LAKERS 101

The Lakers are 2-0 since the firing of former head coach Mike Brown. With the buzz surrounding the Lakers following the hiring of Mike D’Antoni late Sunday night, the Lakers will face their Western Conference rivals tonight at Staples Center. D’Antoni will not be on the bench tonight and is unlikely to be there on Friday night, as he continues to recover from knee surgery. The offense has been a bright spot for Los Angeles thus far so defense will be key when facing the veteran Spurs. When asked after Tuesday morning’s shoot around about the key to a strong defense tonight, Kobe Bryant responded “Communication. Communication. That’s really all it is. Constantly communicating with each other on the floor, understanding personnel, who likes to do what, who likes to go where, and reacting to it.”

Probable Starters

#15 World Peace             SF          #2 Leonard        

 #16 Gasol          PF          #21 Duncan       

 #12 Howard      C            #33 Diaw             

 #24 Bryant        SG         #20 Green          

 #5 Blake             PG         #9 Parker

Key Matchup – Dwight Howard vs. Boris Diaw

Dwight Howard is three inches taller and outweighs Diaw by 30 pounds. The Lakers must pound the ball into the post and exploit this size advantage. Howard had a lackluster performance last Friday against Golden State but responded with a 23 point, 18 rebound game on Sunday night. Look for Howard to have another huge game for Los Angeles against San Antonio. 

Tags: Basketball, Dwight Howard, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Lakers, Mike D'Antoni, NBA

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