The Raptors head into Los Angeles for a Tuesday evening tilt having lost 4-of-5 and 6-of-10 games due largely to the respective ankles of Chris Bosh and Hedo Turkoglu.
Bosh missed seven straight games before returning on Sunday when Toronto lost to Philadelphia, and Turkoglu’s minutes had been limited before he was held out of the Sixers game entirely. However, both are expected to start for the Raptors on Tuesday alongside Jarrett Jack, DeMar DeRozan and Andrea Bargnani.
In late January, the Raptors stole away a 1-point victory over the Lakers when Turkoglu drew a questionable foul with one second left and sank both free throws. Toronto thus got the win despite L.A.’s relative dominance of the game featuring a near triple-double from Kobe Bryant (27-16-9) and nice games from both Pau Gasol (22 & 9) and Andrew Bynum (21 & 9).
The Raptors did get hard-working forward Reggie Evans back from injury in recent days, and are looking to get back into the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference ahead of Milwaukee, as the Bucks have won 9-of-10 to earn a half-game lead on the Raptors.
The Lakers, of course, have lost three straight games for the first time since Pau Gasol was acquired from Memphis in February of 2008, providing just a bit more motivation for the Purple and Gold.
The Indiana Pacers have struggled in 2009-10, winning just 20 games with 39 losses as only New Jersey (6-53) has won fewer games in the Eastern Conference.
Their best player, Danny Granger, has battled various injuries and played in only 41 of 59 games, while Troy Murphy has missed 10 and Mike Dunleavy 14 contests.
With those – and other – injuries leading Head Coach Jim O’Brien to use 22 different starting lineups this season, the Pacers have turned recently to small ball, starting point guards T.J. Ford and Earl Watson together in the backcourt. Usual power forward Murphy has been playing center, with wings Granger and Rush spreading the floor further. The Pacers, however, could very well start Dahntay Jones instead of Ford to better match up with Kobe Bryant.
When on the floor, Granger’s been quite good to average 23.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.61 steals, and Murphy a near double-double with 13.8 points and 9.7 boards a night.
But as assistant coach Jim Cleamons explained, punishing the Pacers with size and not getting into their up-and-down game will be the key factor for the Lakers. It certainly was on Jan. 27 in Indianapolis, when Andrew Bynum posted 27 points and 12 rebounds while Pau Gasol added 21 and 13.
The final game of a road trip can be difficult in any NBA arena, and for the Philadelphia 76ers, Friday evening’s contest against the Lakers at STAPLES Center will be no exception.
The Sixers (22-35) began their trip in Chicago on Saturday, falling 120-90 a day after beating the Spurs 106-94 at home, and followed up with a 110-102 win at Golden State on Tuesday. Then on another back-to-back on Wednesday in Phoenix, Philly fell 106-95.
The Lakers and Sixers have already met once this year, with Kobe Bryant out-dueling Allen Iverson (who is currently on leave of the team while dealing with family matters) in a 99-91 L.A. win in Philadelphia featuring 24 points from No. 24.
Last time the two teams saw each other at STAPLES, however, the Sixers overcame a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to shock the Lakers with a 94-93 victory when Andre Iguodala’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer dropped through the net [Iguodala leads the Sixers in points (17.3), assists (5.8) and steals (1.9) while Samuel Dalembert paces Philly on the glass (9.6) and in blocks (2.1)].
As assistant coach Brian Shaw explained in the above video, the Lakers would clearly like to avenge that loss.
A quick reminder: after every Lakers game, you can head over to the Lakers Gameday page on Lakers.com to view postgame highlights, link to the game story (or running diary on the road), check out the box score, check out quotes and more.
Furthermore, you can click on our Lakers Gameday Archive Page to get all of that information on any Lakers game played in the last three seasons (I utilize this function for story research almost every day).
But because Kobe Bryant’s last-minute mastery can’t be shown too often, here’s the video from LA’s dramatic victory over Memphis on Tuesday night, featuring Bryant’s two three-pointers in the final minute.
TWITTER COVERAGE
Another way to ensure you’re getting all the in-game and postgame coverage you can handle is to follow us on Twitter. My account, @LakersReporter, features constant updates, notes and observations as the game goes on, and will often include postgame videos as well. Further information is provided on our parent account, @Lakers.
From tonight, we have Phil Jackson (parts 1 and 2) and Pau Gasol:
Earlier today, we took a look at some of the numbers that define this Lakers - Celtics matchup.
To take a closer look at the X’s and O’s, we enlisted assistant coach Frank Hamblen to talk about playing without Kobe Bryant, Rajon Rondo’s rise and the best way to attack Boston’s tough defense.
After an impressive three-game winning streak heading into the All-Star break despite the absence of Kobe Bryant (left ankle), the Lakers found out Tuesday morning that they’d likely be without Bryant for at least their first game out of the break.
That information had yet to come in when we talked to assistant coach Brian Shaw about the matchup (above), detailing why Golden State can still be dangerous despite injuries of their own (most notably Monta Ellis), looking at rookie Stephen Curry and explaining what LA’s coaches would like to see at both ends of the court.
Preparing for a game is always a bit more difficult when coaches aren’t sure which players will be available, particularly when one of those players is Kobe Bryant.
Heading into Monday’s contest against the Spurs, Bryant remains a game-time decision with a sprained ankle, while Andrew Bynum is not expected to play due to a hip contusion he suffered in Portland on Saturday.
Nonetheless, assistant coach Jim Cleamons joined us to take a look at Tim Duncan and his San Antonio Spurs.
Lakers assistant coach Frank Hamblen joined us to take a look at last season’s Western Conference Finals opponent, the Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers handily beat Denver in Games 5 and 6 after a tough first four contests, and this season dropped their only matchup on a road back-to-back at the Pepsi Center when Pau Gasol watched from the sidelines with a strained hamstring.
Hamblen shared with us that the Lakers expect Kobe Bryant (ankle) to play, and have prepared as if Carmelo Anthony (ankle) will play as well (though that appears unlikely). He also detailed the recent success of Chauncey Billups, and suggested how L.A. plans to deal with Nene and Kenyon Martin in the post and J.R. Smith off the bench.
Coaches around the NBA often remind their players of one of the toughest games on the schedule: the first home game after a long road trip.
There’s a tendency to let the proverbial guard down and relax in the comforts of one’s home, which the Lakers are finally experiencing after a 13-day trek across the country. But as assistant coach Brian Shaw told us, that’s the last thing L.A. can do against a gritty Charlotte Bobcats team that has long had the Lakers’ number.
One major blow to the ‘Cats for Wednesday’s game was to lose All-Star Gerald Wallace to a hamstring injury, which allows the Lakers to push Ron Artest over to Stephen Jackson and Kobe Bryant on Flip Murray (once Murray enters for starter Steven Graham).
Shaw explained what the Bobcats like to do on offense, how to attack them defensively and detailed their most dangerous lineup heading into the 7:30 PM tipoff.
