Jordan Hill fuels the Lakers defense against the Kings. (GETTY IMAGES)

Jodie Meeks and Pau Gasol scored a team-high 19 points as they led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 106-100 victory over the Kings Friday night in Sacramento

“We have had different guys that have stepped up for us this season,” Mike D’Antoni told Time Warner Cable Sports Net’s John Ireland.

The defense really stepped up in the final quarter after L.A. trailed, 87-81, entering the final quarter. The Kings scored just 13 points on 3-for-16 shooting in the fourth. Jordan Hill had blocks on back-to-back plays and the Lakers had five of their seven blocks in the quarter as the defense tightened up. L.A. also swiped 10 steals.

Nick Young added 14 points off the bench, Steve Blake chipped in with 13 points and 10 assists, Wesley Johnson scored 13 points and led a strong defensive effort with five steals, Robert Sacre added 11 points in his first start of the season and Hill had seven points and nine rebounds off the bench.

The Lakers made 37.5% (12 of 32) 3-pointers and Meeks converted on five of seven outside shots.

Kobe Bryant is expected to make his much anticipated return this season on Sunday against Toronto after being out for nine months with an Achilles injury.

“We are getting these young guys some experience and chances to show what they can do this season,” D’Antoni said when asked how Bryant’s absence has impacted the team.

DeMarcus Cousins and rookie Ben McLemore scored 20 points each for Sacramento. Cousins also added 11 rebounds, four assists and steals while McLemore contributed six rebounds and two steals.

Darren Jacks is a regular contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @djroxalot.

Luis Scola and Pau Gasol battle for a loose ball during a game at Staples Center in Los Angeles. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Los Angeles Lakers need to fix their team on the fly.

For the second straight year they got bounced out of the NBA playoffs in the second round by a better team. They played better than they did last year in getting swept by the Dallas Mavericks, but it still isn’t good enough for the Lakers who are used to competing for an NBA title.

Mitch Kupchak is being targeted by the Orlando Magic as their new GM, but he is still under contract and he needs to make a deal or two to get the Lakers back to competing as a legit contender. And I have some ideas on how he can do this.

Kyle Lowry has recently stated he may need to be traded because he believes Houston will not be able to keep himself and Goran Dragic. “I don’t think so,” Lowry, 26, told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “I honestly think it would be tough. Things have to be addressed. The situation would have to be addressed. If things aren’t addressed coaching-wise, I guess I have to be moved.”

The Rockets were interested in Pau Gasol earlier this season because Rockets coach Kevin McHale likes to have a big PF like Pau to pair with Samuel Dalembert in their frontcourt. The Lakers should offer Gasol for Luis Scola and Lowry.

This way if Ramon Sessions decides to opt out (and he said he would before the playoffs began) they have a better PG in Lowry and in Scola they have an underrated power forward who has shown he can be a very good player. Next to Andrew Bynum, he might even be better in Los Angeles.

If the Lakers use the amnesty clause on Metta World Peace, let Sessions and Troy Murphy walk, they save about $ 14 million. By letting MWP walk they can develop Devin Ebanks and Christian Eyenga at small forward. Ebanks showed some flashes when Kobe Bryant was sidelined at the end of the regular season and Eyenga is an athletic player who could turn into a solid defender.

They can use half of the midlevel exception ($2.5 million) to bring back Jordan Hill, who played well after the trade of Derek Fisher and a first-round pick to the Rockets. Hill provided energy and hustle off the bench as well as several double-double games (points and rebounds) — something they didn’t get from Murphy and Josh McRoberts.

These moves would make the Lakers a lot better and keep L.A. in the hunt for a Western Conference finals appearance and a possible berth in the NBA Finals next season.

Darren Jacks is a contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email at: djroxalot@hotmail.com.

Derek Fisher helped bring five NBA championships to the L.A. Lakers. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The biggest news of the NBA trading deadline didn’t come from Orlando. In fact, the much talked about Orlando deal didn’t happen as All-Star center Dwight Howard finally put down his flip-flops and decided to stick with the Magic for at least one more season.

With the Dwight Howard sweepstakes on hold until next season, the most stunning news on trade deadline day was the reported deal involving the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets that would send longtime Laker fan favorite Derek Fisher to the Rockets for forward Jordan Hill.

The deal appears to be a financial decision for the Lakers, who were unwilling to pay the 37-year-old Fisher $3.4 million this season and next season. But to give up one of your team captains and linchpins on five Lakers championship teams for a backup forward who has done absolutely nothing in the NBA is a bit mind-boggling.

Sure Fisher has lost a step or two on the court, but what he brings to the table goes beyond the stat sheet. He is the ultimately glue guy, someone who plays his position and does it with great class and professionalism. And despite his advanced age, Fisher remains one of the game’s best clutch shooters. That’s something you can’t put a price tag on.

Fisher is a selfless player who is one of the most respected guys in the entire league, not just in the Lakers organization. He is the voice of reason, and his opinions carries a great deal of weight. Kobe Bryant has gone on record that one of the guys he listens to is D-Fish. The two of them have grown up together in the Lakers family and have the utmost respect for one another. They’ve been through plenty of playoff wars and undoubtedly the two leaders inside the locker room.

You don’t just give up on a Derek Fisher. At the very least, you allow him to decide his own fate. The Lakers owe Fisher at least that much for what he has meant to the franchise for much of his 16-year NBA career, 13 of them wearing purple gold. What is the harm in keeping a veteran guy who makes big shots in the fourth quarter on your roster for a playoff run? Are the Lakers in such a financial hole that they can’t afford to pay a player $3.4 million? And what does this mean for the Lakers moving forward? You know Kobe can’t be pleased about this move. He reportedly canceled an appearance on ESPN Radio in L.A. minutes after the Fisher news broke, which gives a clear indication that Kobe wasn’t consulted on the matter.

If the trading Fisher was a salary dump for the Lakers then the team just dumped on their NBA championship hopes this season.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.