in 27 minutes, but as a fan, it was nice to see that the Lakers didn’t have to depend on Bryant putting up 35 shots in order for them to walk away with a win. After not scoring over 100 points for 13 consecutive games in January, the Lakers scored 106 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 29 and again scored 106 against the league’s worst team on January 31.

The Bobcats lost their ninth-straight game and barely stood a chance against the Lakers who were on the hapless Bobcats from the beginning. The immediate implications of this victory are yet to be seen, but I would have to believe that a win of such magnitude, and their second straight 106-point performance, has to give the Lakers a good amount of momentum as they head out on the road to face some tough challenges.

On their upcoming road trip the Lakers face some teams playing solid basketball, including the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, and the Philadelphia 76ers. Their first matchup of the road trip for the Lakers will be the Nuggets, who are in third in the Western Conference and have lost two straight after rattling off six straight wins from January 17-27.

I would like to believe the Lakers are going to try and take advantage of the small stumble the Nuggets have experienced and try to climb the Western Conference rankings while improving on their 2-7 road record.

David is co-founder of wrapupp sports blog where they post fresh content daily and present sports blogs and sports opinions – all with a West Coast bias. Growing up in the Bay Area, David is a huge supporter of all the local sports teams; the Giants, Athletics, Warriors, Sharks, 49ers, and Raiders. His one fault, admittedly, as many of his friends and family would say, is his love for the Los Angeles Lakers. Growing up, Magic Johnson was his favorite basketball player and he fell in love with the team. He chalks it up to, “Not knowing any better”. Now his love for sports has turned just as academic as it is intuitive and he follows most all sports all over the nation.

You can follow David on Twitter: @officialwrapupp

Sources:

NBA.com. Lakers vs. Bobcats Recap. NBA 2012.

More from David Mehrwein and the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

San Francisco Giants FanFest: A Fan’s Guide

Nyjer Morgan Set to Practice with Sharks: Fan Reaction

San Jose Sharks Vs. Columbus Blue Jackets: Fan Preview

Los Angeles Lakers Vs. Charlotte Bobcats: Fan Preview

Golden State Warriors Vs. Sacramento Kings: Fan Preview

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