Like the June gloom, there is one thing you can count on in May in Los Angeles — panic from Lakers Nation. And all it usually takes is one loss. This year, the panic is beginning already with Metta World Peace suspended for the first six games of the series, further depleting a roster that is not as deep as last year when Lamar Odom was bringing a little of everything off the bench. Lest we forget, those deeper Lakers
The San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers did not play each other one single time in December, January, February or March. They’ve played twice in April, and strangely have blown each other out on the other’s home court. The series will get even more interesting as Kobe Bryant is set to return for the Lakers (40-23) from a seven-game absence to face the Spurs for the first time this season in Friday’s best game. Bryant leads the league in scoring with 28.1 points
With the news that Kobe Bryant would sit out another game, the Los Angeles Lakers will turn to their big men looking for another stellar performance. If Andrew Bynum can have a repeat of his 16 points and league-high 30 rebounds as he did against San Antonio, the Lakers may be equipped for success, even if he continues his quest to shoot threes or act rebellious in various ways. The Lakers (37-22) look to build upon a two-game winning streak without their leading scorer
The D-League had a record 50 players called up to the NBA this season, the league announced Tuesday. The D-League also set a record with 64 NBA player assignments. The records are pleasant news for the D-League but not surprising given the abbreviated NBA training camps and the proliferation of injuries in this truncated 66-game season. The previous records were 40 call-ups in the 2009-10 season and 56 assignments in the 2010-11 campaign. All 30 NBA teams currently have at least one player
As the truncated season winds down, teams are jockeying for playoff positioning and home-court advantage. One of those teams should be the San Antonio Spurs. But coach Gregg Popovich is playing a different game. Popovich, the silver-haired, long-tenured guru who is among the frontrunners for Coach of the Year Award, decided to sit out three of his top three players – Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili – for the second time this season. The result was the same as the last time
Derek Fisher returned to the Staples Center for the first time since being swapped for Jordan Hill at the trade deadline two weeks ago. Los Angeles showed its appreciation for him in a big way — playing a tribute video just before tip-off followed by a rousing ovation from the crowd. Perhaps inspired by the exciting atmosphere, he picked the perfect time to snap out of a personal funk, too. Coming into the game averaging just 3.8 points on 22.7% shooting since joining his new
The (mostly) young Oklahoma City Thunder have been the most consistent team in the Western Conference this season. The Lakers — a team full of veterans (with the exception of the one they’ll have a reunion with tonight) — are trying to get back to a level of consistency they once held over the Thunder. In a meeting between two of the top scorers in the league, Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers take on the visiting Kevin Durant and the Western
