Pau Gasol's Triple-Double Leads Lakers Over Hawks

Kobe Bryant spent the All-Star break thinking about old times, and sharing the game's MVP with former teammate Shaquille O'Neal. While O'Neal might be looking to end his days back in Los Angeles, this Lakers team no longer needs his help. Kobe's current All-Star teammate Pau Gasol notched a triple-double, and after a slow start, the Lakers cruised to a 96-83 win over the Hawks at Staples Center.

Atlanta showed up early, while the Lakers seemed to still be vacationing. The Hawks led by as many as nine points early on, before L.A. closed the gap and trailed by just a single point after one. They held Atlanta to just 12 points in the second quarter, and took a nine-point lead at the half.

The third quarter is where the Lakers took control.

L.A. came out on fire to start the third, and went on a 16-2 run to blow the game open by leading 61-38. Kobe and Gasol sat out the fourth, and that was that.

Bryant finished with just 10 points, but obviously, at this stage of his career, he really couldn't care less.

"Extremely heartbroken," Bryant said.

Gasol finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists, and his teammates might have known that he needed a few more assists to get that triple-double. With the game out of reach and it being likely he wouldn't play in the fourth, Gasol's teammates scored on three consecutive possessions towards the end of the period, shooting immediately after receiving his passes.

Lamar Odom continued his rebounding tear, and grabbed 20 for the first time this season.

By the way, you know that half-court shot promotion sponsored by the Mirage hotel, where they grab (usually) some completely un-athletic rube out of the crowd to try and win a large chunk of change if they hit the shot? No one's done it in the three-year history of the promotion -- until Tuesday night, when the guy banked it home and won $165,000. The place went bonkers.