Records: Lakers 36-34 (8th in the West), Warriors 40-31 (6th in the West)
Offensive ratings: Lakers 105.3 (8th in the NBA), Warriors 103.6 (11th in the NBA)
Defensive ratings: Lakers 103.4 (T 17th in the NBA), Warriors 102.5 (13th in the NBA)
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard
Warriors: Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, David Lee, Andrew Bogut
Injuries: Lakers: Jordan Hill (out for the season); Warriors: Steph Curry (questionable), Brandon Rush (out for the season)

Warriors Blogs: Check out Warriors World for smart analysis and news updates on the Dubs.

Keys to game: We’ve been saying for weeks that every game is important, but for the final 12 games of the Lakers’ season that counts double. The Mavs and Jazz both sit two games behind the Lakers for the 8th spot and holding them off is, of course, the primary goal for this team. However, any game against the Rockets or the Warriors also represents an important contest as those are the two teams right above the Lakers in the standings and a win against them gives the Lakers are better shot of moving up to catch them for either the 7th or 6th seed.

This is where the Lakers losing back to back games against the Suns and Wizards really hurt. Those were “winnable” games and needed to be claimed as W’s for the Lakers to continue their push forward. Meanwhile, the Warriors have started to stabilize and the Rockets continue to hold steady and that makes moving up less likely. Tonight, though, a game against the Warriors can trim a full game off their lead and bring the Lakers to within 2.5 games of them, with a game still to play against them.

To get this win, then, the Lakers will need to bring a better and more sustained effort than they have in their past two games. The Warriors are a good home team and while there’s always a fair contingent of Lakers’ fans in Oakland, this game matters to the locals and should generate a good atmosphere.

From an X’s and O’s standpoint, Steph Curry is a game-time decision with a sprained ankle and his presence obviously matters a great deal. If he’s unable to play, the Warriors lose their best shooter and a player who can compromise defenses with the ball in his hands and as a floor spacer simply camping behind the arc. That said, his replacement is Jarrett Jack and he’s one of the guys who always seems to play well against the Lakers. Jack is a solid playmaker and shooter and can do damage attacking smaller defenders (like Nash and Blake) by using his body to create space on his jumper or when getting into the paint. If the Lakers see more of Jack and less of Curry, that affects the game plan but it’s not like the former can simply be disregarded as a threat.

The Warriors also offer threats in the form of David Lee and Klay Thompson. Lee has given Gasol fits in the two previous meetings between these two, using his jumper to draw Pau away from the hoop and then his good first step to get inside for hooks with either hand. Pau will need to show better defense than he did against the Wizards (especially in the 2nd half) when defending Lee by contesting his jumper well but also sliding with him when he puts the ball on the floor. As for Thompson, he’s a very good (but still streaky) shooter that must be marked all over the floor. The Warriors use him the way the Hawks used Kyle Korver in that they run him off baseline picks and standard pin downs to free him up for jumpers. Kobe (or Ron) will need to fight through those picks to chase him off that jumper. The big men can also help by showing out on these screens to delay Thompson’s read on the catch or to deny the pass entirely.

Offensively, the Lakers can take advantage of a Warrior defense that runs very hot and cold. In recent games against the Knicks and the Rockets the Warriors did an excellent job of slowing down pick and roll heavy attacks that were too quick to swing the ball around the perimeter for jumpers rather than looking inside. However, when teams threaten the paint against them, their wings are prone to collapse too far and leave their men open from behind the arc. In other words, the Lakers would be wise to try and establish the paint early against the Warriors and make them defend the rim rather than settling for outside jumpers. Even though Bogut is protecting the rim well these days, attacking him with Howard (and Lee with Pau) is just as much about trying to get the bigs going as it is about making the Warriors perimeter defenders choose between helping and staying home.

The Warriors will also hang well below the screen in P&R actions so it’s imperative that Kobe and Nash look to attack the paint and try to get their shots inside first. Little runners from Nash and hard drives by Kobe are not only high percentage shots, but have the added benefit of potentially drawing fouls or the type of help that open up offensive rebounding chances for Dwight and Pau.

The other key to this game is monitoring the Warriors in transition and ensuring that they don’t get a lot of wide open looks either going to the rim or spotting up behind the arc. Thompson and Curry both run to the three point line while Barnes, Draymond Green, Lee, and even Bogut will run to the rim to try and get dunks and lay ups. The Lakers must have good floor balance on offense to promote good transition D but most also run back hard and find a man early in the possession to avoid giving up open looks.

Where you can watch: 7:30pm start time on TWC Sportsnet. Also listen on ESPN Radio 710AM.

Records: Lakers 36-33 (8th in the West), Wizards 24-43 (11th in the East)
Offensive ratings: Lakers 105.4 (8th in the NBA), Wizards 97.3 (Last in the NBA)
Defensive ratings: Lakers 103.4 (18th in the NBA), Wizards 99.9 (7th in the NBA)
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard
Wizards: John Wall, Garrett Temple, Martell Webster, Nene, Emeka Okafor
Injuries: Lakers: Jordan Hill (out for the season); Wizards: Bradley Beal (doubtful), Emeka Okafor (questionable), Ronnie Price (out)

The Lakers Coming in: We covered a fair amount of ground earlier today, but let’s rehash the key points. Kobe and Pau are both going to play tonight, with both returning to the lineup as starters. Reports from practice are that both guys looked good and while Kobe tweeted that his ankle was a bit sore today he says he’ll be good to go tonight. Pau will likely have a minutes restriction tonight, but should still get good work in this evening. Not playing in 6 weeks should translate to some rust in his game, but if he’s able to move around the floor well and show good feel as a passer he’ll be a net positive on both ends of the floor.

Every Laker seems to understand the importance of this stretch run and that should lead to inspired play regardless of their physical state. While the odds favor the Lakers making the post-season, they’ve not clinched anything to this point and that requires they continue to rack up wins. This team adopted a playoff mentality long ago and will need to carry that forward for another 13 games to clinch and then for as long as their ride lasts should they make the 2nd season. After all this team has been through, it’s exciting to think they could finally be coming together to approximate the team they were formed to be. But they must still show it on the floor. With pieces to integrate back in, here’s hoping they don’t get off their stride.

The Wizards Coming in: The Wizards may be 19 games under .500, but they’ve been much better since John Wall returned to the lineup 34 games ago. In that stretch they’ve gone 19-15 including winning 4 of their last 5 games. If looking for a statistical representation of this better play, over their last 20 games they’ve posted an offensive efficiency of 103.7 and a defensive efficiency of 99.6, marks that rank them 17th and 5th in the league, respectively, over that stretch. In other words. since Wall has returned they’ve been playing like a playoff team. A lower seeded one, but one all the same.

Wall has been a key to their turnaround with his quickness and shot creation on offense combined with the ability to cover a lot of ground and pressure the ball on defense making a big difference. One can only imagine what their record would be if Wall had been healthy all year. But giving Wall all the credit would be unwise. This team plays hard on defense even without Wall and have had several players find solid footing on offense to bolster their attack. Martell Webster has regained his shooting stroke this year, making 45% of his three pointers while Nene and Okafor have anchored their front court with good work in the paint and from the mid-range. Put it all together and this team is one that can beat any team on any night through a combination of effort and underrated talent.

Wizards Blogs: Truth About It and Bullets Forever are both excellent places to find Wizards news and analysis.

Keys to game: As mentioned above, the Wizards aren’t the doormat their record implies they are. Their positive efficiency differentials over their last 20 games is actually better than what the Lakers have posted and is an indicator of what they’re capable of. That said, they’re likely to be without rookie Bradley Beal (sprained ankle) and may be without starting Center Emeka Okafor (flu) and if neither play that will affect their depth. It should also be noted that the Lakers represent the Wizards 3rd road game of a 4 game trip and their 5th game in 7 nights. Now is around the time fatigue starts to set in for a team, even one that plays as many young players as the Wizards.

The Lakers, though, must ignore the prospect of missing players and/or fatigue slowing the Wizards down and instead focus on the fact that this team is much improved and a dangerous opponent. They offer the type of formula on offense that can hurt the Lakers and that should give them pause. With Wall’s ability to push the pace in the open court and break down his man in isolation in the half court, he’ll likely attack the weakest parts of the Lakers’ D all night. They also have a good shooting swing man in Webster and a big man in Nene who can work the post as well as the mid-range. This trio will put Nash, Kobe, and Dwight in defensive situations that can lead to breakdowns where the entire scheme can be compromised. If all three are allowed to play to their strengths, the Lakers’ D will be in trouble.

The key then is slowing down Wall and ensuring he can’t run roughshod over Nash. The Lakers must get back on D to deny penetration in the open court and buckle down in the half court and not give up the paint off the dribble. If Wall is forced into taking outside jumpers, the defense has done its job in stage one. Stage two is ensuring that Nene doesn’t find his groove in the post nor allowed to take uncontested mid-range jumpers. Stage three is sticking to Webster on the perimeter and not allowing him to get hot where he can keep the game close through made 3′s. Slow down guys like Ariza, Booker, and Seraphin in their aggressive moves off cuts and in going to the offensive glass and that’s a formula for turning what’s been an average Wizards’ offense of late into the cellar dweller they were before Wall returned.

Offensively the Lakers will have to find a way to integrate Pau while also adjusting back to having Kobe in the fold. Both are guys who have been decision makers with the ball in their hands this season and finding a way to allow them back into those roles without disrupting the flow Nash, Dwight, Jamison, and Blake have been in is a major key. Finding the balance between pick and rolls, post ups for Kobe, Pau, and Dwight, and HORNS sets with Pau as a passer from the high post is paramount. There will be some hiccups along the way, but getting everyone going should be part of tonight’s plan.

My suggestion would be to play pick and roll early with all 4 on the floor and then going to more post oriented options with Nash and Dwight sit out. If Kobe and Pau can rekindle their chemistry quickly, exploring P&R options with them is also something worth exploring. A lot of this will depend on Pau and how explosive Kobe can be when turning the corner, so we’ll just have to see how those variables play out as the game advances.

It goes without saying that, at this point, all games are important simply from a win/loss standpoint. However, this game is also important as a building block towards the stretch run in terms of finally having every player (save Hill) back in the lineup and ready to go. We can’t expect them to be firing on all cylinders tonight, but the hope is that they’ll show enough flashes.

Where you can watch: 7:30pm start time on TWC Sportsnet. Also listen on ESPN Radio 710AM.

Records: Lakers 36-32 (8th in the West), Suns 22-45 (14th in the West)
Offensive ratings: Lakers 105.8 (8th in the NBA), Suns 97.9 (28th in the NBA)
Defensive ratings: Lakers 103.4 (18th in the NBA), Suns 105.2 (23rd in the NBA)
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Steve Nash, Jodie Meeks, Metta World Peace, Earl Clark, Dwight Howard
Suns: Goran Dragic, Wes Johnson, Markieff Morris, Marcus Morris, Jermaine O’Neal
Injuries: Lakers: Kobe Bryant (day-to-day), Pau Gasol (out), Jordan Hill (out for the season); Suns: Channing Frye (out for season), Marcin Gortat (out indefinitely)

The Lakers Coming in: For starters, Kobe Bryant is not going to play tonight as he continues to recover from his severely sprained ankle and the flu. While this is not encouraging news, it’s not necessarily a bad thing either. The Lakers dont play again until Friday, and three days of rest will surely be helpful in the Mamba’s recovery process, as well as getting needed rest from the wear and tear of an 82-game season.

The Lakers come into tonights matchup off of two quality team victories. This past Friday they went to Indiana and worked together as a unit to beat one of the quality teams in the NBA on the road. Last night at Staples Center the Lakers hosted the Sacramento  Kings, and they continued their collective cohesive play at home in a 113-102 victory (now have won seven straight home games) . More than the anything, the one thing that stands out about the Lakers in these last two wins is that they are playing like a fully functioning basketball team. In Antawn Jamison’s post-game interview last night he stressed that the established sense of urgency in the locker-room has been they key factor in the team’s succes since the All-Star break (11-3 record).

Aside from the injuries, it is obvious that the individual parts are starting to come together for this team. Steve Blake has found his place in the second-unit as the backup point guard, and is playing exceptional on both ends of the floor right now. Antawn Jamison is starting to show the promise of being the veteran signing that Lakers hoped he would be. Metta World Peace has found his stride again in these last few games without Kobe, and continues to play with inspired effort. And the Steve Nash/Dwight Howard combination in the pick-and-roll has been effective as of late. Despite the obvious defensive issues that are still present with this team, they are making the right strides this late in the season in becoming a factor in the playoffs as they continue to rely on working together to get victories.

The Suns Coming in: The Suns head into tonights matchup having lost four straight games and six of their last seven. Been a tough season for the Suns to say the least as they are tied with the New Orleans Hornets for the worst record in the Western Conference. They are coming off a tough game on the road against Washington Wizards in which they gave up 14 three-pointers en route to a 127-105 loss.

Despite the encouraging camaraderie in the locker-room under interim head coach Lindsey Hunter, there hasn’t been positive results yielded on the hardwood (9-17 record). And that’s not a discredit to Hunter’s coaching, it’s just there wasn’t much to expect with the hand he was dealt. Players have been in and out of lineups due to injury or performance, and some just haven’t fully bought into his principles because of the team’s losing.

Similar to the Lakers, the Suns are a flawed defensive team. Their issues on defense are more half-court based though. The Suns haven’t had the rim protection needed to stop penetration, and as a result offer lots of open shots to their opponents in drive-and-kick scenarios.They have given up 100 points or more in six straight contests, the most consecutive times that has happened to this team since the 2011-2012 season.

On the positive side, Goran Dragic has been a consistent producer for this team. The young Slovenian point guard has flourished under Lindsey Hunter by having the luxury of operating freely with their offense. His growth will be important for the Suns moving forward as they continue to try to find the right pieces to place around him.

Suns Blogs:  Valley of the Suns and Bright Side Of The Sun both do a fantastic job of covering the Suns.

Keys to game: The Lakers need to continue playing with a collective approach and with a sense of urgency. We’ve seen on multiple occasions when the Lakers have suffered really bad losses as a result of taking an opponent lightly. The last two games have been the perfect blueprint of not doing that.

It will be important that Dwight Howard gets established early. Similar to the match ups against the Pacers and Kings, it’s not so much that Dwight gets shot attempts but that he gets touches. Dwight forces every defense in the NBA to make an adjustment because of his presence. So because Phoenix will be absent of a legitimate interior defender tonight, it’s going to be key for the Lakers to punish them with Dwight.

A lot of the cohesive play of the Lakers on offense should be attributed to Dwight. More than often he forces a double team, and has shown that he is capable of making the right pass leading to quality shot attempts. Also with his new found desire to set solid screens on guards, he has helped Nash become a more potent facilitator. Dwight’s improved health has resulted in some dominant play as of late and the Lakers need to continue taking advantage of that.

Defensively it’s going to be key to contain Goran Dragic. How effective he is factors a lot into their offense (which is one of the worst in the league). It is likely that Phoenix will try to place Dragic in the pick-and-roll to take advantage of Nash’s defensive woes, so helping and recovering is going to be important. Also the Lakers should make a conscious effort to not let Michael Beasley get going. Some of Beasley’s best games this season have come at the hand of the Lakers, so it’s essential that the Lakers force him to take tough shots and be a decision-maker rather than a scorer. Finally the Lakers are going to have to make an effort to get back in transition. Phoenix is not very successful in the half-court, so they make it a priority to push the ball in transition when possible.

The continued contributions of Steve Blake and Antawn Jamison are going to be needed again on a night like this. Mike D’Antoni only played seven players last night, and we should expect him to do that tonight, so again, production from multiple guys is going to be a necessity.

All in all tonight is a game that the Lakers should win even on the second night of a back-to-back without Kobe and Pau. Playoff teams dont lose games like this.

Where you can watch: 7:00pm start time on TWC Sportsnet. Also listen on ESPN Radio 710AM.

Records: Lakers 35-32 (8th in the West), Kings 23-43 (13th in the West)
Offensive ratings: Lakers 105.6 (8th in the NBA), Kings 102.4 (16th in the NBA)
Defensive ratings: Lakers 103.4 (18th in the NBA), Kings 108.5 (29th in the NBA)
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Steve Nash, Jodie Meeks, Metta World Peace, Earl Clark, Dwight Howard
Kings: Isaiah Thomas, Tyreke Evans, John Salmons, Jason Thompson, Patrick Patterson
Injuries: Lakers: Kobe Bryant (doubtful), Pau Gasol (out), Jordan Hill (out for the season); Kings: DeMarcus Cousins (questionable), James Johnson (out)

The Lakers Coming in: First, two significant injury updates to digest. Kobe Bryant is doubtful for this game as he recovers from his severely sprained ankle. The fact that he played at all against the Pacers defied expectations and by the 2nd quarter he pulled himself from the game due to the fact he could not put any weight on his foot. When he’s back remains an open question but I imagine him sitting out today and tomorrow and returning on Friday is most likely right now. The other not so good injury news, Pau Gasol experienced pain in his foot after a 2-on-2 workout yesterday and is seeing a foot specialist to determine the issue. There were hopes he’d return today or (more likely) tomorrow, but that looks less likely now. As with Kobe, resting until Friday could be in the cards and that’s if everything checks out okay when he sees the doctor. Here’s hoping for the best.

The Lakers are coming off one of their best wins of the season against the Pacers. Not only should  that win inspire confidence in the players who had to step up with Kobe and Pau out, but it also kept the Lakers in the 8th spot for another day (the Jazz beat Memphis last night which leaves them a half game behind the Lakers coming into tonight). In other words, that was a huge win and continues the Lakers down the path of redemption from their early season woes. They’re still a flawed team and on any given night they’ll struggle, but they’re also improving in ways that really matter — with better execution and adherence to the plan evident nightly. Dwight Howard is looking fully healthy and is doing so many little things better on defense that he’s literally one and a half times the player he was early in the year. With Nash finding his comfort zone and the bench players tuned into what they need to do each night, this group is becoming more reliable not just in terms of production, but in terms of approach.

The Kings Coming in: Since losing 6 games in a row from the middle to late February, the Kings have won half of their last 8 games. Their effort and focus has been better and with those improvements the results have improved as well. Who’d have thunk it?

The Kings have also made some personnel moves to help solidify their rotation and ensure that players’ roles were well defined. Aaron Brooks was waived and that allowed head coach Keith Smart to clean up his point guard rotation with Isaiah Thomas now the full time starter. The Kings also traded their most recent lottery pick Thomas Robinson to the Rockets in exchange for Patrick Patterson. Robinson was Houston’s starter but has become the Kings third big man behind Cousins and Jason Thompson.

As for the “old” Kings, this team is still hoping to build around the talents of Tyreke Evans and Cousins. Evans has been quite solid this season, recapturing some of his rookie season form. He’s scoring well on efficient shooting and, though his assists are down, has found a nice role playing off the ball more as a shooting guard. Cousins, meanwhile, continues to have a career trajectory that is in no way a straight line. He flashes his enormous talent often, but has also built up a reputation with the referees that impacts his game almost nightly. This has led to too many suspensions and ejections, which, in turn keep him from ascending to the franchise player the Kings hope he can be. Of course, there are still holes in his game as he still has trouble finishing inside and will too often settle for the long jumper.

All in all, the Kings remain a work in progress and the hope — as it’s always been — is that one or more of their young players makes the leap to be a franchise changer. If that’s neither Cousins or Evans, the Kings will get another shot in the lottery this season. Oh, and of course, all of this happens while there’s a fight to try and keep the team in Sacramento as prospective buyers try to move the team to Seattle. Not an easy time to be a Kings fan, that’s for sure.

Kings Blogs: Cowbell Kingdom and Sactown Royalty both do a fantastic job of covering the Kings.

Keys to game: Both these teams are banged up, but both are also coming off very good wins (the Kings thrashed the Bulls on Wednesday) and are playing some of their best basketball of the season. So while it’s easy to say the Lakers should win this game, that will still be dependent on their ability to come out and play with purpose while executing at a high level.

With or (likely) without Kobe, the Lakers’ offense will need to rely heavily on Nash creating in the P&R and Howard’s ability to dominate the paint against a good Kings front line. Whether Cousins plays will affect how deep the Kings go in their front court, but his absence won’t tip the scales as they’ll still go at least three deep with Patterson, Thompson, and Chuck Hayes. It’s the latter player who is an interesting variable here as he is a very good defensive big man who loves to use his strong lower half and quick hands to disrupt big men who love to play in the paint. If Howard does see a lot of Hayes, he’ll need to a better job of not exposing the ball or he will get it stripped away when going up for his hook or when rising up to dunk.

Getting back to Nash, however, he’ll have a smaller defender on him in Thomas and will need to attack him all night to keep the Kings’ defense off balance. Sacramento is one of the poorer defensive teams in the league and penetration with good ball movement will break them down consistently, which should feed into what Nash wants to do on any given possession. If he can get into the paint off the P&R and create good looks for himself while also picking out shooters around the arc, the defense will loosen up and that should only create more opportunities for Howard inside.

Defensively, the Lakers are going to have their hands full tonight simply based off the types of players the Kings have on the perimeter. In Thomas, Evans, and Thornton, the Kings possess multiple attack players who thrive in isolation but can also work out of the pick and roll as scorers. With the Lakers being a poor isolation defensive team, the big men will need to help early and often to ensure that none of those players have free reign to get into the paint and score easily. Once the bigs commit to help, the other wings must drop down to the paint to help on the glass and then recover back out to their own men in order to get back to shooters.

As for the Kings big men, both Thompson and Patterson can shoot out to 18 feet and must be respected out there. Howard will need to balance his desire to play in the paint defensively with the fact that his man will try to draw him away from the hoop to open up the middle for penetration. Look for Dwight to guard Thompson early as he’s the more paint oriented player of the two and that will leave Ron guarding Patterson. Both can be difficult covers when they get their offense going, so Ron and Dwight must be at the top of their defensive games tonight.

The other battle that will be worth watching is that of the reserves. I’ve already mentioned Thornton, but Jimmer Fredette and Tony Douglass also come off the Kings bench and both are capable of hitting shots at a high clip if left open. Those three will need to be guarded closely and not allowed to find their shots, turning the game into a shootout in the process. The Lakers reserves will need to do strong work on the defensive end while also finding ways to create enough offense for themselves. If Kobe doesn’t play, that removes a key shot creator and that will make Blake and Jamison carry a heavier load as shot makers (and Blake as a creator) in this game.

Tonight is the first game of a back to back and is a game the Lakers desperately need to keep pace in the playoff chase. And, as stated earlier, while they’re playing a team that’s had a poor year, lately they’ve been much better. The effort the team showed against the Pacers on Friday is very much needed in this game.

Where you can watch: 6:30pm start time on TWC Sportsnet. Also listen on ESPN Radio 710AM.

Records: Lakers 34-32 (8th in the West), Pacers 40-24 (2nd in the East)
Offensive ratings: Lakers 105.7 (8th in the NBA), Pacers 101.4 (20th in the NBA)
Defensive ratings: Lakers 103.6 (18th in the NBA), Pacers 95.7 (1st in the NBA)
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Steve Nash, Jodie Meeks, Metta World Peace, Earl Clark, Dwight Howard
Pacers: George Hill, Lance Stephenson, Paul George, David West, Roy Hibbert
Injuries: Lakers: Kobe Bryant (game time decision), Pau Gasol (out), Jordan Hill (out for the year); Pacers: Danny Granger (out)

Pacers Blogs: 8 Points, 9 Seconds is a great Pacers’ site that you should check out.

UPDATE: Forget pretty much most of what follows below since:

Kobe Bryant is officially in the starting line up.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 15, 2013

Serves me right, I guess, for writing a preview doubting he’d play when Kobe had nearly two full days to recover from an ailment.

Keys to game: With Kobe likely out (he’s a game time decision, but that seems more like a courtesy and tribute to Kobe’s resiliency than anything else) and Gasol, while close to returning, likely out until Sunday or Monday, the Lakers head into Indiana down two of their best offensive players while facing the league’s best defense. In other words, things could be ugly tonight.

The Pacers are a team that reminds me of the 90′s Knicks or the Bad Boy Pistons. They ramp up the physicality to a level that most teams aren’t accustomed to playing and then watch as teams struggle to adjust to that style, with frustration and stagnant offense typically resulting. So, in facing this rugged defense and without Kobe Bryant, what exactly will a Laker offense look like? And how can it find ways to put up enough points to win this game. Well, the latter will be difficult regardless, so lets focus on the former.

Expect the Lakers to try and push the tempo in this game, playing more at a speed that makes Nash comfortable with heavy doses of drag P&R’s in early offense and more standard P&R’s throughout regular possessions. Ever since Kobe became more of a distributor, Nash has been more of a spot up shooter than pick and roll practitioner, but that should change tonight. Also expect more shots early the possession with Meeks replacing Kobe as he’ll likely be the player who sees a big increase in his touches with Kobe out.

Tactically, we may also see Ron shift from the weak to to the strong side of the offense with Meeks the player who is camped in that weak side corner. Most defenses help off the weak side when defending the dive man in the P&R and if Clark (or Jamison) is the the release valve, Meeks could greatly benefit from the ball swinging his way against a defense caught in mid rotation. We could also see Nash be more aggressive early in looking for his own shot in the P&R as Hibbert is prone to sit well below the screen and invite mid-range jumpers rather than come out high and expose his lack of foot speed on the perimeter.

I also wouldn’t be surprised to see a greater emphasis put on getting Dwight the ball in non-P&R situations. Hibbert is a very good defender but can be taken advantage of with quick moves and power finishes around the rim. If Dwight can work his turn and face game to get a step on Hibbert going to the lane, he can get good shots at the rim that Hibbert may still be able to bother but can also earn fouls trying to block. An assertive and active Dwight can do wonders in this game if can score efficiently and hit some FT’s in the process.

Where we’re likely to see the biggest adjustment in how the offense is run is with the bench unit, however. Kobe has been a fixture next to Steve Blake in reserve lineups which will mean more of a burden on Blake to initiate the offense via the P&R and to be more of an all court player than he is when paired with #24 in the backcourt. Blake, like Nash, will have to be a bit more assertive to keep the defense guessing and look for his pull up jumper if it’s made available often. If he can knock a few down, he can then become more of a distributor, but without Kobe as an outlet defenses will be fewer passing angles as the defense adjusts and plays things more straight up. Of course, if Ron, Jamison, and Clark can also make shots it will give the Lakers enough of an identity to keep the game interesting.

Defensively, the Lakers will also have to adjust to missing Kobe as it removes one of their better on ball defenders and an option to put on guys like Paul George and George Hill. This will put an even greater emphasis on Dwight’s ability to help his perimeter mates by clogging the lane while still recovering to the paint to rebound with Hibbert. Hill and George are both very good scorers when they get going into the paint and if Dwight can stand up to their drives without fouling (while also getting help from his mates on the glass when he does have to commit), the Pacers’ offense can be limited.

The other key player for Indy is David West and I, for one, can’t wait to see the match up between him and Ron from the elbow down. West plays a no-nonsense grown man game and Ron will have his hands full when battling him for position and in trying to control his post game. West also has a very nice touch with his mid-range jumper and needs to be guarded closely enough that his jumper can be contested. Ron, though, has no quit in him and will fight with West for every inch of real estate and try to force him to take contested shots every time down the floor. Do yourself a favor and watch this match up even West doesn’t have the ball just to see two very strong guys go at it.

In the end, getting this win was always going to be a bit tough even with Kobe playing. With him likely out (or greatly diminished if he does play), the odds drop even further. That said, any game can be won with the right amount of discipline, some shot making, and a bit of luck. The Lakers will need a bit more than a “bit” of the latter, but the other two things are in their control (for the most part). The Pacers are sure to ratchet up the physicality and will play a level of defense this Laker team rarely sees, but there are counters to every style and if Nash and Dwight are on their respective games we could be in for a well contested game that goes down to the wire. At this point, that’s really all we can hope for.

Where you can watch: 4:00pm start time on TWC Sportsnet. Also listen on ESPN Radio 710AM.