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Andrew Bynum has historic night as Lakers cruise by Spurs

Kalyn McMackin Contributor
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As Kobe Bryant sat out for a third consecutive game, Andrew Bynum stepped up Wednesday night after pulling down 30 rebounds and scoring 16 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 98-84 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

The seven-foot, 285 pound center became the first player to pull down 30 or more rebounds since Minnesota’s Kevin Love corralled 31 rebounds against the New York Knicks in 2010. Bynum joins Love as the only two players in the last 12 years to earn 30 or more rebounds in one game.

“It’s great to have 30 boards, but my shot’s not working and I’m (a) little upset about that,” said Bynum, who was seven of 20 from the field. “For me, I’ll remember shooting poorly,” Bynum told ESPN.

While Bryant continues to rest from a sore left shin, Metta World Peace scored 26 points, and Pau Gasol added 21 points and 11 rebounds. The Lakers have improved to 2-1 without Bryant, suffering their only loss to the Phoenix Suns.

The previous single-game mark for the most rebounds this season stood at 25: twice by Orlando’s Dwight Howard, and once by Milwaukee’s Ersan Ilyasova. Bynum matched that number by the end of the third quarter.

“They had some airballs that fell right to me,” Bynum said. “So I just had my hands ready.”

Danny Green led the Spurs with 22 points, and Tim Duncan added 14 points and just two rebounds.

Bynum is the fifth player in Lakers history to grab 30 rebounds in a game, and the only player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1978.

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