Lakers at Warriors
The Los Angeles Lakers appear to be figuring things out with three straight wins and are getting closer to having all of their stars on the floor at the same time. But while they have been toiling among the lottery teams, the Golden State Warriors have stepped up and planted their flag as one of the teams to beat in the Western Conference. The Warriors will be looking make a statement when they host the Lakers on Saturday.
Forward Pau Gasol has returned to the Los Angeles lineup after a eight-game absence and point guard Steve Nash, who has been out since the second game of the season, has practiced the last two days. Nash raised the possibility of returning on Saturday and will make his decision after the morning shootaround. It might not be the best thing for a guy coming off a broken leg to chase around Stephen Curry, who has been putting up strong numbers for Golden State. Curry, Klay Thompson and David Lee might not be as recognizable as Los Angeles’ stars, but they are pushing their way up.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Time Warner SportsNet (Los Angeles), Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (Golden State)
ABOUT THE LAKERS (12-14): Nash told reporters he would definitely be ready for Tuesday’s game against the New York Knicks but kept open the possibility of a Saturday return. Nash, who played for Mike D’Antoni in Phoenix, has not yet gotten a chance to direct the offense for Los Angeles under his old coach, who took over in November. Even with Nash sidelined, the Lakers have usually been able to put up points. Los Angeles ranks among the top 10 in the NBA in scoring average but is in the bottom third in points allowed. That area has been slightly improved during the three-game winning streak, with the Lakers holding two of the three opponents under 100 points. Kobe Bryant has handled most of the offense and has reached 30 points in each of the last seven games. Bryant scored four of his 30 in the final 1 1/2 minutes on Tuesday as Los Angeles squeezed out a 101-100 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (18-9): Golden State had a much easier time with those same Bobcats on Friday, jumping out early and cruising to a 115-100 win. Lee recorded his third career triple-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists while Curry buried a career-high eight 3-pointers in the victory. The Warriors have won 11 of their last 14 games and are 5 1/2 games in front of the Lakers in the Pacific Division. They are a much better team than they were on Nov. 9, when they went into Los Angeles and were crushed by the Lakers, 101-77. Lee had a difficult time against Gasol and Dwight Howard and was held to 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting. The 77 points was a season-low for Golden State, which is averaging 115 points in its last four contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Lakers have taken five straight and nine of the last 10 in the series.
2. Curry has totaled 15 3-pointers in the last two games but is hitting just 28.6 percent from beyond the arc in six career games against Los Angeles.
3. Bryant scored 27 points in the first meeting and has averaged 27.3 in 59 career games against the division rivals.