The Lakers will not be having away game viewing at STAPLES Center (called Home Court Advantage in the past) during the 1st Round of the playoffs.
Please check back to Lakers.com for updates on Home Court Advantage should the Lakers progress in the playoffs.
You can find the playoff schedule here. The schedule will update with specific game times for Round 1 when the information is released.
Pau Gasol was injured in the 1st quarter of the Lakers game at New Orleans after playing just 2:33. Pau rolled his left ankle and immediately left the game. X-rays were negative. The ankle sprain is severe enough that he will miss the game at Houston on Sunday and he is expected to miss the remainder of the 4 game road trip. Pau will be re-assessed in the next few days to determine the full extent of the injury.
The Lakers got out to an early lead and spent the rest of the game fending off Heat runs. The Heat never got the score too close, but they did hover within striking distance for most of the second half.
The Lakers had 5 players in double figures, including a career high by Jordan Farmar with 24. More remarkably, there were 4 Lakers in double figures in rebounds. The energy spent on the boards led to a lot of one-and-done in the second half and was doubtless a part of fending off the Heat runs.
On the down side, Phil pointed out that the Heat still managed to get 11 offensive rebounds and the Lakers were unable to put the Heat away until late, even though they never got too close.
Jordan’s performance highlighted another strong effort from the bench, with Jordan, Sasha and Ronny combining for 43 points. More importantly, given the game tomorrow, their play got an easier night for Pau and Derek. Also strong tonight was the interior defense. Miami didn’t attack as much in the first half, but in the second half they were more insistent about getting to the rim. However, the Lakers stood strong and got 12 blocks as a team, with 4 from Pau and 3 from Ronny. Ronny might have had a higher total still, but for a couple of foul calls.
In all, the Lakers matched the Heat in terms of energy and were able to seize and maintain the lead. They learned from some of their mistakes against the Trailblazers by paying more attention to the boards and now get to fly to Portland to have their energy tested again, now with a 10 game winning streak on the line.
Tonight and tomorrow night mark the second game against an opponent after Lakers wins (Miami on 2/10 and Portland on 2/26). Against Atlanta, another team the Lakes played twice in a short period of time, the Lakers had the fire in their eyes from losing the first game, hopefully they will be similarly motivated tonight.
When the Lakers met the Heat in Miami it was shortly after the Shaq trade and in the middle of the Lakers monster road trip. Now the Lakers catch the Heat at STAPLES Center, but also a Heat team that much more familiar with the new construction of the team. That game was tight until the third quarter when the Lakers opened a 17 point lead, only to see the lead whittled down to 4. They were able to seize control after that to seal the 10 point win.
The Nets are a team that has under-performed relative to expectations this year (or at least relative to the names on 
their roster) and seem to have lost some of their focus. This could be because their franchise point guard is asking for a trade six months after they re-upped their star shooting guard for another four years.
Somewhat surprising has been that the problems exist on both sides of the ball. As a result, they have gone 2-10 over their last 12, though that string included a 6 game road trip out west where the Nets lost all 6 games.
Despite the dysfunction, New Jersey still sits in the eight spot in the Eastern Conference, a full game ahead of the Chicago Bulls.
The Lakers and Nets met earlier this year on November 25th in a game that can be considered one of the Lakers worst home losses of the year. LA saw an early lead evaporate during a strong New Jersey 3rd quarter and was unable to recover. Also in that game, the Lakers bench had a subpar performance while Kobe and Vladi had poor shooting nights.
The game will also feature an odd reunion, as Pau and former Memphis teammate Stromile Swift meet up on opposite sides, both having been traded over the last few days.
For more on how the Nets play, check out our Scouting Report in Lakers Courtside Connection and the gametime blog on NJNets.com.
The Pistons are riding a 3 game win streak after losing 4 of 5. They have been on the road for a majority of January (10 games away vs. 5 at home) and as a result have posted an 8-6 record 
for the month. While that represents a cooling off since the beginning of the season, they still sit comfortably in second in the Eastern Conference, 4 games behind Boston and 4 ahead of Orlando.
In their last game against Indiana, Rasheed torched the Pacers on the inside, taking advantage of Jermaine O’Neal’s absence. The Pacers played a solid game and Mike Dunleavy in particular, but the Pistons were able to take care of business in the end. In somewhat of an anomaly, the Pistons bench was effective, with all their players getting at least 10 minutes. However, on the whole, their bench has been less effective than hoped other than Jason Maxiell. Maxiell is a tough undersized power forward who’s battle with Ronny should be a treat.
Another regular battle when the Pistons and Lakers face each other is Tayshaun Prince guarding Kobe. Prince’s numbers are down from last season and there are rumors that his defense is a little less sturdy than in the past, but he has always frustrated Kobe with his length and made him work extra hard for each basket.
The Lakers shot over 56% and yet came up short tonight. The offsetting negatives were turnovers and particularly points off turnovers at 20 for the Mavs and offensive rebounds, of which the Mavs got 13. The Mavs also penetrated often in the 3rd quarter, particularly Devin Harris, who got by Jordan and Fisher time and again early in the game, though less so in the 4th quarter.
Those two elements created a third quarter in which the Mavs scored 35 points and outscored the Lakers by 16. Even when the Lakers turned it around with the unit of Kobe, Jordan, Sasha, Ronny and DJ, and particularly the strong play of Jordan, the deficit was too much to overcome in the 4th quarter.
The game also had continuing struggles for Lamar and Luke, who each had 4 points, Otherwise, statistically, the Lakers were relatively strong across the board, leading the Mavs in most categories.
Going forward the team will have to figure out how to address third quarter energy, which was also a key in the San Antonio loss and also getting all their healthy players firing on all cylinders.
Last season’s results aren’t entirely indicative f how these teams match-up, as Lamar was not present. As Phil pointed out at yesterday’s practice, Lamar’s mobility is a useful asset matching up against Dirk Nowitzki.
The Mavs have converted from a run and gun team to a team very comfortable grinding it out in half-court sets. They still have players that will push the ball, particularly Devin Harris; nonetheless, the Lakers will prefer to push the ball tonight in search of easy opportunities.
Coming off the loss at San Antonio, the Lakers will be keen to deny penetration, after seeing how effective the Spurs were once they got into the paint. Devin Harris and Jason Terry will both drive to the hoop, as well as Jerry Stackhouse off the bench and Dirk will drive as well, if his 3 point looks get closed out.
The team got an afternoon workout after last night’s (or more correctly this morning’s) arrival into Dallas.
In reflecting on last night’s loss, Phil once again pointed to the shift in energy and motivation as the reason for the difference in play between the first half and second half against San Antonio. Specifically, Phil mentioned Manu Ginobili’s work on the defensive end.
Looking forward to tomorrow’s match-up, Phil said, “This team (Dallas), they can play the game. They run the game in a way that they pound it through you and they make you pay and they watch their turnovers. They do things the way a grind-it-out team in this game does. It makes it very difficult. You have to be very solid defensively and not give them second shots.” In reference to the match-ups, Phil pointed out that Lamar was not present in the games against Dallas and his ability to match-up with Nowitzki, mobility wise.
On how you stop the multi-headed threat that Dallas presents, Phil had this formula. “The big key about them is to understand where their shots are going to come from and know that they have a variety of shooters on the floor. You’ve got to be able to play individual defense and the key is penetration so they don’t break your defense down.”
Kobe also spoke about how to beat Dallas. He had this to say, “We need to get out in transition, get some good opportunites. And we need to limit their second chance points, limit their easy looks at the basket.”
Lakers 91, Spurs 103
The Lakers couldn’t sustain the momentum of the first half, giving it all away and then some in the third quarter (+19 for the Spurs). The shift came first from San Antonio upping their energy and taking away the looks that the Lakers had been getting throughout the first half. Then the team relied on Kobe repeatedly instead of finding other solutions. Kobe missed some easy shots and got some turnovers, but it was his teammates that placed the entire burden on his shoulders. Credit the Spurs for making the necessary changes.
Defensively, the rotations and rebounding that were so effective in the first half weren’t there in the second. The Spurs got consistent penetration, leading to more 3 pointers (actually a problem in both halves), and Tim Duncan had himself a game, punishing the Lakers in the paint and on the boards.
Doubtless the team will be disappointed that they let the game slip away, but hopefully they will learn the lesson of how to keep adapting throughout the game.
FROM LAKERS.com
