Preview: Hornets vs. Lakers 12/01/2009
December 1, 2009: A few years ago, this was one of the premier Western Conference matchups. Today, the (7-10) New Orleans Hornets represent just another team for the World Champion (13-3) Los Angeles Lakers to toy with, as will be the case tonight at the STAPLES Center in Downtown LA LIVE.
This Western Conference matchup is scheduled to get under way at 10:40 PM ET (7:40 PM PT) and NBA TV will do the broadcasting honors as part of NBA Fan Night.
The Hornets come into this game with a 1-8 road record and have limited by injuries early on in the season. All-Star point guard Chris Paul will not be available for tonight's game against the champs, and it appears that neither will Peja Stojakovic. The last time these teams met, back on November 8th, LA held NOLA to 37% shooting, on its way to a 104-88 rout.
For the defending champs, life has been peachy since the return of All-Star Pau Gasol. The Purple and Gold made it a point to improve its team defense, and is now holding opponents to an average of 90.8 points during an ongoing 6-game win streak. "The defense is getting better and better," Lakers captain Kobe Bryant said. "We're working really, really hard at it. Energy has been consistent. This is something we feel like we can maintain."
With no real backup point guard having been established this season behind Derek Fisher, the young man from UCLA is making his bid for that spot. Over the Lakers' last 2 games, Jordan Farmar has come off the bench firing. The Southern California native has connected on 5-of-8 from behind the arc for 25 big points off the bench.
The "Zen Master" has surely taken notice of his recent style of play. "I like the aggressiveness," Phil Jackson said. "There are obviously things that I want him to do a little bit better all the time, and that's natural. ... that aggressiveness he has with the basketball in the end of quarters is really important for us. We really need that."
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