Lakers Defend Their Home Court Against the Spurs at the Staples Center by Jeff Little

It’s April 17, 2012 and the (39-22) Los Angeles Lakers are back to work at the Staples Center to host the Western Conference-leading (43-16) San Antonio Spurs.

The Lakers got a contribution from everyone who touched the floor and came away with an impressive 112-108 team win in overtime this past Sunday, sweeping the season series from the Mavericks. The Lakers will be playing without shooting guard Kobe Bryant again tonight, their sixth game without their best player.

The Spurs are 18-11 on the road while the Lakers are an impressive 25-6 at home. San Antonio knows first-hand how formidable L.A. is without Bryant. This is the second meeting of the season and the second in six days between the Lakers and Spurs.

Los Angeles leads the season series (1-0, after a 98-84 win on April 11th) although these two teams have split it the last two seasons (2-2). The last time the two teams played, Lakers’ center Andrew Bynum grabbed 30 rebounds on the night, becoming the fifth player to do so and the first since all-time leading scorer and former Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did so in 1978.

The Lakers are 6-4 in their last 10 games overall against the Spurs the AT&T Center and 11-12 all-time against them at the Staples Center. The Spurs are 17-3 in their last 20 games. However, they have lost five of their last seven games at the Staples Center. The Lakers are 15-6 (4-1 without Kobe Bryant) and riding a four-game winning streak.

Look for the Spurs to make adjustments and put forth a stronger effort to come away with a victory. This game is more important for L.A. than it is for San Antonio in terms of playoff positioning, holding onto the division lead, momentum and confidence. Despite not having the services of Bryant, the Lakers must play with a sense of urgency, match the intensity of the Spurs, play solid defense and execute.

Defensively, the Lakers have stop the dribble penetration of Spurs’ point guard Tony Parker, do a solid job defending the screen and roll plays, control the tempo, dominate the painted area, quickly rotate out to open shooters and challenge every shot.  L.A. has to communicate on defense. The Spurs can get hot shooting from behind the arc so the Lakers have to fight through screens and stay in front of their opponent.

Los Angeles has to use solid ball movement and excellent player movement to find high-percentage shots. After Bynum’s performance in the last game, he will be the focus of the Spurs’ defense so look for them to double-team him hard. The Lakers have to be prepared to make the adjustment. The ball has to move constantly from the strong side to the weak side and they must provide an outlet.

L.A. had five players in double-digits in their last meeting and it is imperative that they have a repeat performance. Understandably, Bynum drew many of the headlines, but Lakers’ small forward Metta World Peace posted a season-high 26 points and power forward Pau Gasol had a solid night, posting 21-points and 11-rebounds.

Gasol needs to come out aggressive and attack the basket. The Lakers have to win the rebounding battle, limit their turnovers, and limit the Spurs’ opportunities for second-chance points. Los Angeles head coach Mike Brown needs to expand the rotation and provide minutes to Andrew Goudelock, Darius Morris and Jordan Hill. Their contributions are critical to the success of the team long term.

The Lakers are in need of increased bench production as they face one of deepest teams in the league. If given specific instruction as well as provided minutes and opportunities; Goudelock and Morris will increase the production of the reserves.

Starters
Lakers: R. Sessions, D. Ebanks, R. Artest, P. Gasol, A. Bynum
Spurs: T. Parker, D. Green, K. Leonard, T. Duncan, D. Blair

Tip-off: 7:30 PM PST

Television –

• Los Angeles: Prime Ticket (Bill Macdonald & Stu Lantz) & TNT
• San Antonio: TNT

Radio –

• Los Angeles: 710 ESPN (Spero Dedes & Mychal Thompson)
• San Antonio: WOAI-AM 1200 (Bill Schoening)

Injuries –

Lakers:

• Kobe Bryant (Tenosynovitis, Left Shin) Out
• Jordan Hill (Sprained MCL, Right Knee) Questionable
• Ramon Sessions (Sprained Left Shoulder, AC Joint) Probable

Spurs:

None