DENVER -- Andrew Bynum is promising hell be on time and on target Sunday night. The Los Angeles Lakers centre acknowledged Saturday that he wasnt ready for Game 3 at Denver, when he was held scoreless in the first half of a 99-84 loss to the youthful Nuggets. Bynum has much more responsibility in the L.A.s offence this season, so the Lakers 7-foot centre works long and hard before games on his footwork and balance. He said he had to cut short that pregame preparation Friday night after arriving late to the arena. "Yesterday we did a little bit of it, but like I said, I got there a little late, so I didnt have as much time as I needed," Bynum said. "For what its worth, Im going to go and be ready for tomorrows game," he added. Bynum didnt say what led to his tardiness, but he also acknowledged he was bothered by the altitude as the Nuggets raced out to a 24-point lead on their way to a 55-39 halftime advantage. Befuddled by Denvers double teams, Bynum took just three shots in the first half before bouncing back to score 18 points and pull down a dozen rebounds. However, he and Pau Gasol were outrebounded by Denvers young duo of Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee 30-19. Asked Saturday how the Nuggets were able to take him out of his game in the first half, Bynum said, "I took myself out," adding he was "maybe just not ready to play." He said hell get to the Pepsi Center "a little early, probably" Sunday night and "get adjusted to the altitude prior to the game." Although Bynum was 5 for 8 from the floor and 8 of 8 from the stripe in the second half, his poor performance in the first half helped put the Lakers in a hole they couldnt climb out of. "You hope at this time of the season everyone who steps on the floor is ready," said Lakers coach Mike Brown, who put Bynums slow start among a long list of things that frustrated him. Asked if Bynum drives him crazy, Brown said, "I think at one point or another everybody on the team drives me crazy just like Im sure I drive them crazy." With so much of the offence running through Bynum now, it was surprising to hear him admit he was tardy and not ready for a playoff game. "Hes extremely open and honest with you guys," Kobe Bryant told a group of reporters gathered at the team hotel Saturday. "Im sure you guys appreciate that." Bryant said he wasnt angered by Bynums admission. "No, the first step to improving as a player is admitting to yourself that youve done something wrong and (knowing) how to correct that," Bryant said. "I do the same thing, too. I just dont tell you guys." But not being ready for a playoff game? "No, Im always ready. Im always ready," Bryant said. "But theres some mistakes that I make" that he doesnt share with the public. Pressed if he thought it was disconcerting to hear that Bynum wasnt ready for a playoff game, Bryant said: "Yeah, I mean, hopefully you guys will stick it to him good enough to where it sinks in for him." Bryant said Bynum is still learning how to handle himself in the playoffs while being targeted with a steady diet of double teams. "Its a process for him because hes never had to see these types of coverages in the post-season, teams mix up coverages, mix up looks," Bryant said. "I think its good for him. I try to throw the ball into him as much as I can so he can constantly work on that, get better at it. If were fortunate enough to advance to the next rounds, hes going to be seeing a lot more of that, so its important for him to really be efficient." The Lakers never trailed in winning the first two games but they were powerless during a 28-2 spurt by the Nuggets in the first half Friday night that gave Denver a double-digit cushion. Instead of limiting their stars minutes after that or conceding this one, the Lakers fought back and made a game of it, cutting the deficit to four points in the third quarter. "Im not a big fan of 20-point leads in the first half," Nuggets coach George Karl said, noting that teams with big early cushions tend to get lazy. "Im kind of glad it turned out to be a hard game, at least a game where we had to make fourth-quarter plays. "My speech to the team was sometime today you all got to stop being happy ... Because the fight were going to have tomorrow is going to be harder." And this time, Bynum promises to be ready from the start. Notes: Karl was styling Saturday in a blue tie and orange blazer to go with white slacks and a striped white and orange shirt. He was dressed up for a cancer charity event but said there was no way hed wear the ensemble on the sideline. ... Karl on JaVale McGees 16-point, 15-rebound performance Friday night: "Oh, its the best game Ive ever seen him play. We dont see a lot of East Coast teams, but when the trade (with the Washington Wizards) was going on, we watched the films and we never saw that game." Discount Ray Ban Sunglasses . PETERSBURG, Fla. ray ban sunglasses discount . Bradley hired Miami Hurricanes offensive co-ordinator Jedd Fisch to the same position Saturday, charging him with remodeling one of the leagues worst offences. http://www.discountray-bansunglas... . Choi was 5 under through 12 holes when first-round play was delayed because of lightning, then added a birdie on the par-4 14th and finished the bogey-free round with four pars. CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs are becoming quite a problem for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh lost its seventh straight game Friday and kept fading in the NL wild-card race as Starlin Castro hit a three-run homer that sent Chicago to a 7-4 win. The Pirates have dropped 11 of 13 overall. They began the day three games behind St. Louis for the final NL playoff spot. The Cubs have won four straight against the Pirates, including a three-game sweep last weekend in Pittsburgh. Chris Rusin (1-2) notched his first major league victory, allowing two runs in five-plus innings in his fourth career start. "It feels good," the 25-year-old Rusin said after a cold beer shower. "I located the ball, kept the ball down and got ahead of a lot of hitters." The Cubs led 4-3 in the sixth before Castro connected after Luis Valbuena walked and Alfonso Soriano was hit by a pitch. "I wanted to jump on the first pitch because I knew he would throw me a fastball," Castro said. "I know the team isnt going anywhere, but we have to finish strong." Since Castros debut in 2010, he leads all National League players with 508 hits. "We all know what kind of hitter he is right now," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "I was more impressed not by the home run, but by the adjustment he made. He went with no leg kick and no stride and hit a home run." "Those are the things you look for, to see guys make adjustments. Thats when you start to grow as a player," he said. Andrew McCutchen homered in the Pittsburgh seventh, but Cubs reliever Shawn Camp tossed a perfect eighth and Carlos Marmol earned his 20th save in 22 chances. Marmol has converted 19 consecutive save tries. Pirates starter James McDonald (12-8) struggled once again in the second half. He lasted just 3 2-3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and four wwalks.dddddddddddd He is 2-5 in his last 10 starts. McDonald, who also hit a batter, hurt himself with wildness. He walked three batters in the fourth before Anthony Rizzo delivered a two-run double down the right-field line and Alfonso Soriano hit an RBI single that made it 4-0. "I didnt have any pitches today, but Ive pitched in that situation where I didnt have any pitches before," McDonald said. "Walks are unacceptable. I had two outs, I should have gotten that out and been in the dugout." The Pirates got an RBI single from Pedro Alvarez in the fifth and closed within a run in the sixth. Gaby Sanchez singled home a run and Alvarez had an RBI grounder, but Pittsburgh left the bases loaded when James Russell struck out pinch-hitter Neil Walker. On Aug. 8, the Pirates were 63-47, but have gone 9-24 since. They are now just a game over .500 for the first time since June 15 when they were 32-31. Pittsburgh hasnt finished with a winning record since 1992. While the Pirates continue to fight for post-season berth, the Cubs have a magic number of their own. The victory was the Cubs 57th, meaning six more wins lets them avoid a third 100-loss season. "We got the magic number down," Sveum said. "These guys have a lot of pride and are trying to stay from that number." Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney was 2 for 2 with a run scored to extend his hitting streak to a career-high nine games. NOTES: Cubs first-round draft pick Albert Almora took batting practice with the team at Wrigley Field prior to the game. He will report to the instructional league on Monday. ... Alvarez (sore wrist) returned to the lineup after missing Wednesdays game. Walker (lower back tightness) did not start for the 16th consecutive game. ... Jason Berken makes his Cubs debut Saturday against Wandy Rodriguez (10-13, 3.72). [url=http://www.cheapjerseyschina.cc/]cheap jerseys from china ' ' '