Lakers’ Week 17 in review

The Lakers beat their longtime rival, the Boston Celtics, on Friday of Week 17, but otherwise continued their losing ways.

On Wednesday, Dwight Howard made his first visit to the Lakers after leaving as a free agent over the summer to join the Houston Rockets.

Aganst Houston, Jodie Meeks was able to return from an ankle injury but Pau Gasol remained sidelined (groin) as the Rockets easily rolled past the Lakers, 134-108.

Howard seemed to enjoy the chorus of boos from the Staples Center crowd.

Less than two hours before the game against the Rockets, the Lakers traded Steve Blake to the Golden State Warriors for young guards Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks.

Kobe Bryant tweeted that he was “not cool” with Blake being traded.

Despite being long-rumored as a player the Lakers were looking to trade, Gasol remained with the team as the NBA trade deadline passed.

General Manager Mitch Kupchak spoke about the trade deadline, the Blake trade and the team’s future in general. Kupchak said it’s “unacceptable” for the Lakers to trade a player simply to save money without receiving basketball considerations in return.

The Lakers received a $2.8-million trade exception in the deal with the Warriors.

Gasol made his return on Friday against the Celtics. The Lakers were able to rally in the fourth quarter to beat Boston, 101-92.

On Sunday, the Lakers’ comeback against the Brooklyn Nets fell short, 108-102.

Hall of Famer and former Lakers guard Gail Goodrich met with the struggling team on Wednesday, sharing words of advice.

Former Lakers forward Lamar Odom signed to play in Spain for Laboral Kutxa. Another ex-Laker, Kareem Rush, said he hasn’t retired from the NBA just yet, but is done playing in the NBA Development League.

Nick Young appears in the March issue of GQ with his girlfriend, Australian pop star Iggy Azalea.

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.