Lakers vs Spurs - March 24, 2010: Before the start of the season, the (52-18) Los Angeles Lakers and the (42-27) San Antonio Spurs were expected to finish as No.1 and No.2 in the 2010 Western Conference Playoff standings. With less than a month remaining on the regular season calendar, only one of these teams has been able to keep their end of the bargain. Tonight, Kobe Bryant and the defending champions embark on their toughest road-trip of the season, as they begin at the AT&T Center , San Antonio , TX , to take on Tim Duncan and the Spurs.

The opening tipoff for this Western Conference showdown is scheduled to take plate at 9:40 PM ET (6:40 PM PT) and it will be the second game of an NBA doubleheader on ESPN.

For the visiting Lakers, they come in with the best record in the Western Conference and winners of six in a row. With San Antonio currently sitting in 6th place in the playoff standings, and with no Tony Parker available, this could easily be a preview of the conference's first round.

"At the end of the day it's just about winning games," point-guard Derek Fisher said. "It's that simple. We figured out a way to do it and win a championship (last season), and it gets harder. We just need to stay focused on winning, no matter how it looks. Just win."

But with Andrew Bynum out for at least two weeks with a knee injury, the Lakers road to repeat just got tougher. The Zen Master is going to have to do some shuffling in order to get his guys playing at a high level without the big man in the middle, at least for now.

"It's getting to the end of the season and they're looking forward to getting into the postseason, but the job's not done yet," Phil Jackson said. "I don't think we've given up hope of having a record befitting of what we thought or anticipated before the season started. To do that, we have to win on this road trip."

For San Antonio , it comes into tonight's contest with the champs, two games behind Phoenix for the fifth spot in the West, with Oklahoma City stepping on its heels. Needless to say that, the Spurs are going to need to win every game in order to avoid dropping any lower in the playoff standings. "Every game right now is important and big," said Parker's replacement, George Hill.

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NBA Future:
Brandon Rush
Full name is Brandon L. Rush... Born July 7, 1985... Undecided major... Brother, Kareem, was a two-time All-Big 12 First Team selection at Missouri in 2001 and 2002 and has played four seasons in the NBA... Brother, JaRon, played collegiately at UCLA... Was ranked No. 13 overall and No. 2 small forward, behind KU teammate Julian Wright, by Rivals.com... Brandon Rush pulled out of the NBA draft in summer of 2005 and joined the KU team in August... Twice named an all-star at the Reebok ABCD Camp and was the 2004 ABCD Camp most valuable player while playing for AAU KS Rocktown... Brandon Rush was a late addition to the USA Men's Junior National select team at the ninth annual Hoop Summit in Memphis, Tenn., following the 2004-05 season.

NBA Future:
Jrue Holiday
Check out Jrue Holiday, the 6-3 sophomore shooting guard from North Hollywood (Calif.) Campbell Hall, one of the elite guards in the west, regardless of class...

Jrue Holiday, the 6-3 sophomore shooting guard from North Hollywood (Calif.) Campbell Hall, is seen here in action from a CIF playoff game last week.

Jrue Holiday is #21 in white, not to be confused with his older brother, 6-6 junior Justin Holiday, who is #22.

NBA Future:
DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus Cousins is a big PF who averaged 26 pts, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, 70% FG and 80% FT per game as a freshman in high school last year. DeMarcus Cousins has developing post moves, is an excellent rebounder, and a solid athlete. DeMarcus Cousins' ability to overpower players gives him a very high ceiling. DeMarcus Cousins has a 7'3" wingspan and 9'0" standing reach. DeMarcus Cousins is very raw. DeMarcus Cousins needs to work on his footwork and decision making mostly. DeMarcus Cousins offense is coming along fine, but he needs to become more of a leader on defense. DeMarcus Cousins consistency is also a problem against top competition.

NBA Future:
Ty Lawson

Jordan Farmar news:
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• Stars come out at Camp
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Kobe Bryant news:
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•Memorabilia Offered by Kobe Bryant and Upper Deck
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•Kobe Bryant Dunk Videos
•Kobe Bryant Videos
•Kobe Bryant Scores the Cover of NBA '07 for PlayStation
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• Top 10 Most Valuable NBA Franchise
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• Lower back spasms from the court.
• Top 10 Los Angeles Restaurants.
• Top 10 Los Angeles Experiences

Staples Center news:
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• Rumorville Eric Clapton to play the Staples Center
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• Cirque comes the LA Staples Center

Phil Jackson news:
• Lakers coach Jackson fined US$25,000
• Phil Jackson to have hip surgery