The 35-8 Lakers host the 18-26 Charlotte Bobcats at Staples center looking to improve their home record to 24-3. The Lakers, back at full strength with a healthy Jordan Farmar, made a statement Sunday by laying a 14-point beat down on the Spurs. The win gave them a six game lead over the second best team in the Western Conference.
The two best things about the win over San Antonio was the return of Jordan Farmar, whose energy and 14 points gave the team a huge lift and holding the Spurs to 37.5 percent shooting.
The Lakers must continue their winning ways against the Bobcats. At first, this game appears to be one that the Lakers will win by 20 although Charlotte always seems to play the Lakers tough. According to Stats Inc., The Lakers have split their eight all-time meetings and have lost four of their last five including the past two at Staples Center.
The Lakers beat the Bobcats on the road 2/11/08 last season 106-97 behind Kobe’s 31 points and ironically lost by 13 to them 108-95 at home 3/26/08.
This is a different Bobcats team, after the trade with Phoenix that allowed them to add Raja Bell, Boris Diaw and Sean Singletary; Head Coach Larry Brown has them playing well as of late, so the Lakers cannot take them lightly. This team has won five of their last seven but lost their last game to the Pacers 98-93.
Another interesting fact is that prior to the loss to the Pacers, the Bobcats held their previous six opponents to an average of 85.3 points.
The Lakers need to come out aggressively from the start, jump on the Bobcats early and impose their will on them. The Lakers displayed an impressive defensive game Sunday which has to happen every night. The Lakers need to show the Bobcats what it’s like to play the best by breaking them in half.
I’m looking forward to seeing excellent player movement and ball movement and seeing the team end each quarter strong. Jordan Farmar’s return allows the team to return everyone to their natural positions and the team the opportunity to speed up the pace of the game.
The Lakers need to throw the ball into the low post and allow Andrew Bynum & Pau Gasol to go to work. Andrew has become a presence in the painted area.
The team has an advantage with their long front line and will win by controlling the tempo, glass, stopping dribble penetration and rotating out to three point shooters.
Tipoff: 7:30 PM PST
Television -
- Los Angeles: Fox Sports West 1 HD (Joel Myers & Stu Lanz)
- Charlotte: Fox Sports Carolinas HD (Steve Martin & Henry Williams)
Radio -
- Los Angeles: AM570 KLAC (Spero Dedes & Mychal Thompson)
- Charlotte: WOLS 106.1 FM (Scott Lauer)
Injuries -
Lakers:
- None to report.
Bobcats:
- D.J. Augustin (Abdominal Strain)
